Lycan Tales

New Link!!

2009-04-30T08:31:00.003-04:00

I will no longer be updating this story on blogger! I still have a ways to go with it and I was approaching my picture usage limit! Never fear though...just switch out the old addy for this one here: http://www.lycantales.com/

It's hosted on wordpress. However, if you're using IE8 you're really not going to be able to appreciate the uniquiness of this design. Firefox users, you know the deal! You'll see what I see! And don't ask me why I have both browsers...I just do!:P

So, if you'd just switch out your urls we continue the convulted story that is Caine and Alana...together!:)

And there's really not more...I just always keep that bit of coding in!:)

Prompt 083

2009-04-29T00:18:00.000-04:00

Title: Lycan Tales
Genre: Drama, suspense
Characters: Caine, Alana, Greg, The Shapeshifters
Prompt: 083~Anxious
Word Count: 2,237~ish
Rating: PG-13
Type: Series
Summary: Greg finds them a temporary place to crash.
Warnings: Language, drug reference

Once again I want to thank Cherie for allowing me the use of Jayden/Greg in my story!

Alana restarted the fire as Greg dug around for some clothes for Caine. Her mind was numb and her body ached. She didn’t know what to make of the last few days. Let alone what had happened in the last few minutes. As quickly as all those wolves had appeared they had disappeared. Greg had said something about them having to stay hidden for a little while longer. He needed to speak to Caine about some things before the pack vied for his attention. She shook her head. This…this was just unreal. It couldn’t be happening.
“Are you decent?” she called out as she dusted off her hands and stared into the flickering flames.

“I’m dressed if that’s what you mean,” Caine said with a laugh as he came around from behind a large tree. He grinned as he looked over at Alana. She still had her back to him and he could see her slowly running her hands up and down her arms. His smile faded. Of course she was cold. She was still in her pajamas and she was bare foot.
“Alana, why don’t you get back under the shelter? It’s still raining out and we don’t want you to catch a chill.”
“Like you care,” she grumbled before turning around. She didn’t even bother to look in their direction. The more she thought about it, the more she realized whatever was going on was all their fault. And she would leave it at that. Because if she thought about it anymore she’d probably have a nervous break down.
Heaving a sigh, she sat under the awning and continued to look straight ahead even as a pair of legs entered her vision. Soon Caine’s face appeared in front of her. He looked…concerned? That was a change from his usual frown.

“Hey, tilt your head back so I could check out your injuries.”
“So, you’re a doctor now? You know, I wouldn’t even have these injuries, or running around barefoot with I don’t know how many germs crawling over me, if you weren't some lunatic,” she snapped.
She resisted as he palmed her head and started to tilt it back but finally relented when a growl rumbled up from his chest.
“I don’t know what you people are but I don’t want any part of it. Look, if you let me go I’ll just pretend none of this ever happened. I’ll go so far away no one will be able to find me.” A pleading note had entered her voice.
“I’d find you,” Caine said gently as he tilted her head this way and that. “How do you feel?”
“Oh, you know…like someone doped me up, then kidnapped me. And let’s not forget that I’m homeless, saw something that’s only supposed to exist in movies, was in a car accident and then rescued by a slobbering man beast. Other than that I feel peachy.”
A small grin tilted Caine’s mouth. “You must if you can still talk shit.”
Alana slapped his hands away as Greg chuckled.
“And just for the record I was not slobbering,” Caine said as he gently brushed a thumb against the corner of her mouth before he stood and walked over to Greg.

“So, all this time you were one of the good guys huh?”
Greg shrugged. “The majority of the pack mourned when your father died. And then to be told by Ethan that you were killed as well…my father knew something had to be done.”
“So, that’s why no one ever came looking for me,” Caine muttered. Alana thought she heard relief in his voice. She couldn’t be sure though. Now that she was sitting down all she wanted to do was sleep. Their deep voices lulled her into a semi-restful state.
“Caine, Ethan had told us that you had died fighting his beta. You were just a pup but I eventually found the place where you had stayed. I tracked down the last owner but he had died so I found his son. After talking with him I began to piece together the puzzle. He said that his father appeared on his doorstep mumbling about the ‘crazy kid’ that he had hit had snapped a wolf’s neck with his bare hands. He then told his son that he had driven for miles before dropping you off at a nuthouse and then he dumped the wolf's body and tried to forget about it. The son seemed to think there wasn’t any truth in the story so when Ethan came around he lied and said that you had ran away.”
“Which probably saved my life.”
“Undoubtedly.”
“I just want to thank you for-”
“Alpha, no thanks are needed. Just seeing you alive and healthy is good enough.”
Caine shifted uneasily. He wasn’t used to this shit. He didn’t know how to respond to that. He was saved from putting his foot in his mouth when a small snore reached them.
“Alana!” he snapped.
“What?” she snapped back before her eyes drooped once again and she curled on her side. “Just give me a couple minutes. Tired is all.”
“Look, she might have a concussion or something. We can’t stay here…and I can’t take her to a hospital either. Not yet. I need-”
“There’s a safe place I know of. It’s in the city though. We’ll only be able to take my car so far before we have to walk. Ethan knows my car.”
“That’s fine. I trust you Greg….I’d trust you with my life.”
Greg’s jaw dropped. “Alpha…you, you honor me.”
“No Greg, I’m honored to have you in the pack. Come on before Alana passes out.”

Hillcrest

“This is it,” Greg said as he looked around. “Thank God, some lights are on. I thought they might be at the club.”
“Where are we at?” Alana asked in a slurred voice. All she wanted to do was go to sleep but Caine kept waking her. If he put his elbow in her ribs one more time she was going to break it. She stumbled and Caien slipped an arm around her waist and pulled her against his side. She stiffened at first but soon a warm tingle spread through her body.
His scent. She could wallow in his scent all day. Why hadn’t she ever noticed it before? It wasn’t a synthetic smell. No, it was all Caine. Manly and dark with just a hint of a spicy overtone. She jerked away when she realized her nose was buried in his neck. His rumbling laugh made her face warm.
“I’m sorry,” she mumbled, shuffling her feet.
He shrugged. “You can sniff me any time…anymore.”
She glared at him. “You are such a pervert!”
“Who was sniffing who?”
Pushing away from him she started to walk away. "Who was sniffing whom?" she snapped over her shoulder.
“Alana! Wait!” Greg started to reach for her arm but a rumbling snarl from Caine had him snatching his hand away.
“Right, right. Look, I’ll go first, just to be safe. Alana, you stay in the middle and Alpha bring up the rear.”
“Christ, Greg! Would you call me Caine for fuck’s sake?”

