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Werewolves, Vampires and Humans battle for control of the criminal underworld. |
| [Introduction]
This story is set in the same universe as my Wolfe Family Farm interactive. This time, we're going from the country to the big city. With vampires, werewolves and humans each having their own organized crime syndicate. Humans are typically seen as nothing more than animals, food for the wolves and vamps. So, those who manage to escape captivity typically end up joining the human Mafia, if nothing else out of necessity for survival. Of course, the three gangs don't think very highly of each other, and are often at odds. Whether it's in the streets or in the rackets, they're always on the brink of an all out war. To any contributors of this story, feel free to take inspiration from classic Mafia works such as The Godfather, Goodfellas, or even the Mafia video game series. As always, lets see where this goes and have fun with it! |
| It was a grey and dreary afternoon. Rain fell from the clouds over the cemetery onto a crowd of black umbrellas as two coffins were lowered into the ground.The funeral in question was for Don Batrello and his oldest son. The Don had been the head of the Vampire crime syndicate for decades, and was preparing to retire as he taught his son to fill his position. But that was all cut short by a bomb placed beneath the Don's car, set to explode as soon as the ignition was activated. The don and his son were so badly burned and mutilated from the explosion, they had to close the caskets for the viewing. As the service came to a close, the mourners talked amongst themselves, mostly regarding the future of the family business. Now that Don Batrello and his oldest son were gone, his youngest son, Victor, was poised to take over. Nobody dared say it out loud, but several of the family members suspected that Victor had a hand in his father's and brother's demise. Of course, they couldn't prove it. After the funeral, Victor took his seat in his father's chair. Despite his relatively young age, he had big plans for his newly inherited empire... Meanwhile, on the other side of the city, preparations were underway for a grand wedding to be held the next morning at the estate of Al Lupe, head of the Lupe Crime family. He had made his fortune in various rackets over the years, and had many of the city's police and politicians on his payroll. It was his Son who was getting married, to one Hanna Wolfe, a country girl. Al didn't really care too much who his son chose to marry, as long as he and his bride were happy. And they didn't go poking their noses into the family's private business. As far as Hanna or her family knew, Al was a legitimate businessman. And he would make sure it stayed that way... On the south side of town, a young human male in a fancy suit, coat and fedora calmly walked down the street and into a blood bank. In a neighborhood like this, made up of mostly wolves and vamps, he made for a rather odd sight. "Can I help you?" The receptionist asked, eyeing him suspiciously. "I'm here on behalf of my master, Mr. Fang." Said the young man, showing her the numbers tattooed on his arm. "He sent me for a word with the manager of this establishment." "I didn't know Mr. Fang kept humans as messengers." The receptionist said."Let's just say I'm something of an indentured servant." The young man, whose name was Richard Parker, was actually on an initiation from the local human Mafia. He had escaped captivity about a month ago, and fell in with the local crime syndicate in order to survive. "Mr. Ludwick? You have a visitor." The receptionist said into the intercom. "Send him in." Making his way to the manager's office, Richard opened the door and saw his target: A rather portly vampire sitting behind a polished wood desk. "What the?! Who the hell are-" But the manager was cut off as Richard put a silver bullet clean through his forehead, splattering blood on the wall behind him. He stashed the gun back inside his coat, and walked outside. He'd used a silencer, so nobody else in the bank even heard the shot. The job was finished. The Don would be most pleased when he informed him of his success... |
| Rex Fafnir put a strip of deer jerky into his mouth, and chewed it, as he looked the restrained, and beaten, werewolf up and down. The Garlic and Silver agent had to chuckle. "Police in four states have been after this mutt, and a Feral catches him trying to steal from one of their hidden gardens," the agent said. "It was a little more than that," said a heavily tattooed human. "He didn't like it when I asked him to leave, even when I offered him some deer meat, if food was what he needed." Rex chuckled. "You offered him deer meat, and he wanted something else." The tattooed human nodded. "He wanted me instead, or in addition." "Guess he didn't realize that he wasn't dealing with a pet, or a slave, or livestock," said Rex. "Or one of those Free Domesticated ones," the feral said. Rex looked back at the prisoner. "Chuck Lobo, do you know who you are in the presence of?" The prisoner licked a gap in his mouth, where some teeth were missing. "No." "Tobias Wrangler, son of two of the most Dangerous Ferals known to be alive in the case of Bella, or, in the case of John, dead," said Fafnir. "You're lucky it's just teeth you've lost. A hundred plus lost their lives to his folks, that we know of." The Feral pulled out some bloody teeth from his pocket. "These will be nice to add to my necklace," he said, as he twisted some wire around them, before adding them to a string, which had more teeth. Rex chuckled. "Well, best to haul this trash away. Those state boys don't like coming into these woods for some reason." "Can imagine why," said Tobias. Rex untied the prisoner, only to cuff him properly. "Let's go." An hour later, Rex Fafnir was in the Ferals' camp, one of the few werewolves trusted by the group to do so, even though the place was located in a park, where hunting wasn't allowed. "I'm surprised that the Wolfes aren't here to meet me, so that I can give them the Official reward for catching that mutt," he said, accepting a roasted leg of deer. "Hanna's wedding to her second husband," said Bella. "Oh, must of missed that announcement," said Rex. "I know her first died in a wreck a few years back. He was good." "Good enough," said Tobias, as he sat down next to his mother. "So, what did this person do?" "Broke into a dozen homes, committed robbery, murder, destruction of owned humans, and that's just the provable stuff," said Rex. Tobias turned his head away, and spat. "Guess he messed with the wrong human." Rex chuckled. "That he did. So, who is Hanna getting married to?" "Richard Lupe, son of Alphonso Lupe," said Bella. "The son seems alright, but the father..... there's something about him that rubs me wrong." A grimace came to Rex. "You're not wrong there. Agency has been investigating him. Keep an eye out, if he comes here." Tobias nodded. "We will." Rex chuckled. "You remind me of your father. John wasn't one to be messed with. Shame he died the way he did - stuck on a farm, trying to defend the livestock herd from rustlers after the Wolfes had been drugged, with him being killed, and the herd taken to be sold on the black market as meat. Still, you got to respect the Wolfes for how they honored him - turning their property into one big nature preserve, and allowing Ferals, especially the Wrangler herd, safe haven when they are in it." He looked at Bella. Bella nodded. They knew the truth. John had managed to get the Wrangler Family Farm herd to escape after teaching them plenty of survival skills. Cancer was the reason he'd stayed behind - he'd traded his life for the herd. He'd even set up one of his enemies to take the fall - Marcus Fang, whom Robert Wolf had killed in Self-Defense. Garlic and Silver had investigated the Fangs as a result - plenty had been tossed in jail, or heavily fined. But, there was still some troublemakers out there. Rex finished his meal. "Well, best get going. Got a report to fill out." "See you if there's trouble," said Bella. Rex tipped his hat, and walked away. |
| "Caviar?" Al asked, offering it to Hanna's parents, Robert and Julia. "I'm on a diet," Robert said. "I've been told to lay off butter-laden foods." "There's no butter in caviar," Al insisted. "I'm sure Hanna will enjoy your son's love," Julia said. Al rose up from his chair, but his portly body which rivaled Robert's got stuck. "Let us help you," said Julia. Both she and her husband worked hard to get Al's body out of his chair. It took them a crowbar to pry him out. Afterward, he and Robert shook hands. |