Alana shot a look over her shoulder as Caine let out a heavy breath. He was wiping at his face as his eyes stayed glued on her butt. She whipped back around.
“You know, it might help if you paid attention to what’s going on around you!”
“I’m trying, I’m trying but your ass keeps distracting me. It’s like a pendulum swinging back and forth. Very hypnotic. I’ve always loved your ass Alana.”
She rolled her eyes. “Caine, you don’t even like me.”
“I don’t have to like you to admire your very fine figure."
“Spoken like a man.”
“In case you haven’t noticed I am a man, princess.” He paused before she felt the heat of his body behind her. Geez, he moved silently, she thought inanely.
“And just for the record,” he growled in her ear, “I do like you. Probably more than I should seeing as how you bashed my head in with an extinguisher.”
From in front of her she saw that Greg’s shoulders were shaking with silent laughter.
“You deserved it.”
“Hmm….”
Their banter stopped when Greg held up his hand and tilted his head. Alana held her breath and let it out in a rush when he motioned them forward again.
“Alright, second floor. Wait for me there.”

Caine ushered Alana up the stairs, ignoring her grumbling of him to stop pushing at her, before he started up the stairs himself. He paused on the porch when he realized that Greg wasn’t following him.
“What are you doing?” he asked without turning around as he saw Alana swaying drunkenly on the landing to the stairs before she rubbed her forehead and started up.
“I’m not sure. I just feel as if someone is watching us. I’m pretty sure that Ethan had a tail on me the entire time he had me looking for you. I don’t want to be come too careless Alpha….Caine. Now, let me do my job which is protect you. Get into the apartment and off the porch.”
“I don’t want anyone dying for me.”
“We would all die for you. Get used to it. Now, in the apartment please.”
Caine’s shoulders slumped as his responsibility seemed to weigh down on him. He had been so used to being by himself, doing what he wanted…now he had to readjusted his way of thinking to encompass so many faceless people. People that had always held out the hope that he had survived. He didn’t know if he could do it.

Greg looked down as he went up the stairs. He hadn’t been here in months but it had felt like so much longer. Doing what he did, pretending to work for Ethan, he had created some enemies within the pack. He was used to it but he didn’t want that anger to pass down to the people around him. He didn't want to cause even more trouble for his family and friends so he rarely stopped by their place. But when he did it felt like coming home. They knew the real him. They had grown up with him and understood his dedication to getting rid of Ethan. And they also understood him leaving in the middle of the night and just reappearing months later.
It was a barren existence but something that he had to do. And not just for himself. He had others he needed to think about.

Motioning Caine and Alana out of the view from the peephole he raised a hand and knocked hard on the door. Through the door her could hear the abrupt silence before heavy footsteps came toward the door.
“Who the fuck is it?” A raspy voice came not far from the door. He grinned.
“Who do you think it is knocking on your door at two in the morning?”
The door was yanked open.

“Christ Greg! It’s good to see you! We thought you were the cops again. Our neighbors downstairs are always calling the fucking cops on us. Noise complaints and shit. Almost got busted for smoking that good shit you brought back with you last time. Did you bring anymore?”
Greg shook his head. “Nah. Nolan, I need you to do something for me.”
“Whatever you need bro!”
“Some friends and I need a place to crash for a few days. Will-”
“What friends? Dude, you don’t have any friends beside us. What the fuck are you on? Give me some of it.”
Clearing his throat Caine walked over. Greg stepped away.

“Duuuuude!! Get the fuck out! Are you shitting me? Do you know who you are? Slap my ass and call me Susan. You’re him.”
“Geez, does anyone not curse?” Alana muttered as she leaned against the wall. She straightened suddenly and brushed at her shoulder as she stared in disgust at the wall.
“Who’s the broad? She’s kinda hot in a librarian way.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“I said-”
“Why don’t you keep your eyes in your head huh?” Caine snapped.
“Sure, sure. Whatever you say, man!”
“Caine, this is my younger brother Nolan. Nolan, this is-”
“Dude, I know who it is. Man, I never thought I’d see the day. Welcome to our humble abode alpha.” Opening his arms wide he grinned at them before waving them in.
Alana wrinkled her nose as the smell of weed reached her.

Greg grabbed his brother and gave him a bear hug. “I missed you, little brother.”
“I missed you too Greg. It’s not the same not seeing you all the time. I talked to ma the other day. She said to tell you hi and that she loves you.”
“The next time you talk to her tell her-”
“Yeah, yeah! I know what to tell her without using your name.”
“How’s the band going?” Greg asked as he looked around. Nolan nudged him.
“You don’t give a shit about The Shapeshifters. You’re just looking for…” He drifted off when his brother stiffened and he knew that he had spotted who he was looking for.
“I’ll talk to ya later Greg,” he said.
Greg didn’t responded as he took a hesitant step forward.

“I’ve missed you mate.”
Her body fit perfectly against his. He knew those planes and slopes like the back of his hand. He envisioned them a thousand times as he laid in bed at night. He let out a shuddering breath as his arms tightened around her.
“I’ve missed you every moment of every day, my love.”
He nipped gently on her bare shoulder before burying his face in her neck.