| Before the ceremony, Al stepped into his private office, where another werewolf was waiting. "Romulus. You wanted to discuss a private matter?" The wolf named Romulus nodded. "Yes, Mr. Lupe. I know you're very busy and today is a big day, but I need to ask a favor of you." Al smiled "Romulus, we've known each other for many years. There's no need to be so formal. Now, what is it you wish to ask?" "Well, you see...it's my daughter. I fear she's fallen in with the wrong crowd. Namely, she's been dating a vampire lately. I figured she was old enough to make her own choices, so I didn't protest. But last week, he and his friends tried to..." He cut himself off, holding back a sob. Al remained calm on the outside, but inside, his anger was beginning to boil. Clara was like a daughter to Al, and anyone who dared hurt her in any way, was just begging to be taught a very painful lesson. "I understand, Romulus." Al said, placing a reassuring hand on his friend's shoulder and offering him a drink, which he accepted gratefully. "Tell me the punk's names, and I will ensure they think twice before so much as looking in Clara's direction ever again." Romulus' downed his drink and hugged Al in gratitude. "Thank you, my friend. His name is Malcolm. Malcolm Fang. I don't know his friend's names, but he's bound to be with them." Al nodded. "Don't worry, Romulus. I'll get my best men on it." Immediately after Romulus left the room, Al made a phone call to his second in command. "Tell the Klaw brothers I have a job for them." |
| ('ll be referencing some things I've written.) "Now, why would you send a couple of thugs to beat up a young vampire, whose family has come on hard times in recent years?" a voice asked. Al looked up, only to find Robert boldly entering the office, a cane with a dense knob held easily in his hand, clearly more for show than practical use. "I don't know what you heard, but I think you got the wrong idea." Robert chuckled. "If you think that me and my family are just a bunch of dumb country bumpkins, think again." He picked up the bottle, and looked at it. "Ah, I like this blood-wine - small single batch operation, and I know the maker, and how he cares for his humans, which is similar to how my family raised ours; before they managed to escape." Al raised an eyebrow. "Heard that they were stolen about five years ago, all five thousand head." Robert poured himself a glass. "They had help," he said. "John, my Herd Leader, taught them skills that were needed by any herd; medicine, food preparation, making liquor, and other soft skills, ones that require more dedication than simply hunting and fighting. He made them highly valuable to the Ferals. Then, somehow, he got several dozen, if not several hundred, Ferals to come help the livestock to escape, and I have an idea on how that happened, as it involved his mate getting a number of herds to join in on the operation. John managed to get all of them to walk out, while keeping me and my wife in our house. James and Hanna were both on their respective honeymoons at the time, and Billy was at a Summer Camp, so they weren't around to get in the way of John's plan. He got the Meals that were were going to eat to take some heavy-duty sleeping pills, to drug us, in order to slow us down. Then, he got Jeffery, my loyal slave, to open the gun safe, claiming that Fang had sent his goons to steal the herd, and after he got what he wanted, had him knocked out and drugged, with a safe dose mind you. Well, when I managed to wake up, it was in the middle of the escape, I saw them leaving, rushed down the stairs, and there he was, sitting in a chair, gun across his lap, and he had this look in his eyes, one he'd given me plenty of times before, whenever we were in disagreement, but now, I knew that whatever happened, it was for keeps." "So, what did you do?" Al asked. "I sat down, and he gave me a sheet of paper; a veterinary report I'd yet to receive about him," said Robert. "He had a bad cancer - in six months, he'd of been Fertilizer. Well, we came to an understanding. His Grand Escape - the freedom of his herd, for his life. Besides, I wasn't in much shape to stop it, and his mate was ready to burn the house down, so, I went back upstairs, went back to bed. Breakfast was bittersweet, to say the least." "So, how did Marcus fit into the whole thing?" Al asked. Robert took a sip. "Oh, turns out, he'd been planning to rob me anyways, possibly kill my family, but, it seems that the Ferals got to his goons before they could do the deed. I got him real good - he'd come to gloat, while in the guise of making another offer for my farm. Well, I got him good; I knew of a crime he'd done, one that John had seen, and told me about. Marcus, he tried to kill me - stabbed me in the heart and lung with a silver blade. Should of killed me, but for one thing, I'd had a big breakfast. Hundred plus pounds of human meat - more than enough to counter the silver's ability to otherwise stop my ability to heal up." He then looked at the cane. "John's leg was messed up because of a bear; needed this to walk around. The knob is effective enough to crush a bear's skull. A vampire's wasn't too difficult." "So, why you tell me this?" Al asked. "Because, unlike you, I'm no idiot," said Robert. "I know who you are, what you do, and what you do it with." Al looked at him. "What are you asking for? You want in or something?" Robert chuckled. "No. I don't want to commit any crimes, unless I need to," he said. "But, I will give you a polite warning; anything happens to me and mine, the next time you're out and about, expect to get ambushed by a group of Ferals - if you're lucky, they'll merely yank your teeth out, and if you're unlucky - head, hands, feet, tail, and hide will be placed on the wall of some cave - a trophy to show off what a member of the herd did to you, both as they killed you, and afterwards." Al chuckled. "Are they really that good?" Robert grinned. "I can prove it. Instead of sending the Klaw brothers to meet this vampire, ask him to meet you at a certain location." He got out his smartphone, and tapped on a location; one that was within the Wolfe Family Park. Al looked. "Why there?" "I have a bit of a Restraining Order against the Fang family, including Malcom, where they aren't allowed to enter the Park, without permission," said Robert. "Likewise, the Wranglers love beating up would-be poachers, especially Fangs. Poacher gets a beating, the Wranglers walk away, myself, the wife, or one of my sons, or my daughter, or some other staff member shows up, patches them up, and tells them to leave the place. Simple security basically." Al grinned. "I got to admit - I like it." "Good," said Robert. "Now, let's get out there - there's still the wedding, and my wife would kill me if I wasn't there to give my daughter her dance." Al chuckled nervously. "I know the feeling." |
| Meanwhile, Billy, the youngest of the Wolfes, had just gotten out of camp when he found a stray dog in the streets. He gave it a donut and soon, more observers were giving the dog donuts. "I think I'll call you Benji," Billy told the dog. Suddenly, Benji got up on his hind legs and began singing and dancing. Even the vampire mafia couldn't help but laugh. |
| Back at the Lupe estate the ceremony was just beginning. It was an outdoor wedding, with the entire families of the bride and groom attending. "I now pronounce you husband and wife." Said the minister, as Hanna and Richard Lupe shared their first kiss as an officially married couple. The attendants cheered and applauded, with Hanna's parents looking especially happy for their daughter. At the reception, various luxury foods were served, including fillet mignon, buttered scallops and ...prime grade human. Robert looked down at the serving tray holding the human meat with a mix of sadness and longing. Ever since he had converted his farm into a human sanctuary, he and his family had been trying to give up eating human in honor of his friend, John Wrangler. Or at least, eating it less often than they normally had. Still, he couldn't help but miss the taste sometimes. |
| (Okay, let's establish a quick timeline - the setting of this is 10 years after the interactive's main time, meaning that young Billy is going to be about 19 years old or so. Furthermore, Billy is no longer the youngest sibling - that goes to John Wolfe, who is about 4 years old. Coincidentally, Hanna happens to have at least one child, that's a few months older, from her prior marriage. James most likely has one or two. Oh, and John Wrangler and Bella managed to have at least one final child together, from the last time they managed to meet, on the night of The Grande Escape - Roberta Wrangler.) Robert, by nature of being first in line, was going to be the first served. He looked at the human meat. There was something about it. It set off a warning bell, a small one. "Something on your mind?" Al asked, standing next to him. "The human meat you're offering doesn't look right," said Robert. He stabbed a small cube with his personal fork, placed it in his mouth, and chewed. It was good, but... "Yeah, you got gypped." "What are you talking about?" Al asked, quietly. "That's Prime grade - cost me ten million dollars, not including the hiring of the butcher." "Were you with the human at all times between the buying, butchering, and the serving?" Robert asked. "From the buying to the butcher stall, I was, but not after that," said Al. "Anyone you trust watching the whole thing?" Robert asked. "In fact, among other things, head, hands, and feet are missing, along with the bones, and a few other things that would be used for ID marks, like the tattoos. "Are you telling me that I got robbed of a ten million dollar human, and got dog food in its place?" Al asked, his voice threatening to get louder. "Not dog food - you'd get this at a nice restaurant, as this is of the higher B-Grade range, maybe low A-Grade range," said Robert. "But I wouldn't pay much more than seven hundred thousand dollars for this, and never more than a million for it." "So, what do you suggest?" Al asked. "Have someone take it back, and find out about this clearly accidental mix-up," said Robert. "Likewise, anyone asks, we got the wrong human delivered to the wedding by accident." "Alright." Al waved one of his employees over, and soon, the platers with the human meat were taken back, and soon, the story about the mix-up was making the rounds. "Not what I expected at my son's first wedding," said Al. "Well, food issues are a common enough thing, that they'll forget it, especially later on," said Robert. "I remember during Hanna's first wedding, we had plenty of wine, even allowing the livestock to enjoy it, as the wedding was at the farm, although John made an alteration on the human meat dishes, and poured some rather fine peach brandy over the humans we'd asked to be Meals. Improved the taste, to be honest, but John had his reasons - always made sure that the Meals had some sort of alcoholic beverage, or was cooked in something that had alcohol. It was to prevent Vendalg from showing up." Al chuckled. "Seriously? He was afraid of ghosts?" "There's stories about folks that enter those woods, that turn up dead, without a mark on them," said Robert. "Might be some truth to them. Anyhow, George, a good werewolf, whom I won't badmouth, well, his father had showed up, drunk to the point that we were worried he'd pass out. Well, his father didn't approve of the wedding, made it rather clear, but George and Hanna, their minds were all made up, and Father wasn't going to stop it. Well, that mutt decided to deck his own son, for disobeying him. Then, he was about to do so while the lad was down on the ground, only for John to 'stumble' into him, knocking him to the side, 'accidently' slip his cane between the fool's legs, causing him to stumble, and fall to the ground, with John on top of him. Of course, Julia and I helped the two of them up, John not being too steady on his feet as he was having some issues with his leg, and as for me, well, with some help from James, I made sure to toss George's father off the property - let's just say he hadn't been invited for a number of issues, his anger being one of them. However, when I looked at John, to see how he was doing, I wasn't watching George's father. John was through. He threw one of those heavy-duty plastic cups and got him good in the forehead - damn mutt had a silver blade in his hand when I looked back at him. I decked him real good. Between witness statements and security cameras, open and shut case." "Sounds like this John was on a whole other level," said Al. "Something," said Robert. "So, I noticed that your grandchildren aren't here," said Al. "Oh, let them spend the day with the Wranglers, along with Little John," said Robert. "Keeps them out of trouble." "Isn't Little John James's pup?" Al asked. "No. That one is mine and Julia's," said Robert. "He likes hanging around Roberta - that human girl's about his age, give or take a few weeks. In fact, she's John and Bella's." Robert then watched as Hanna and Richard were feeding each other some of the filet mignon. "If nothing else, this might have saved you from some major embarrassment." "Why is that?" Al asked. "While most of us un my family have cut back on eating humans, since the night of the robbery, Hanna went a bit further, and became a Bone Carrier, and will not eat human meat that comes from a farm or a store, or any such place," said Robert. "Why is that?" Al asked. "Well, when a Feral with the fangs and teeth of nearly two dozen werewolves and vampires breaks down, and cries out the name of their daughter, said daughter having been killed by them, because the daughter, who was below the legal culling age, was drugged with the braindeading drugs, it does something to you," said Robert. "Between that and the other stuff, I don't blame her." "I see," said Al. "What about you?" "Well, let's just say that Feral meat has less fat, on average, and while I don't eat it as often, there are those who die from accidents and the like, and sometimes, those who cause a whole lot of trouble are delivered to the doorstep, all tied up, like a Kriestmas present." Robert grinned. "Besides, plenty of Feral are curious, and there's nothing like a nice Belly Bath to get that feeling of a full belly - though one must let them out." |
| Meanwhile, Billy returned his 4-year-old brother, John, to their family farm. "That's funny," he said. "Cousin Jonathan was supposed to be here. I see his truck parked outside, but I don't see him." "Maybe he's-" Liitle John started to say, but his was grabbed from the foot by a hand. "Hey, there, you little snuggle bunny!" The voice of the person said. It was a werewolf who looked to be 32 years old. He wore jeans with a belt, boots, a shirt with the sleeves cut off and shortened to show off his 6 pack abs. His entire left arm was covered in tattoos and he had a shark tooth necklace. He had a goatee as well. He looked like a surfer dude. "Hey, cousin Jonathan!" Billy said, walking up to him. Jonathan sat John down on the ground and the two cousins embraced. "Thank you for babysitting John while I joined our parents for Hanna's wedding," Billy said. "Don't mention it, cousin," Jonathan said as they fist bumped. "Hey, John," said a female werewolf who had showed up. She had a ponytail, wore a red tank top, blue jeans, and sandals. This was Al's niece Chloe. She had been John's babysitter in the past. "Hey, Chloe!" John said as he came to give her a hug. "Sorry, Chloe," Billy said. "Cousin Jonathan got I'm touch and said he'd babysit. I forgot to text that to you." Chloe and Jonathan looked at each other. "Hello," Chloe said. "Hi," Jonathan responded. "Do you two know each other?" Billy asked. "Weren't you the one playing the ukulele in fron of the DJ at your father's wedding?" Chloe asked Jonathan. "Yes," Jonathan replied. He was Fred's oldest and only son. Unlike his father, Jonathan was into physical fitness. "Can Chloe help Cousin Jonathan babysit?" John asked Billy. "If it's okay with Jonathan," said Chloe. "The more, the merrier," said Jonathan. |
| Back with Victor Batrello, as the newly appointed Don of the Vampire syndicate, he sat at the head of a long table at a sit down with his underlings. "I know some of you think me too young and inexperienced to take my father's place." He said calmly. "But, rest assured, my father and brother's passing will soon be a blessing in disguise. For you see, gentlemen, I have a foolproof plan to end this conflict between our family and the werewolf and human syndicates once and for all, and establish us as the true rulers of this city and beyond. And it begins today." |
| "Then we'd best be careful where Lupe's son, Richard, is concerned, or, rather, his new wife, Hanna, daughter of Robert Wolfe," said a vampire that sat at the table. "Why should I care about them?" Victor asked. "What does this Robert Wolfe do?" "He was a highly successful human farmer," the vampire said. "Owned about five thousand of the finest human livestock in the area, until someone stole and destroyed them. Still, the thief made the foolish mistake of showing up, and bragging about the deed, and tried to kill him. Thing is, Robert was no fool, and he had upon his person a staff with a very dense knob on the end - he crushed the fool's skull, and, afterwards, won the thief's property in the ensuing lawsuit, and converted the land from both his property and that of the thief's into a Sanctuary for Feral humans. He has a nice thing going for him - you can go to his park, pay his fee, rent a cabin, perhaps have sex with a Feral without risking your teeth, or even go on a Fun Hunt, where, if you win, you can have a vial of that human's blood if you're a vampire, or Call Dibs on a body part if you're a werewolf, although, if you lose the Hunt, the Feral gets to yank a tooth, but, still, can't complain too much." "How does that matter to us?" Victor asked. "Because the foolish thief was Marcus Fang, who did some business with us on occasion," the vampire said. "More importantly, this former farmer turned park owner has an agreement with a rather interesting herd of Ferals, the Wranglers." Victor raised an eyebrow. "Aren't they supposed to be Dangerous or something?" "Yes, if you're a fool," the vampire said. "In fact, we had a small encounter with that herd." "What do you mean?" Victor asked. "Your brother, may he rest in peace, had the bright idea to try to extort some money from Robert, to provide protection for his park," the vampire said. "Your father approved, and I and a few others went with your