Prompt 095

2009-04-21T11:42:00.004-04:00

Title: Lycan Tales
Genre: Drama, suspense
Characters: Dom, Julius, Ethan
Prompt: 095~Pride
Word Count: 2,272~ish
Rating: PG-13
Type: Series
Summary: That thing that comes before the fall.
Warnings: Language, violence

“You’re getting better Julius,” Dom murmured as her son butchered Chopin. At least she knew he was trying to play Chopin. That was an improvement.
He laughed as he banged on the keys. “Yeah right mom! I hate this thing. Why couldn’t I play a cool instrument? Like the drums? Or the guitar? Instead I gotta sit here and play the piano!”
She laughed when he wrinkled his noise and then in impulse reached down and ran her hands over the keys before playing a few notes of Piano Concerto No. One by Tchaikovsky. The hunting strains hung in the air for a moment as her hands fell back into her lap.
“That was pretty mom,” Julius said in a whisper.
Dom shrugged then ran her fingers through his hair. “Back in the day the piano was a very manly instrument.”
“Uh huh,” he said, unconvinced.
Laughing, she got up from the bench. “Are you hungry?”
“I could eat!” he said as he shoved away from the piano.

“What are you hungry for?” she asked as they walked toward the kitchen.
Julius looked up at her before threading his fingers through hers. “I don’t know. What can you cook?”
“Not a lot. How about a lunch meat sandwich? Something light before your father gets home.”
“’kay. How come dad let Mary go?”
Dom gnawed on her lip as she tried to figure out the best way to explain to her son that his father was becoming paranoid. She had made a vow when Julius was born that she would never lie to him. She might have omitted some truths that she felt was too harsh for him but she never lied. There was enough of that going on in this house.
“Your father thinks that someone is out to get him and until he feels safe he won’t allow anyone in the house.”
“That’s silly,” Julius said with a skip to his steps. “Mary’s been with the family since I was little. She’s part of the pack. Why would she hurt dad?”
“She wouldn’t Julius…but your father-”
“Is a nutcase.”
“What?”

Julius nodded sagely as he climbed up on the chair to sit at the island while she went about fixing him a sandwich.
“Where did you hear that?”
“Around. Everyone’s talking about it mom. They say that he’s went off his rocker, that he’s gone around the bend, that-”
Dom smothered a laugh as she slathered mustard on his sandwich. Julius loved mustard. “I get it Julius. Just don’t let your father hear you say that alright? He’s not himself.” Or maybe he’s more himself now than he ever was, she thought sadly.
“If I was alpha I think that I’d be a better one than dad. I wouldn't hurt my mate. Never.”
She froze. “W-what are you talking about Julius?”

“I heard you and dad through the wall last night. There was a sound and then you started to cry. And you’re wearing those shades again. You only wear those after you and dad get into a big fight. I would never make my mate cry. And I would respect every one in the pack. From my beta down to the omega. We’re all family right mom?”
She placed the top slice of bread on his sandwich and slid it onto a plate. “Yes, we’re all family but sometimes families hurt each other Julius. They don’t mean to but they do.”
She handed him his sandwich then trailed after him as he walked into the dining room.
“Dad don’t like me to eat at the island. He says that I need to learn proper etiquette.” He stumbled over the last word as he carefully placed the plate down and climbed into his seat.

“Mom?”
“Yes?”
“Is it okay if I love you more than dad?”
He tapped his fingers against the edge of his plate as he waited for her to respond. She opened her mouth to speak but he cut her off.
“Cause I do love you more than him. You’re way nicer and you tuck me in at night. And if I get a cut you tell me it’s okay to cry even though dad says only babies cry. I don’t think he likes me much. He always says that I’m letting him down. That everyone lets him down. I…I just want to be a kid for a little while. All the other kids get to play and stuff but I’m always stuck in the house.”
He knocked his feet against the chair before straightening and taking a bite from his sandwich. Dom blinked back tears. She didn’t know what to say. On one hand it was great that Julius felt comfortable enough to discuss things with her. On the other hand she was sad because Ethan was losing out on really knowing his son. But did he even care?
“Julius, it’s okay if you love me more. I’m better looking,” she said with a small smile.

“Mom?”
“Yes?”
He looked away from her and stared down at his sandwich. “Me and you…we should run away. Go some place where no one knows us. He couldn’t hurt you anymore and maybe you’d smile more again. We could do it. We could run away. I’ve been studying really hard in history and did you know that there are some places that are still undiscovered? We could search for one of those. We would be happy. Would you like that?”
She looked down at the table as he continued to talk with his mouth full. Was he that miserable that at the tender age of ten he wanted to run away from home? And not just home. He wanted to run away from Ethan.
“We can’t run away Julius,” she said softly, cutting into his babble.
“How come?” he demanded.
“Because we both have obligations to the pack.”
“No I don’t. He’s not even the real alpha. I looked it up. He did do all those things that everyone says he did. I don’t want to be nothing like him.”
His face twisted in anger and he shoved the rest of his sandwich in his mouth.

Standing up Dom looked at her watch and was surprised to see so much time had passed. “Julius, hurry and get back to your piano. Your father should be home in any minute and we don’t want him to start complaining do we?”
“He ALWAYS complains,” he muttered as he shoved back from the table. He stopped in front of her. “If you do run away, don’t forget me mom. Please?”
“I would never forget about you, my darling boy.”
He stared up into her face, as if trying to peer beyond her shades before he threw his arms around her and gave her a tight squeeze.
“When I get big I’m going to fight him. I promise I’ll win mom. I promise that you’ll smile again.”
She bit her lip. “You always make me smile,” she said as she hugged him back. “Now hurry back.”

He raced toward the piano just as she heard the door slam downstairs. Grabbing the empty plate she walked over to the dishwasher and hurriedly stuffed it in. Ethan was almost militant on the times Julius could eat and he hated for him to have snacks in between meals. Something about a fat pup was no more than a meal for hungry wolves. She had just kicked the dishwasher door closed with her heel when she heard his footsteps coming up the stairs. Spotting crumbs on the counter she spun around and grabbed the dish towel laying over the faucet. She absently wondered when she had become the poster child for Susie homemaker. A brief smile crossed her lips.

Ethan walked slowly up the stairs, making sure that each footstep could be heard upstairs. If he left it up to those two the house would be a mess, his son would be a pansy and his mate…well, she was nearly a complete waste of his time. She did have her uses though. Besides in the bedroom , he thought with a smirk. Dom was one of the toughest bitches he had ever come across. One of the reasons why he kept her around. If she was crossed not only did she get even, she made sure the person who crossed her didn’t do it to another person. They couldn’t…they were died.