brother, to meet up with this Robert. Now, the park had been in operation a few months, but one could tell that they knew that something was up. The Wolfes, and this human servant of theirs, were setting up tables as we arrived. They'd asked if we'd reserved a cabin - we hadn't. Told them that we were there to discuss business. Well, they were nice enough hosts, even had a very good blood-wine. We even discussed that we wanted to provide him with protection. He said that he needed to think on it, but said that we could take in the sights, and enjoy the meal that was offered. We weren't there ten minutes when thirty Ferals showed, all but two heavily armed, and even those two weren't unarmed - a middle-aged female had at least half a dozen knives and a club, and a male in their early twenties carried a spear in addition to the spears. All had teeth and claws around their necks, to say nothing about these tattoos. I got a good look at their eyes - one wrong move, and we'd all be dead. I remember Robert's words rather clearly after that - 'Why would I want to pay you to protect me, when they keep me safe, in exchange for me allowing them to stay on my property?' Your brother was very understanding of the situation, as was your father when he too paid a visit to this one-time farmer a few months later - there was a hundred that time, and clearly about half a dozen of them were herd leaders or something. Instead of talking about business, your father, instead, asked how the Fun Hunts worked, and how the whole blood thing worked. Well, Robert offered you father a Free Demonstration - capture a certain Feral, and he could have some of that Feral's blood, or the Feral woulf have your father's fang. The Feral was Tobias Wrangler, the son of the herd leader. Your father, to his credit, tracked and stalked him for an hour, before getting caught in a net trap. Your father lost a fang to them. Still, to show that all was good, Robert gave your father a nice, if small, vial of rather decent quality blood, and a free camping trip the next time he wanted to show up. So, think about things." |
| As for Jonathan and Chloe, John was having trouble because hedidn't know them very well. "Let's play 20 questions," Jonathan said. "You ask us questions about ourselves and we answer them. Begin!" "Why don't you have a wife?" John asked. "How do you know I don't have a wife?" Jonathan said. "Do you have a wife?" "No." "What are you up to nowadays?" "I just got a job as a construction worker last year." "Is that why you don't have a wife?" Jonathan hesitated, then he said, "Her turn." "How many friends have you got?" John asked Chloe. "Three," Chloe said. "Why is your hair so pretty?" "Almond milk shampoo," Jonathan and Chloe said at the same time. "Do you want to have children?" "Yes," Jonathan and Chloe said at the same time. "Will Dante be the daddy?" "Dante and I aren't friends anymore." "Who's Dante?" Jonathan asked. "No one," Chloe said. "Dante's her true love," John said. "Not anymore," Chloe said. |
| Meanwhile, with Richard (Not Richard Lupe, I mean the hitman for the human Mafia) He had just received his next assignment. He was to go to the Lupe estate, and eliminate Al Lupe's son, who, coincidentally, had just gotten married that very day. Richard chuckled to himself. "Talk about till death do us part." Scoping out the place, he disguised himself as a staff member. It was tradition to have a toast to the newlyweds on their wedding day with their family members, which gave him the perfect opportunity. He slipped cyanide into one of the wine glasses, and went to serve drinks to the guests, making sure the poisoned glass was given to the groom. Just before the new couple was due to share their first dance together, Al got everyone's attention. "I just want to thank you all for being here for this wonderful day, and this momentous joining of both our families. A toast then, to the newlyweds!" Everyone raised their glasses and prepared to take a drink. |
| It was at that moment that Robert felt a sharp spasm of pain in his chest, causing him to hunch over quickly, and causing the table, and the things on it, to collapse. Hanna quickly went to him, having set aside her glass, as did Richard Lupe. "Are you alright, father?" Hanna asked. "Just the spot that I was stabbed at," Robert gasped out. "Silver injuries never heal right," said Julia, as she got a pill bottle out of her purse. "Here's a glass of water, Mistress Julia," said a middle-aged male human. "Thank you, Jeffery," said Julia, as she got a couple of pills out of the bottle. . Robert accepted the pills and water, swallowing them down. Once his breathing had calmed down, he looked at Jeffery. "You know full well that, since I had you declared Free, you no longer had to call me, or of the rest, Master or Mistress." "That you said, Master Robert," Jeffery said, the human keeping his tone neutral. They then looked at the wine glasses. "Strange - Master Richard's wine seems to be discolored for some reason." He walked over to it, opening up a pouch, pulling out a strip of paper, placing it into the wine. The human's eyes widened. "Master Richard, dump the glass, and get a completely fresh glass - it's been poisoned." "With what?" Al asked, as he came over. "I do not know, Master Lupe," said Jeffery. "That paper test isn't good enough to tell me what the poison is, only just that it will cause sickness, or even death, if a werewolf was to drink it." "Explains why you've been doing that whenever Bella offers us something," said Julia. "I remember you pouring out one bottle after one such occurrence." "Bella was the one that informed me of it, and taught me how it worked," said Jeffery. "That Feral told me that she'd keep me on my toes - I had to pour the one bottle of Strong Juice that she gave us when the strip I used acted similar that one, as it wouldn't have been safe to drink, only I think that Bella would have just made you ill, and not dead." "Useful to know," said Robert. "I guess we owe her for that. Or, rather, Richard does." |
| Al spotted Richard the hit man trying to leave undetected. "Ice him!" He called to his men. Two of them, a tall and skinny werewolf and an equally tall but fat werewolf grabbed him and carried him away. Inside Al's mansion, they tossed him into an icy pit after fitting him with cement shoes. |
| "Wait!" As the wolves were preparing to toss Richard into the pit, Al stopped them, accompanied by Robert. Richard, who had been tied and gagged as well, looked up at the crime boss with a scowl. "Do you know who I am?" Al asked. Richard nodded. "Then you must know that the one you tried to kill today is my son. It's your lucky day. Mr. Wolfe here has convinced me to let you go. But first, I want you to promise to deliver a message for me." Richard hesitated, before nodding again. "I don't know who sent you, but they clearly have it out for me and my family. Which makes them my enemies. Tell your boss, that they just started a war they have no hope of winning. Tell them I will find out who they are, where they live, and eliminate this threat to me, and my family once and for all." Al turned to his henchmen. "Get that cement off his feet and let him go. Make sure he finds his way off the property and doesn't come back." Leaving the room alongside Al, Robert spoke up "You could have interrogated him on who his boss is. Asked why he tried to kill your son." "Isn't it obvious?" Al said "This was a hit. By who, exactly, I cannot say. But when you're in this business as long as me, you tend to make a lot of enemies. Rest assured, I will get to the bottom of it, and whoever is responsible will answer for it." Robert sighed "Just promise me you won't get Hanna or any of my family involved." "Of course. We're family now. Family always watches out for each other, right?" "Right." |
| "Still, I owe your slave a bit of a debt, for saving my son," said Al, as he looked at Jeffery. "Jeffrey isn't my slave," said Robert. "I had him Declared Free after he risked his life in order to save those of me and my wife, during the same incident that cost me my herd. Thankfully, the Wrangler herd managed to help him out of any major troubles." "I see," said Al. "My apologies. Still, I owe you a bit of thanks for what you did." "Hopefully, it's not in a manner that involves tattooing me," said Jeffery, as he went to check on Julia and Hanna. Al looked at Robert. "What does he mean by that?" "Well, in addition to the marks on his wrist that state that we once owned him, and his former status of slave, and current status as Declared Free, he has a couple of Feral tattoos on his back," said Robert. "Small ones." "Wait, was he a Feral?" Al asked. "Honestly, my family has never figured that one out, as I was just a cub when my father found him, as a cub himself, one winter morning, starving, and half-frozen, wearing nothing but rags, with no ownership marks or Feral tattoos," said Robert. "His past beyond that, a mystery that he's never talked about. But, I will say that he has been a good companion ever since then." "So, these Feral tattoos?" Al asked. "Oh, right," said Robert. "Among the skills he has learned are some veterinary skills, including surgical skills, of the sorts useful for cutting into bellies to either remove bad appendixes, or remove babies from the womb of mares that are having complications, or similar situations. In the incident in question, there is a herd that Bella's sister is, more or less, in charge of. Her daughter is that herd's healer, who was pregnant, and having issues. The Wrangler herd healer was dealing with their own issues, and couldn't help. That's when Julia offered to help, given her skills treating humans. Bella's sister refused her offer of help - not trusting a werewolf. However, Jeffery offered to help. That Feral looked at him, and decided to place her trust in him. Well, that trust was well-placed. Jeffery managed to save the child and the mother. Needless to say, it was a good reason to celebrate, and they decided to reward him, with those tattoos, which explain what he did. Now, he did try to, politely, turn them down, as he didn't want these things to be obvious. However, Bella explained that to refuse to accept the marks would be a grave insult place upon her sister. So, they settled on a compromise - small ones that could be hidden under a shirt would be acceptable. Only, unlike with a livestock, pet, slave, or Declared Free marking, they didn't numb the area with a topical anesthesia. Instead, they gave him some Strong Juice, laid him, belly down, on a bench, and they used a number of needles with ink, and they told the basic story, that Jeffery had cut open a pregnant mother, and had saved both her and the child. Then, as a way to make things official, as it were, the Wrangler herd tattooed him as one of theirs." "Seriously?" Al asked. "They tattooed him with their herd markings?" Robert nodded. "Ferals have certain rules that they abide by," he said. "One of them basically boils down to, if you save a member of the herd, you are now seen as a member of the herd. Prior status means nothing - Exile, Livestock, Pet, Slave, Declared Free, whatever - you're now part of the herd. So long as you don't try anything against the herd of course." |
| Meanwhile, Jonathan and Chloe were still babysitting Little John while bonding over that almond milk shampoo. They had taken him to the park where a werewolf had taken her grandkids to play. "I just had to watch the grandkids while my daughter's out of town," she told them. "Little John's family's gone to my cousin's wedding," Chloe explained. "Jonathan didn't mind me helping him with babysitting him." John and the werewolf's grandkids were having a great time playing on the playground. They played explorers, pirates, you name it, on the playground. |
| Back at the wedding, it was time for the dance with the bride and groom. As the newly wedded couple slowly danced to the romantic music, Robert and and Julia held hands and smiled as they watched their daughter. This actually reminded them of their own wedding, except theirs hadn't been quite so extravagant. "How long do you think it'll be before she's with child?" Julia whispered half jokingly. Robert chuckled. "Let's not rush them. Give them time." |
| Tobias checked the arrows he'd been given by one of his herd's fletchers. He looked at the arrowhead. It had an interesting mix of colors. "Good craftsmanship," he said. "Got to give that herd credit. Smelting copper and silver together, with some tin, and using the resulting alloy to make arrowheads, spearheads, and daggers." "Dip it in garlic oil, and you have something to use against either werewolves or vampires," the fletcher said. "How many did you get?" Tobias asked. "Got a couple hundred arrowheads, fifty spearheads, and a dozen knives," the fletcher said. "Got a good price." "I hope it wasn't your daughter," said Tobias. "No, but they enjoyed the steel arrowheads, spearheads, and knife blades I sent them," said the fletcher. "Pays to know of a good junkyard for shells of cars and the like, and a daughter who enjoys punching out the blanks for those items." "Hence why I'm glad she wasn't part of the trade," Tobias said. "Steel is harder than this stuff in the long run. How are the arrowheads and such made by your son and nephew?" The fletcher set down a pouch. "Take a look. Haven't gotten them attached yet, and my mate's working on the spear shafts for the spearheads." Tobias opened the pouch, and looked. There was a selection of arrowheads made from flint, chert, obsidian, quartz, and even glass. "Not bad." "Should be good for multiple uses once attached, so long as you don't hit wood, bone, or stone," the fletcher said. "If nothing else, that vampire that runs that glass factory is happy that we have a use for his waste glass, and can use it to make art, in the form of jewelry that we sell to the tourists." "He's also happy to get a bottle of Prime Grade blood mixed with some very good Strong Juice every month," said Tobias, as he rubbed his arm. "I would know - it's usually made from my blood." "You know that the money from the tourists goes towards buying canned goods and such," said the fletcher. "Easier to have the Wolfes order it in, and we pay, remaining safe here, as opposed to having to steal it from someone who might get upset, and come after us." "True, but we still need to keep the skills up," said Tobias. "Not every place is safe like this." "You're telling me," the Fletcher said. "Let me get back to work." Tobias stood up, and walked away, as the Fletcher resumed attaching arrowheads to arrow shafts. As he did, Tobias saw how the fletcher's legs were ruined, as he'd been the victim of a Greater Bear. Tobias checked the arrows. These were ones to keep out of sight of tourists. |
| At the home of the head of the human mafia, a portly male feral named Don Kent, he had received a phone call from a mysterious caller while he was in bed. "Speak," he said. "I'm calling you for a warning," the caller said. "Your hitman, Richard, has been caught and released." "Who caught him?" Don Kent demanded, rising from his bed." "Al Lupe," the caller said. "Richard tried to poison Al's son." Don Kent slammed the phone down on the receiver and jumped out of bed, having been sleeping in the nude. "I've got a score to settle with Al," he muttered through clenched teeth. The next day, two of Don Kent's henchmen infiltrated the racetrack where Al kept his prize horse, Honey Queen, and cut off her head. Then, they placed it in Al's bed and when the flabby werewolf don woke up, he was horrified. |
| Meanwhile, Hanna and Richard awoke to their first morning as a married couple. As they ate breakfast, there was a knock at their front door. Richard answered it to find nobody there, just a small package at the doorstep. He picked it up and gave it a shake. Whatever it was, it felt rather heavy for its size. He pressed it to his ear and heard a faint ticking sound coming from inside the package. It was a bomb! |
| Richard threw the package away, and dove back inside yelling, "Get down!" Hanna got down on the ground. However, nothing happened. Hanna raised her head. "So, why did you tell me to get down?" Richard slowly raised his head, and looked back. "Because that was a bomb, I think." "It was," said a voice by the doorway. "And it would have blown your head off if I hadn't already cut the wires on it when I opened it an hour ago, after the delivery person dropped it off." That was when Tobias moved into the doorway. "Personally, I would have made it to go off when disturbed, if I was going to use an explosive." Hanna smiled, as she stood up. "Well, I'm indebted to you, for saving my husband's life." "And, very clearly, I am in debt to you for it," Richard said, as he carefully stood up. "So, you know how to make, and disarm, explosives?" "Comes in handy, from time to time," Tobias said, as he entered. "Got more ham and eggs? Had a cold breakfast while I was keeping watch - couldn't risk even a small fire, just in case." "Got plenty, and thanks," said Hanna, as she got out a plate and eating utensils. "Personally, I would of used gasoline and a match to burn the place down, and that would be after I'd already come in, slit your throats, and cut out your hearts," said Tobias, as he sat down. "Still, I will give Richard here credit in throwing it as far as he could away from the place." He then chuckled. "Still, the look on his face, that was funny. I almost laughed at it as he realized what was in the package." "It wasn't funny to me," said Richard. "First yesterday's attempted poisoning, and now this?" "Heard about that, hence why me and a few others set up watch, just in case, especially since there's some more watching the back door, watching through scopes on sniper rifles, most likely loaded with silver bullets, in case you ran out that way," said Tobias. "Only, they are about to find out that, not only did the bomb fail to kill you, they're about to find half a dozen Ferals pointing crossbows, at each of them." "So, you and a dozen others were watching the place?" Hanna asked. "That's thirteen, an unlucky number." Tobias grinned. "Yes, for them. Got anything