“What is that god-awful racket?” he demanded as he made it upstairs. He spared Dom a glance, she was busy scrubbing at something in the kitchen and instead glared at his son who was hammering away at the piano keys as if his life depended on it.
“Julius! For god’s sake boy! How long have you been practicing the piano?”
“Four years, sir,” his son said without looking away from the piano.
“And you still sound as if you just started. Add on another hour on top of what you’re already doing. A Vanderwall doesn’t do anything half assed. Look at me. My family was content to be side kicks to the alpha but I took him down and now I am the alpha. What do you think about that? Huh son?”

Dom whipped around when the music suddenly stopped. Julius had turned to look his father. She quickly stepped to the side and shook her head. Julius’ eyes met her and for a moment her heart stopped. It just as quickly stared again when he ducked his head.
“That if you put your mind to it you can be whatever you want to be…sir.”
“Exactly! Dom, my office. Now.”
Turning off the water Dom wiped her hands on a towel before following after Ethan. Like a dog at the heels of its master, she thought bitterly. There used to be a time when she had thought they were equals but apparently she had been fooling herself. Now she could barely stand the sight of him.

“You rang?” she asked with a frown as she walked into the office.
He laughed as he walked over to the windows. “That’s one of the things I love about you Dom. No matter how many fucking times I knock you down you always pop right back up. I like that. I really do. What I don’t like,” he said placing his hands on his hips as a snarl entered his voice, “Is to be made a fool of. “ I haven’t heard from Greg since the last time he called.”
“It was only a day and a half ago Ethan. Give the man some time. He had to go through all that rubble remember? For all we know Alana could be dead.”
“She’s not dead. She can’t be dead. She would have made a great bargaining chip with the other alpha’s. Much like my daughter would have…if I would have had a daughter,” he snapped then heaved a sigh as he rolled his neck on his shoulders.
“That’s old news Ethan. Why am I here?”

His hands slowly fell from his waist and she could see his scowl reflecting back at her in the panes from the window before she turned and looked away.
“There are have been some…rumors circulating about me. Even more so now because of Caine’s escape. They’re mocking me Dom and I want them crushed. I don’t want it to seem as if I discourage freedom of speech but you, however, can do it for me.”
“Ethan,” she said on a sigh. “People are going to talk. Especially seeing as how you’ve closed yourself in the house. I can’t go around and-”
“You can and you will. Now get out of my office. I have more important things to do than listen to you whine all day.”
Dom snapped her mouth closed and without another word turned on her heel and left.

Ethan waited for the door to shut behind her before he walked around his desk and sat down.
“Fuck, fuck, fuck!! I have to find him. I have to! Why hasn’t Greg called me back? I have to know where he is.”
Running his fingers through his hair Ethan’s hands then dropped to his knees as he stared at the floor.
“When I find him I have to kill him.”

Dom placed her shades on the bathroom sink as she inspected the bruising around her eye. She winced when she poked gently at it and the whole side of her face began to throb. She might like bad but the scratches and bite marks that Ethan carried underneath of his suit were ten times worse. The bastard was just lucky he had knocked her away before she could go for his face. She scowled at the thought then blinked as tears came to her eyes.
When had her life spiraled out of control? When had she became the woman who let a man walk all over her? When did she become the woman who was ashamed to face her own son? She swallowed a sob then before she knew it her vision was blurry. For once she let the tears come as she buried her face in her hands.

Julius stood in the doorway and stared in horror as his mom buried her face in her hands and began to cry. He slowly backed away from the door before racing down the hall to his room. Grabbing his Batman book bag he shoved in a spare set of clothes, empty out his piggy bank, then quickly scrawled out a note for his mom before creeping down the stairs.
He guessed it was up to him to find the alpha of the pack. He just wanted his mom to smile again.

Prompt 074

2009-04-14T20:24:00.000-04:00

Title: Lycan Tales
Genre: Drama, suspense
Characters: Alana, Greg, Caine
Prompt: 074~Home
Word Count: 3,044~ish
Rating: PG-13
Type: Series
Summary: Things aren't always what they seem.
Warnings: Language, some nudity

Greg’s butt started to hurt after awhile so he got up to poke at the now waning fire. He didn’t know how much time had past. It could have been hours or minutes. He had killed some time by going back to the car and grabbing the suitcase that had flown some distance away. He had tried to put out some of the flames as well but the gas kept those alive.
Time just seemed to be moving so fucking slow because he wasn’t used to being idly. Leaning in closer to the fire he straightened when he heard rustling behind him.
“Welcome back to the land of the living, Sleepy Beauty,” he said before placing the poker aside, out of reach. One could never be too careful around female lycan. Human men thought they had it bad. They had no idea.
Turning, he watched as she slowly sat up and rubbed at the back of her head before gently poking at her face. He shook his head when she winced.
“Hell of an accident you got yourself into,” he said in jovial tones then stiffened when her head slowly swung around toward him. A low growl rumbled in her throat before she blinked.
“Where am I?”
“In a little wooded area about two miles out from the city. Hey, I wouldn't do that if I were you!”

Greg watched as she slowly stood and moved stiffly out from under the enclosure. She looked around for a minute.
“Where’s my car?”
“About a quarter mile back. It’s totally trashed so there’s no way you’re going to get out of here…I mean if that’s what you were thinking.”
Crossing his arms he stared back at her as she studied him. Finally, not able to stand the way she was staring at him, as if she were sizing him up for the kill, he gestured for her to sit back down.
“Look, you’ve just been in an accident, you’re bruised and battered and you’re wearing your pj’s. There’s no reason for you to get wet as well. Sit.”

Alana narrowed her eyes. Or at least she tried to. Her face hurt. She could barely see out of one eye it was so swollen and the cut on her lip kept ripping open every time she moved her mouth. Fabulous, just great! She probably looked as if she’d lost a fight…with Mike Tyson.
“Who are you?”
“The name is Gregory. Everyone calls me Greg.”
“So, I take it your not just a good Samaritan?” she asked as she stepped back under the ripped awning. He was right. There wasn’t any need for her to get wet.
“How much do you know about the pack?”
“What pack?”

Greg walked over to her. “Ahh…so nothing. Well, take a little sit down. We have a lot to discuss you and I. I’ll try to squeeze in as much as I can before we’re interrupted.”
“By whom?”
His eyebrows rose at her proper speech. “By Caine of course. Alana, I-”
“How do you know my name?” she asked. Her body tensed in preparation to leap up and tear his throat out. Whoa, whoa, whoa. Where in the world had that thought just come from, she wondered in confusion.
“Why Alana, I was sent to capture you.”
It took a moment for his words to penetrate her confusion and when they did she surprised herself by only tilting her head and staring at him with interest.
“Really? And why do you want me?”
“I don’t…Ethan does.”
She groaned. “Duncaine was always throwing his name around. Why does it sound so familiar?”
Greg shrugged. “Probably because he’s a big mover and shaker in this town. Ethan hands out money like it’s water. Keeps the people off his scent ya know?”
“No, I have no idea what…Ethan Vanderwall? I remember he donated money to my school. Something about inner city kids having just as much a right to a good education as private school children.”
“Says the man whose son is in a very prestigious private school. Also, Ethan is Caine’s uncle.”
A hazy memory nudged at her brain until it suddenly became clear. She snapped her fingers. “About a month or so back he was on the news. He was trying to find the whereabouts of Caine-”
“So he could kill him.”
Alana’s upper lip curled in a silent snarl that Greg missed as he paced away from her. He spun around and opened his mouth to say something but the breath was pushed from his lungs as her foot hit him dead center.

“Jesus!” he gasped as he flew through the air. He hadn’t even seen that coming. Hadn’t even heard her move. He sure felt her ninja feet though, he thought as he landed hard on the ground several feet away.
“What was that for?” he wheezed as he tried to suck air back into his lungs. He had underestimated her. He wouldn’t make that mistake again.
“You were hired to kill Caine?” she snapped.
“Something like that. Look, I-”

Blood filled his mouth when she curled back her fist and punched him.
“Fuck,” he snarled. He hated hitting females. He may be a cold blooded killer to some but he did use discretion. A quick, painless kill for the females but this bitch here was working his nerves. He hid a wince as she grabbed a fistful of his hair and drew back her fist again.
“Hold on, hold on!” he snapped as he spit out a mouthful of blood. “Don’t you want to hear the whole story?”
Alana tilted her head and the low, warning grumble that had been building in her chest died out. She stared down at him in horror. What was wrong with her? She wasn’t a violent person but the thought of someone hurting Caine upset her for some reason. Even thinking about it started her blood to boiling again and her hand tightened in his hair.
Shaking her head she moved away from him and threading her fingers in her hair shook her head to clear it. She could hear him getting up behind her. Turning she saw that he was eyeing her cautiously. Rolling her head on her neck she loosened her muscles before going to sit under the ripped awning. The smell of wet grass drifted upward as she shifted to get comfortable. She made an unknowingly regal gesture with her hand.
“Tell me this story.”

Greg wiped at his mouth with the back of his hand as he rotated his jaw. Walking over to stand in front of her he looked down at the ground before shrugging.
“I guess I should start at the beginning huh?” He closed his eyes as he tried to figure out what was the beginning.
“Forget it. I’ll start at your beginning. Apparently one of your parents was a lycan. And since you grew up with your mom I’d have to say it was your dad.”
“Hold it right there,” she said throwing up her arms. “Just what is a lycan?”
“You watch the movies. You’re a teacher. What do you think a lycan is?”
Alana swallowed dryly. He couldn’t be serious. There was no such thing as werewolves. And since such things didn’t exist there was no way she could be one. Right? Of course she was right. She would know if…her eyes widened as she remembered that brilliant flash of light as she had stood in Caine’s kitchen. Before she had fainted she had seen him sprouting hair and his body seemed to contort.
“Ah, I see that your human precepts are getting tossed to the wayside. Look, being a lycan isn’t a bad thing. My question is why didn’t your mother every tell you unless…she didn’t know about your dad did she?”
Alana wrapped her arms tightly around herself. “I don’t know. He stopped coming around when I was a teenager.”
“Is he dead?”
“I don’t know!”
Greg studied her before he nodded once again. “Anyways, one thing is true in the movies. A bite from a full blood lycan will change you into a lycan as well. But only if you already have lycan blood. So, if one of us bit a full human they’d go to the hospital, get their boo-boo bandaged up and go on oblivious to what had occurred. It’s rare that we go around biting people anyways. Who did you piss off?” He held up his hand.
“Let me guess. Caine?”
He shook his head, bewildered, when she nodded. “I don’t get it. That man killed when he was ten years old. A full blooded beta at that but he lost control with you. What-”
Greg stiffened then took a hasty step back. “No, no. This hasn’t happened for…decades. Are you fucking kidding me? Why now? What…”
Alana scowled as he continued to mumble to himself. “What are you talking about?”
Greg shook his head. “This is bigger than I thought. Your nearing the end of your change and Caine…Caine won’t let you slip away from him.”

Caine wasn’t even out of breath as he raced out of the city limits. He had lost Alana’s scent a few times and had to double back more times than he cared to admit. In doing so he ended up on another side of town. A near empty part of the city. His gait faltered when he saw the smoke. Narrowing his eyes he saw the tire tracks and the smell of gasoline reached him.
“No!” his voice was guttural as he raced forward. “Christ no!”
There were small clusters of fire caused by gas spills. He peered into the woods to a pile of twisted metal that used to be a car.

He swallowed a wail as he bent and sniffed at the ground. Blood. He smelled blood. He couldn’t smell charred flesh. Maybe Alana had been able to ecsape the fire. Maybe she was wondering around in the woods searching for a way out.
“Please let that be what’s going on,” he whispered harshly before straightening. Not even trying to be silent he raced into the woods, slashing at the underbrush and small trees in his path. He stilled when he passed the wreckage. Peering down he saw a pair of boot tracks. The rain had nearly washed them away and if he had been human he would have overlooked them. But he wasn’t human…and Alana was barefoot. There was a man in the woods with her. Tilting back his head he inhaled deeply before a howl ripped from his throat. No, not a man. A male lycan. Near his mate. He issued a challenging snarl as he barreled further into the woods.