to drink?" "Got some Strong Juice, curtesy of your mother," said Hanna, as she got out a jug and a glass. She then poured liquid from the jug into the glass. "Might want to test it though, just in case." Tobias chuckled. "She wouldn't do anything to mess with something for you," he said. "She's not teaching your pet humans to be warry of gifts from familiar Ferals, given that they are just cubs, and are with your parents at the moment, along with your cubs." That was when a sound was heard at the back door. "Tobias! We got them!" "How are they?" Tobias called out. "A little battered and bruised, but alive," the voice, that of a female, called out. "Then bring them in," said Tobias. The back door opened, and two humans were forced in, followed by a dozen Ferals. "Any markings on them?" Tobias asked. "Old ones that looked like they've been burned or cut away," said a female. "I see," said Tobias. "Weapons?" "Sniper rifles with silver rounds, a handgun apiece, silver rounds for them, and a silvered knife each," said the female. Tobias looked at the two, who were dressed in second-hand clothes, and animal hide. "What are you doing uninvited in Wrangler territory?" The two looked at each other. "Hunting," the one said. Tobias grinned. His hand moved quickly, and the captive human was in pain, a scream coming out if his throat, as Tobias held up a pair of pliers that held the human's tooth. "You got another two dozen or so teeth in your head. No Feral goes hunting with a firearm unless they have no other choice, and even then, they don't use silver rounds. This is something that even an Urban Feral should understand - guns make noise, bows and crossbows don't." Tobias again moved quickly, and yanked a tooth out of the mouth of the other human captive. "Now, I know what you're here for, and I'm going to tell you this; next time you come back, my herd will tie you up, and drop you off as breakfast to the Wolfes, like Kriestmas gifts," said Tobias. "Now, with that statement, you know that I'm going to let you live, to pass on a message to your herd leader, or whatever you call him or her - don't come here to cause trouble, or we'll declare Herd War upon yours. Understand?" The two captives nodded, blood threatening to escape from their mouths. Tobias looked at the female of his group. "Becky - see to their wounds, and let them go." "Yes Tobias." With that, the group left quickly. Tobias looked at Hanna. "Good thing you decided to start your honeymoon in the park. Maybe in a few days, you can actually fly to that tropical island." Hanna chuckled. "I'm glad that we're good friends these days." "Just keep an eye out when you're bringing tourists around the fletcher's area," said Tobias. "We got a new batch of arrows, spears, and knives that we don't want a tourist to pick up and accidentally cut themselves with, especially werewolves." "Let me guess; silvered?" Hanna asked. Tobias nodded. "Understood," said Hanna. "Hopefully he's got plenty of safer trinkets that we can sell, while he recovers from that nasty flu of his. Should give him and his family plenty of time to attach the heads to shafts, and place them in a stash for just in case silvered weapons are needed, along with the items from those two fools." "Waste not, want not," said Tobias. He raised a glass. "To a happy marriage for you." |
| Meanwhile, at Robert's family farm, there was a knock at the door. "I'll get it," said Julia. She opened the door and standing on their doorstep was Al, who had left his house in such a hurry, he forgot to change out of his pajamas (which were at the seams of bursting given his size). "Good morning, Al," Robert said. "What can we do for you?" Al was so traumatized at seeing the head of his horse under the bed covers, he could only stand in place, trembling, and say, "B-b-bubba-bobba hob-hobba-hobba wah-wah." "He says that your daughter and her husband were almost killed by a bomb that was dropped off at their house," said a voice. Robert and Julia looked behind the plump werewolf mob boss to see Tobias, who had come to them after saving the couple's lives. Just then, Al's phone went off. His quivering hand took it out of his pocket and he answered it. He then put the caller on screen. "Hi, Uncle Al," said Chloe. She was at a public pool with Jonathan. "I'd like you to meet my new boyfriend, Jonathan," she said. "Hey, Billy!" Jonathan said to Billy who had come to see what was going. "Hey, Jonathan," his cousin replied. "We were babysitting Jonathan's little cousin, John," Chloe told her uncle. "It turns out we have a lot more in common than we thought. Maybe I can set up a time for you two to meet." All Al could do was stand in place, trembling, and say, "B-b-bubba-bobba hob-hobba-hobba wah-wah." |
| Taking Al and Tobias inside, the Wolfe's gave Al some Coffee to help settle his nerves. After finally regaining his composure, he explained what he had woken up to that morning. "That's terrible!" Julia gasped. "You're telling me! I loved that horse! Not to mention she wasn't cheap!" Al said, his anger rising with every word. "But on to your daughter and my son. Somebody is trying to kill my son, and they've failed twice now. Something tells me they'll only get more determined from this, unless they're stopped." "Any idea who might want your son dead?" Robert asked. "Richard has never been very involved in the family business. Whoever is doing this must be trying to get to me through him. Do you know of anywhere safe that Richard and Hanna could stay until we settle this matter?" "Of course. They can stay right here on the reserve. The humans here already know Hanna, and if she trusts Richard to not harm them, they'll trust him too." |
| "I wouldn't say that, not unless he willingly yanked his own tooth out," said Tobias. "What do you mean by him yanking his own tooth out?" Al asked. "Means he's agreed to not intentionally harm a human, unless they harm him first," said Tobias. "He'd have to wear it on a necklace, on display - every Feral would know. So long as he wears it, he cannot hunt a human - be it to capture or kill - unless it was against one that was already hostile, and had disregarded the Truce of the Tooth Wearer." "So, what would happen if my son disregarded this promise to not harm a human while wearing their tooth?" Al asked. "Then he'd be a Tooth Breaker," said Tobias. "Whomever caught him breaking the Truce of the Tooth Wearer would yank out every tooth he had in his skull. After that, he'd be lucky if they simply jabbed every socket with a silvered point, so that, if he was able to regrow his teeth after that, they'd be a nightmare to straighten out, even with the best dentists assisting. Otherwise, he'd end up dead - with a crushed skull." "What if he took the necklace off?" Al asked. "Could he hunt Ferals then?" Tobias nodded. "He could, but if he does it in from of a Feral he's chatting with, he'd better wait a few hours before hunting that Feral." "So, what about for one of these Fun Hunts I hear that you have?" Al asked. "He can wear the tooth if he wants, as harm isn't the intention for either party in those," said Tobias. "Of course, if someone tries to harm him, like those would-be assassins, he is free to defend himself in however way he wants." "So, what will my son be allowed to do here?" Al asked. "Same as any other tourist," said Tobias. "If they find a willing human, they may have sex with them, lick them, swallow them - bringing them back up of course - enjoy the rustic food, buy trinkets, and if they win a Fun hunt, a bottle of blood from that Feral or First Dibs on some body part when the Feral dies, although losers lose a tooth." "I see," said Al. "And you promise that he'll be safe?" "Anyone trying to get to him will have to deal with easily four hundred Ferals, and that's when things are slow," said Tobias. "If I put the word out, especially using those smartphones to use social media, or bang the drums, asking for aid, I wouldn't be too surprise if five thousand showed up within a day, with more on the way." "And they'd fight to protect my son?" Al asked. "They'd fight to protect the Wolfes, for plenty owe them, in one manner or another," said Tobias. "After all, plenty have children as a result of them." "I see," said Al. "An army to protect my son, so long as he remains on good terms with you." "Pretty much," said Tobias. |
| Taking some time to think about it, Al then came to a conclusion to who would try to plan an attack on him or his family. "Don Kent!" He exclaimed. "That corpulent son of a gun! I've always hated him!" "I'm sorry we haven't got a bed big for you in our house," Julia said. "It's very nice that my niece now has your nephew as her boyfriend," Al said. "But if Don Kent tries to hurt them, I will put his head in a vise and crush it until it cracks and I cook his brains like an egg!" "Mommy, can Billy and I go play in the yard?" Little John asked. "Yes," Julia said. "But try not to damage Al's car." |