Alana jumped as a howl tore through the air a second time. “What was that?” she asked as she turned wide eyed to Greg. He was staring down at her with an indecipherable expression on his face.
“Don’t you know?”
Her heart leapt in her chest. She didn’t know if it was from fear or excitement. Her emotions were in such turmoil. She knew one thing.
Caine had come for her.
Greg nodded as he turned. They could both hear branches snapping and a steady growl grew closer and closer.
“Yes, he’s come.”
Alana stare at his back. There had been a thread of…excitement in his voice. Excitement? No, that couldn’t be…
“Holy crap!” she exclaimed as she scrambled up and backward as a figure burst through the small clearing. He was nearly on all fours and he was snarling. His eyes were locked on Greg…until she spoke then its, his, head snapped around to her.
“Uh…”
She froze as he tilted back his head and howled before launching himself at Greg.

Her face was a mass of scratches and bruises. If Caine had been thinking logically he would have paused and thought maybe she had gotten liked that from the car accident. But he wasn’t and he didn’t. He thundered toward the man who stood staring at him with fear in his eyes…as well as a little awe.
“You hurt her,” he snarled.
The other male hadn’t even bothered to change. Not that it would have mattered. Caine would have killed him either way.
“YOU HURT HER!!!!!”
“I didn’t. I didn’t hurt her,” Greg said as he scuttled backward. There was such fury in Caine’s face. All his life he had heard rumors of the Lancaster clan. Why they were always chosen to lead the pack. When they were hit with strong emotions they transformed into something more than a lycan. They were the true essence of a Lycanthrope in this form.
“She was in an accident and-”

Whatever else the man was about to say was cut off when Caine reached him and with nearly effortless strength began to squeeze his windpipe as he slammed him up against a tree. Greg blinked the stars from in front of his eyes as he tried to suck in a even a little air. Black dots began to swim in front of his face.
“Who are you?”
“My name…my name is Gregory Blade.”
Caine’s eyes narrowed and then he leaned closer and snarled. “You’re the man who wiped out those that opposed Ethan aren’t you. AREN’T YOU?” he roared. Spit flew out of his mouth and his teeth seemed to gleam wickedly at Greg.

Greg tried to knock his arm aside but it was like hitting steel. “Can’t…breathe.”
“That’s the idea. Did you enjoy slaughtering all those women? The children? The men who stood behind my father? The people that opposed Ethan taking over the pack by trickery? Did you?”
Alana placed a hand over her mouth as she listened to the exchange. She was afraid to move. Caine was enraged and Greg’s face was slowly turning red. His eyes were bulging out of his head and soon he was going to be drawing his last breath.
“Answer me!” Caine felt the tips of his claws sink into Blade’s skin. With a snarl he spun around and tossed him.

Greg coughed as air rushed back into his lungs. He took a deep gulp of air before it was knocked out of him again as he hit the empty trashcan.
Damn it, he thought as his head knocked against the tin. He tried to scramble to his feet but he was frozen in fear as Caine walked slowly toward him, eyeing him as if he was wondering which limb he was going to rip off first. He had never thought his life would end like this. Sure, he had done some things he wasn’t proud of but he had done them for the pack. It was always the pack. He blinked when his vision was suddenly filled with green plaid.
“Caine,” Alana said in soothing tones. “Caine, he didn’t hurt me. He was telling me things. Things that I needed to know. As a mater of fact-”
Greg stared in fascinated horror as she placed her hands on her hips and started to tap her foot. The crazy woman was actually tapping her foot. He hazarded a peek around her leg and saw Caine staring at her. The crazed look had left his eyes and he took a shuffling step forward.
“As a matter of fact he was telling me things that you should have told me. This is your fault! You should have been the one explaining things to me. Besides the fact that he talks in riddles. I had to keep dragging things out of him. Maybe I’ve grown accustomed to your straight forward talk.”

Caine reached out with a huge paw and to Greg’s amazement he gently brushed Alana’s cheek.
“He didn’t hurt you?”
“No Caine, he didn’t hurt me. And if you’re going to kill him don’t kill him on account of me.”
Greg stood drawing both their gazes. “If I could say-”
“Shut the fuck up. I am going to snap your neck. It won’t bring back my friends but it will make me feel better.”
Caine took a step forward then stumbled backward as his body jerked. He stared down at himself in amazement as the familiar glow started to come from his body.

Alana ducked her head as the light nearly blinded her but she made sure to keep a tight grip on the back of Greg’s jacket. She didn’t trust him not to do something to Caine as he was…transforming. Geez, transforming. What the heck? Was she going to have a run in with a vampire soon, she asked herself sarcastically.
Caine winced as his body contorted for a moment before he stopped fighting it and went with the change.

“Aaaand…he’s naked again,” he heard Alana say as the last of the light faded from around him.
“Christ, I could have used a warning. The last thing I want to see is another-”
“Don’t even say it,” Alana snapped.
Reaching up Caine touched his face. Everything was back to normal. Rolling his shoulders he looked at Alana. He noticed that she looked everywhere but at him. He found his first smile in what felt like days.
“See something you like Princess?” He chuckled when she snorted. His smile faded when he turned back to Greg.
“You and I have some unfinished business.”
“Yes, yes we do Alpha.”

Caine stiffened when he took a step closer than bowed at the waist.
“What are you doing?” Caine snapped.
“My family has always protected the Alpha of the pack. We had to keep up pretense when Ethan came into power but we always waited for a Lancaster to return. We always waited for you. When my father died I took his place and-”
“Slaughter everyone. You come from that line of Blades? You sicken me. Your father was my father’s beta. One of his closest friends. How could you do this? Why would you-”
“We have waited ten years for you Alpha. Give me ten minutes to explain.”
“Who is this we? There-”
Caine froze when he felt something tumble across his foot. He looked down and his eyes widened.

“These are the Lycan that I’ve ‘slaughtered’. The Lycan that I hid away. There are more Alpha. Many, many more in the surrounding woods. And we have all waited for you.”

Prompt 068

2009-04-13T20:42:00.001-04:00

Title: Lycan Tales
Genre: Drama, suspense
Characters:Caine, Alana, Greg
Prompt: 068~Storm
Word Count: 1,756~ish
Rating: PG-13
Type: Series
Summary: What calm before the storm?
Warnings: Language

Caine came to with a jerk. Blinking blurry eyes he tried to remember why he was on the floor. Gritting his teeth when he his head started to throb he slowly got to his feet. He looked down when his foot hit against something hollow. As he stared down at the extinguisher it all came rushing back to him.

His hand flew to his head and he winced as he pushed against the hard knot poking up from his scalp.
“Motherfucker! That…that woman hit me with that fucking thing!” he snarled. He poked at the knot some more.
“And she hit me fucking hard. What was she trying to do? Knock my brains out? Jesus Christ!”

He pulled his hand away from his head and inspected it. He was surprised to see that his hand wasn’t smeared in blood. It felt as if she’d taken off a chunk of his scalp. And what had he done that so bad that she felt she had to clobber him? He would think the woman would want to know what she had gotten involved in. What was the point of pussyfooting around when-
He spun around and lifted his nose in the air. Her scent was still strong in the house but she wasn’t here.
“FUCK ME!!” he yelled to the ceiling then winced when his head started to throb even more.
She didn’t know what was going. She could land right in Ethan’s lap like a present on Christmas and she wouldn’t know. What if something happened to her? He couldn’t live with himself if something happened to her. She was too full of hope, of innocent dreams, for her life to be stifled.
“Christ!”
Scrubbing a hand over his face he was startled to feel it covered in his sweat. He suddenly realized he was taking great big gulps of air and his body was…changing? Without him even thinking about?
“What the hell?” he panted as his body stiffened.

The familiar rush went through his body. His dad had tried to explain it to him before his first change. It was like sticking a finger in a light socket and being electrocuted. Except this was like a hundred volts coursing through his body. After the first time it was painless but…it wasn’t so painless now. It felt as if someone had taken his dick, stuck it in the socket, doused him in water and then proceeded to poke him with a hot iron as the electricity when through his body.

He tried to howl but the only thing that came out was a pathetic whimper, a whimper that he would have been ashamed of under normal circumstances but right now was he was thankful he could make a sound at all. A brilliant burst of light lit the room nearly blinding him. His knees finally gave out on him and he fell to the ground to curl into a ball as tremors wracked his body. He didn’t know how much time passed before his body fell limp. Lying there, panting, he suddenly became aware of two things.
One, he prayed to God he never had to do that again and two..

Standing, he tilted back his head and let out a gut wrenching howl. This is what all the other packs feared. This is what was whispered about the Lancaster pack. This was the 'Other', the something more, that no one could explain and few could achieve. Shaking himself he narrowed his eyes as he inhaled deeply.
It was time to move on. He couldn’t stay in this house anymore. Sooner or later Ethan would find it. He had to find someplace else to hunker down. But, first and foremost, he had to find his mate. He let out a groan as he finally acknowledged what he had been avoiding.
Thankful that he had shoved some of the journals into her suitcase he loped out the door.

He didn’t even look back as he ran out the yard and down the sidewalk. And before he knew it everything was a blur as raced down the sidewalk, making sure to keep close to alleyways and dark spots. Inhaling deeply he locked onto her scent and followed it.

“Just get away from the city. Get away from the city and the nut jobs. Everything will be fine. Fine, fine, fine.”
Alana gripped the steering wheel as she pressed the gas pedal down to the floorboard. Looking into the rearview mirror she bared her teeth in a sickly grin as she left the city limits. She had no idea where she was going. All she knew was that she had enough money in her suitcase for at least three months and if she ran out of money she could sell those medical journals that had somehow ended up underneath of her clothes.
Her vision blurred for a moment and she let out a small shriek as the wheels of the car bumped against the curb.
“Get it together,” she snapped to herself as she straightened the wheel. Reaching up she pushed up her glasses. They immediately slid back down because of the sweat.
“I’m just nervous is all. I mean, who wouldn’t be nervous after seeing what I saw? It’s not possible. That’s something that only happens in movies.”
But just to be on the save side she was getting the heck out. Black people and blondes were always the first to die and there was still so much that she wanted to do.

She let out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding as the city faded from view and the road stretch before and behind her. She snapped on the radio, apparently Duncaine was good with cars because before her radio had been busted, and hummed along with the music for awhile. She didn't realize she had dozed until the tires hit the curb again. Why was she so tired, she wondered as she rolled down the window. She had slept for twenty-four hours straight and she was still tired?
“…you’re not full human are you?”
She stiffened as Duncaine’s voice floated into her head. Her eyes narrowed. “I don’t know what he’s talking about,” she growled.“I’m as human as the next person.”
Before she knew it her eyes had grown heavy again. She reached up to slap at her face but let out a shout when an animal crossed her path. She tried to swerve around it but over corrected instead. She closed her eyes when her car flew over the curve and she saw the trees rushing toward her face.

Her body flew forward and her head smacked against the steering wheel. Her mouth instantly filled with blood. Just as suddenly as her body had shot forward it was yanked back . Her airbag deploying snapped her glasses in half and she threw up her arms as she heard glass break. Shards bit into her arms as she felt the car hit a tree. She heard a loud crunch and then a loud screech as metal rubbed against concrete.

She didn’t know how far the car slid but she was conscious for every moment of it. Finally there was silence. She let out a groan then stiffened when she scented gas and suddenly heard a roar as flames ignited.
“Oh God, oh God, OH GOD!” she chanted as she tried to scramble out of the car. She had to get out.

As she pushed and pulled her body, trying to squeeze out from the accordion that used to be her car, she could feel the flames. She could feel them. Tears started to leak out of her eyes. She was going to die and she hadn’t even lived yet. At that thought she suddenly received an inhuman burst of strength. Shoving herself out of the driver’s seat she squeezed through the broken windshield, ignoring the shards of glass that pierced her skin. Letting out a sob of relief she stumbled several feet away from the car before she tripped and fell. She lost consciousness before she even hit the ground.