| After alerting Hanna and Richard of the situation, and informing them it would be best if they stayed on the reserve until the situation was resolved, the humans welcomed Hanna back with open arms. Her husband, however, they were more leery about. "I promise, Richard won't hurt any of you." Hanna said. Tobias handed Richard a pair of pliers. ""It's up to him to prove that." "What am I supposed to do with this?" Richard asked confusedly. "You have to pull out one of your own teeth." Tobias said. "What!? Why!?" "It will show the other humans you are under oath to not harm them. If you won't do it, I'm afraid you're not welcome here." Richard looked at the pliers and then to Hanna. "Please, honey. Just get it over with." Hanna said. Richard reluctantly did so, pulling out one of his rear molars. Tobias made the tooth into a necklace, handing it back to Richard. For extra protection, Hanna and Richard would be staying among the humans of the reserve in a spare hut, which would be guarded by two of the herd's best warriors around the clock. "How long do we have to stay here?" Richard asked. "Until the situation with whoever wants you dead is resolved. Don't worry, this is only temporary." Hanna reassured her husband. Meanwhile, back at the farmhouse, Al and Robert discussed what to do next. "So, you're sure this Don Kent is the one trying to kill your son?" Robert asked. "Absolutely. He must be trying to start a war between the three syndicates. Well, if it's a war he wants, I'm sure as hell going to give him one!" "Do as you will. But know this. If anyone in my family is harmed in any way because of your grudge, I'm holding you responsible. Understand?" Don Lupe nodded. "Don't worry. I will personally see that none of you are caught in the crossfire. I doubt the others will come after you lot anyway, as this really doesn't concern you." |
| It was at that moment, that the door opened, and in came a female Feral, easily in her mid forties. "Hello, Robert," she said. "Heard that you've been having some fun days lately." "Something like that, Bella," said Robert. "Someone has been trying to kill my son-in-law, because the would-be killer has an issue with him." He pointed at Al. "You mentioned someone called Don Kent," said Bella. "Know of him. In fact, he tried to court me after my John was taken from me." "Something tells me that you turned him down," said Robert. "That I did, for many reasons, the greatest being that I knew, in my heart, that John was still alive," said Bella. "But, there were others." "Because he's an Urban Feral, right?" Robert asked. "I know that some groups of Ferals that live as you do don't like to interact with those who live in the city." Bella chuckled. "Given that my own brother is an Urban Feral, who leads a decent sized herd there, and is in contact with a number of others, who respect him, I didn't turn Don Kent down for that reason. There are some others, others that, if you knew what he'd done, you wouldn't want him to marry you or your kin." "What has he done?" Al asked. "Let's put it this way - he almost started a Herd War, when he went into another herd's territory without the other herd's permission, and not only hunted there, he killed a number of that herd's hunters, and some traders from a third herd, who had met up with the hunters to do some trading, and had caught him in the act," said Bella. "However, there was two witnesses." "Witnesses?" Robert asked. Bella nodded. "One was a werewolf who liked the Strong Juice that the second herd tended to make - traded used clothes that were otherwise in good condition, among other things, for it - they'd hidden behind a large tree when they saw what was going on from a distance. The other, a member of the third herd, that, despite their wounds, was still alive. Werewolf used their clothes to patch the injured one up, and carried them to the site of the second herd." "So, what happened?" Al asked. "Every Feral in good standing has tattoos that shows what herd they belong to, and the injured one saw it, along with the face," said Bella. "Likewise, the wind was such that the werewolf had the scent of the killer. Thus, members of the second herd, the third herd, and the werewolf, went to the first herd, told them what happened, the werewolf and trader both picked out the killer from the others." "And after that?" Robert asked. Bella pulled out a knife with a thin blade, the sort used for skinning. "His herd tattoo was removed, and burned, as was he. He was made to leave with nothing - no clothes or weapons, nor food or water. However, he was somehow strong enough to make it to the city, and take over a gang of other exiles and such. Still, we've kept tabs on him, just in case he tries coming back to more rural areas." "So, why did he come to you?" Al asked. Bella chuckled. "He'd heard that his father had died, and his brother was now the leader of the old herd, and the Wranglers have had prior bad blood with that herd, so he thought that he could use my herd as a means to take over his old one." "Besides loving John, why else didn't you join him?" Robert asked. "Once I figured out who he really was, I had no reason to even see him as a potential mate," said Bella. "It's one thing for an exile to earn their way into another herd, but if said exile plans to use you as a means to get revenge upon their old herd - cast them out." "And I suppose him directly offering to be your mate was what made you realize that something was wrong from the beginning," said Robert. Bella chuckled. "That's correct. It's not like he was a recognized herd leader offering to be my mate, or offering their brother or a male cousin, or an older son or nephew, or whatever, up as my mate," she said. "In fact, the only reason John was allowed the become my mate was because he had saved my life - although if we'd known that his mother was the daughter of a herd leader, he'd of been eligible to be a possible mate to me, if arrangements had been made. Still, I was glad to enjoy what I had with John - wouldn't replace him for another." "So, all his people, they are exiles, kicked out from a bunch of herds?" Al asked. "Most of them," said Bella. "You might have some Free Domesticated ones, or Runaways in that group, or them that were born in it, but my brother's information is that Don Kent gets most of his group from exiles, especially those with a taste for killing." That was when a sound was heard, laughter. Bella walked over to the window, and smiled. "Now, that's special." Robert and Al came over, to see Little John play with a female human, about his age. "I have to agree," said Robert. "It's nice to see John play with Roberta, without a care in the world. Makes me think back to my own childhood, back when my father was alive, I used to play with the, um, humans that were about my age." "That's more valuable than anything else out there," said Bella. "The Time of Innocence, before they learn about the monsters that lurk in the hearts of others, be they werewolf, vampire, or human." |
| Billy walked up to a spot where a walking stick was planted in the ground like a tree. In front of it was a tombstone with a picture of a barrel-chested human male holding said walking stick. It read, "Here lies Big John". "I miss him as much as you do," Bella said, walking up to Billy. "He was like a second father to me," he said. "I remember when he fought off those nine rustlers with my dad when they tried to steal our livestock." "Meanwhile, in the house, Don Lupe had thanked Robert and Julia for their hospitality when he dropped his phone on the floor. As he bent down to pick it up, he heard a loud Rrrrip! behind him. It seemed his pajama bottoms had been torn. "I can sew those up if you want," Julia said. Later that night, Don Lupe went to Don Kent's house to confront. "We need to have a talk!" He said, coming into the human mafia boss's bedroom. Don Kent sat up in bed bare-chested. "What is it?" He demanded. "You sent someone to try and kill my son," Don Lupe said. "Now you'll pay for it!" "Never!" Don Kent shouted, pulling back the covers to get out of bed. Don Lupe could see what Kent was - or wasn't - wearing. Traumatized again, Lupe could only stand in place, trembling, and say "B-b-bubba-bobba hob-hobba-hobba wah-wah!" |
| While Lupe was distracted, Don Kent grabbed a gun from his nightstand. "I've been waiting a long time for an opportunity like this." He said, aiming for Al's forehead. "And since you broke in here to kill me, I can just say it was self defense, and get away scot free! Say goodnight, Alphonso!" |
| That was when something prodded Don Kent in the back, something made of wood. "Hello, Kenworth," said a female voice. "You really let yourself go." "Bella," said Kent. "Long time, no see." "Got a crossbow aimed at your spine - bolt has a steel head, and even if it doesn't kill you, you won't be able to walk afterwards," said Bella. The Feral looked over at Al. "What your problem? Never see a dickless male human before? Happens when someone uses a knife to cut it off, especially when said fool didn't take too kindly to my refusal to be his mate." "Hard to imagine that you'd work with a mutt," Kent growled out. "You sent killers into my territory to kill someone I have an agreement with," said Bella. "I don't take too kindly to that." "So, what's the deal here?" Kent asked. "The mutt and I walk out, unharmed, and you never bother those in my territory again," said Bella. "Otherwise, there's enough gasoline on this house, a lit bottle of Exceptionally Strong Juice will cause the place to go up in flames, a bottle my son has, along with a Zippo lighter. Do you understand?" Kent lowered his gun. "I get you. Now, get out." Bella and Al soon left the house. "That was pretty risky," said Al. "I owe you." "Thank me when we're back in Wrangler territory," said Bella. |
| "I don't understand why that feral fat boy sleeps in the nude, showing his hairy body," Al said. "Look at me. I'm huge and I wear pajamas to bed." "I believe there must be a way the three mobs can get together and make peace," Bella said. As they walked, they noticed Jonathan working with two other werewolf construction workers, one heavy and one thin. "Hey, Jonathan," Bella said as she and Al approached. "Hey," Jonathan said. "You must be Chloe's uncle Al." "That's me," Al said. "Jonathan told us about your niece Chloe," the thin werewolf construction worker said. "We were glad for him that he found a girlfriend," the heavy one said, trying to tuck in his shirt to no avail. "Ben and I have been trying to set him up with one for years." "Barry, quiet," Ben said, nudging Barry in his stomach. "Sorry, sir, I'm still trying to make up with my girlfriend and Barry's wife doesn't approve of his eating habits." |
| Meanwhile, Victor Batrello had just received word that his two primary enemies tried to kill each other. A wicked smile spread across his face. "Excellent. This gives us a golden opportunity. If we can goad both Dons Lupe and Kent into killing each other, their syndicates will be in total chaos, making way for us to take over the city completely." Victor's second in command interjected, "With respect, boss, there is some other business you should probably tend to first." "What is that?" "Some old associates of ours, the Fang family, have fallen on hard times in recent years. Largely due to a family of human-farmers called the Wolfes. Sometime ago, they converted their farm into a sanctuary for ferals. The Fangs wish to call in a favor we owe them, and want the entire family to suffer. As it is, one of the Wolfes recently married Don Lupe's son. Perhaps we can use that to our advantage as well?" Victor pondered this new information. "Alright. We'll wait for a thunderstorm to roll by in the area of this farm. Then we'll light the place on fire. With the public officials in my pocket, they'll believe it was caused by a lightning strike. The Wolfes will suffer a huge loss they probably won't recover from, and we show the Fangs we haven't forgotten them. Begin preparations immediately." "You got it, boss." |
| "Are you sure you want to do that?" an older vampire asked. "Going onto that property without permission is a bad idea, especially now." "Are you afraid of some farmer's shotgun or hunting rifle?" Victor asked, with a chuckle. "When they are known to use garlic-and-silver based rounds, it pays to be cautious," the older vampire said. "Robert killed Marcus Fang for stealing and destroying his livestock, as well as for trying to kill him, or so the Official report goes. But, there's rumors that the Fangs were, partially, framed for it. Seems that they'd been planning it, even tried to carry it out - only, their goons were caught and killed by Ferals, and that the Ferals took the herd, splitting the livestock up amongst themselves and other Feral herds." Victor laughed. "Sounds like what folks like to claim happened with the Liberty Farm Rebellion, but everyone knows that herd was wiped out by police and National Guard." "Yes, according to the reports from the Garlic and Silver Agency, who also wrote the report for the Wolfe Farm robbery," said the older vampire. "Same agent too, I think." "Are you trying to say that the one agency that can act as Judge, Jury, and Executioner, is responsible for covering up the escapes of livestock herds and such?" Victor asked, with a disbelieving chuckle. "It wouldn't surprise me," the older vampire said. "However, back to the Wolfe farm itself. That is in the heart of what is known to be Wrangler territory. Furthermore, the area in general is essentially a truce zone for the various Feral herds. The different herds trade goods, swap herd members that are traveling around, or are getting married, or even exchanging prisoners from recent disputes. At any given time, there's between three to four hundred Ferals in the area, and that's during the Winter. During this time of the year, easily six thousand show up, and that's the confirmed count, based off of social media posts where folks post pictures of the ferals that they've encountered. Everyone of them carries weapons - knives, spears, clubs, machetes, axes, bows, arrows, crossbows - and that's the know stuff. This also includes silver blades and garlic oil, just in case. Do you want to be shot with a bunch of arrows that were dipped in garlic oil?" |
| Just then, loud footsteps began shaking the room. "Earthquake!" A top-heavy vampire exclaimed. As the door opened, the vampire mafia saw it wasn't an earthquake that made the shaking. It was Al Lupe. "Aw, Don Lupe," Victor said. "We were just talking about you." "I see," Al said. "I just came from Don Kent's and believe me, you don't want to come over to his place when he's in bed." "I know," said Victor. "He never wears anything to bed." "Anyway, my niece Chloe is now dating Robert Wolfe's nephew Jonathan. I just talked with him and his coworkers Barry and Ben. When Chloe and Al are ready to get married, they'll be having their wedding at the Wolfe Family Farm." |
| "And you're telling me this because?" Victor asked. "I come offering a truce." Al said " Whatever bad blood your father and I had, I'm hoping you'll be willing to put that behind us." Victor showed no emotion as he considered Al's offer. But in his mind, he was already concocting a plan. "Very well, I accept your truce. From now on, our respective families will keep to their own territories and business." Al smiled. "I'm glad you saw reason. This feud between our families has gone on long enough." The two of them shook hands, shared a drink, and Al went on his way. "Are you really just going to bury the hatchet with him?" One of Victor's underlings asked. "Of course not." He replied. "We're just going to play nice for now, until his niece's wedding." "What happens then?" "Have patience, my friends. You'll find out soon enough." |
| "Best not to do anything during the wedding, because it would be my duty to advise everyone to not back you," said the older vampire. "Why is that?" Victor asked. "Perhaps it would be a good idea for you to use one of those smartphones you love so much, and look up 'Feral Human Herds of America'. It's a very lovely site detailing information about various herds - herd symbol, preferred range, numbers, average meat grade, goods that they make and trade, as well as their Danger Rating, not to mention other herds that they are on good terms with. I've done some research on the Wrangler herd, and they have a lot of allies." "Yes, you've mentioned your suspicions about the Garlic and Silver Agency," said Victor. "I guess there's probably some conservation groups too." "Don't discount the other herds," said the elder vampire. "If we do anything to endanger those at the park, you're talking about at least five thousand, if not more, Ferals all coming for our teeth, not to mention heads, hands, feet, as well as any tails of any werewolves we employ, not to mention hides. In fact, a lot of these herds have smartphones themselves - they can call each other for help." |
| When the day of the wedding arrived, everyone was setting up in the backyard. Billy and Little John were playing patty cake in the front yard, but instead of the traditional patty cake song, they were singing: Chloe and Jonathan sitting in a tree K-I-S-S-I-N-G First comes love, then comes marriage Before they could finish, Billy's cell phone rang. He got up to answer it. "Hello?" He replied. "Hey, Billy," Jonathan chuckled. "I just want you to know that Barry, Ben, and I are preparing a surprise for Chloe after the wedding." "That sounds exciting," Billy said. "What is it?" "We are building the house Chloe and I will be living in after our honeymoon," Jonathan said. "Just don't tell her. It's supposed to be a surprise." While Jonathan and his coworkers were putting the finishing touches on the house, they all went to get fitted for tuxedos for the wedding. Barry's, however, was the largest size they had (which obviously didn't fit him, seeing how big he was). Meanwhile, at the Wolfe Farm, Victor had overheard the phone call between Billy and Jonathan. He began to rethink what he had told his vampire colleagues. "I can't do it," he said under his breath. Little did he know that the portly Don Kent would try to break the truce of the three mafia bosses during the wedding. |
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