Greg pushed through the woods. He had been following her scent all day and had just reached the house when he saw her fly out. He had debated for a moment whether or not to go into the house but then remembered Ethan’s orders. Find the girl. So, he had followed her and had worriedly watched her swerve on the road until something had startled her so badly to make her have this accident. He kneeled down beside her.
“Like fucking manna from Heaven,” he said as he pressed a finger to her pulse. It was strong.
Shifting, he grunted as he lifted her up into his arms. He turned to take her to his car but stiffened when a scent wafted up to him. Bending down he inhaled deeply then shook his head.

He stood with her in his arms for a moment. It couldn’t be. He hadn’t been seen in ten years then all the sudden Greg couldn’t turn a corner without hearing something about him. Without seeing his face on a fucking milk carton. And now this woman had his scent all over her. Impossible. He couldn’t have…he wouldn’t have…would he?
He stood there undecided before shrugging and headed deeper into the woods. He had camps everywhere. It was easier to camp out than to stop and find a hotel every night.

With more gentleness than he realized he was capable of Greg dropped her down into his make shift lean-to and the adjusted the roofing so the tattered hole wasn’t right over her head. It wasn’t a lot but it was enough to keep the rain from getting on her. He bent down again and inspected her wounds. Those were going to hurt like a bitch when she woke up, he thought before straightening.

Walking over to the empty barrel he tossed in some dried leaves and lit the fire. He poked at it for a moment, bringing it up higher, until he could feel the warmth. Hopefully she could too. It wouldn’t do for her to catch something and die. Not that many of their kind died from a common cold but since half breeds were still rare he couldn’t be sure.

Heaving a sigh he perched his ass on the rocks next to the lean-to. Crossing his legs he briefly tapped his fingers on his thigh as he settled himself.
Now, all he had to do was wait. It wouldn’t be long now. Not long at all.

Prompt 054

2009-03-18T23:24:00.000-04:00

Title: Lycan Tales
Genre: Drama, suspense
Characters: Caine, Alana
Prompt: 054~Too Much
Word Count: 2,247~ish
Rating: PG-13
Type: Series
Summary: Caine learns the consequences of ripping off band-aides
Warnings: Language, Violence

There was a leak in the roof. The steady plopping sound as the water hit the gathering puddle in the corner of the room and the incessant tapping of it hitting the roof were the only sounds in the house. It was slowly driving him crazy. Caine sat with his elbows on his thighs as he absently massaged his temples.
She hadn’t moved.
He’d brought her here over five hours ago and she still hadn’t stirred. He knew she hadn’t taken any of those pills. Her scent was as natural as always with just a hint of the vanilla soap that she used. The same scent that was imprinted on his brain. He had taken to breathing through his mouth but now his mouth just watered wanting to know what she tasted like. Stifling a groan his head shot up when she stirred.

He blew out a breath when she only changed positions before her breathing evened out. His eyes followed the rhythmic rise and fall of her chest and his hands curled into fists. His skin started to tingle and itch as if his fur was going to sprout while he was in human form. Absently he scratched at his arm as his eyes stayed glued to her breasts.
She had an amazing figure. Most of the clothes she wore covered her up completely but her pajamas were more revealing. And they weren’t even sexy. The top had drawn up a little showing a slice of her stomach. He wouldn’t mind dipping his tongue into her belly button. He bet that her scent was strong right there. And even more so farther down.
Shaking his head to rid himself of those thoughts he scrubbed a hand hard over his face before getting up. Adjusting himself he walked out of the room.

Caine’s body was slick with sweat before he rested back against the floor. He listened but all he heard was the sounds of rats in the wall and the birds outside. The rain had stopped and for this moment in time everything was clean and pure. He knew that wouldn't last. Staring up at the ceiling he tried to figure out why Ethan would want Alana. There had to be something. Maybe she knew something but…

Flipping over he started to do push-ups as his mind worked a mile a minute. If she did know something she didn’t know that she knew. He shook his head at that confusing thought. She kept to herself for the most part, only going to work and then coming back home to work on her Master’s. She had told him that when she used to come and visit him. She didn’t talk about her family that much but what kind of woman kept a suitcase packed and ready underneath of her bed?
He knew one thing. They couldn’t stay here much longer. The fire might have set Ethan back but not for long. And he still had to get rid of the car. Hell, he had almost wrecked the thing getting here. He'd always been interested in cars and read anything he could get his hands on about the inner workings of the machines. He’d never driven before but he’d watched movies so he thought it would be easy enough. He had been mistaken.
His muscles strained and pulled as he worked. He emptied his mind of everything except his hard breathing and through the pain his mind suddenly became crystal clear. A thought had just snaked into his brain but slipped away when a scream ripped through the air. In a smooth motion he hopped up and raced up the stairs.

“Oh my goodness! What in the world is going on? And why was I lying on that disgusting bed?”
A shudder went through her as she looked behind her to stare at the bed. There were all kinds of stains on that mattress and the pillows. Instantly her hands went to her hair as her scalp between to crawl. She spun around when she heard footsteps racing up the stairs. She scowled.

“YOU! What are you doing? I didn’t tell anyone about you living here. Why would you do this? What have you done? You didn’t…”
Her voice trailed off as she started patting at her body. Everything felt the same, sort of. She scowled. Actually everything seemed to be extra sensitive. Her skin, her sense of smell, her hearing. Her pj’s were irritating her skin and she was smelling things that she really wish she wasn’t. Not to mention-
She stabbed a finger in his direction as he came to a stop a few steps away from her. “What did you do to me?”
The corner of his mouth curled upward. “I didn’t do shit to you. I saved your life lady.”
She shook her head. “What are you talking about? Saved my life? My life was perfectly normal until I met you!”
She stopped talking when she realized that a growl had entered her voice. She cleared her throat and took a step away from him. After all, the man had escaped from a mental institute. She didn't know what could set him off. They stared at each other for a moment before Alana looked away. Rubbing her hands up and down her arms, she probably had bed bugs on her skin now she thought bitterly, as she turned away from him.

Caine heaved a sigh as she turned her back on him. She was probably scared and he guessed she had a right to be. He had ripped her away from everything she knew and she had woken up in a strange place. Rubbing a hand over the back of his neck he strove for soothing tones.
“Look Alana, you went to the doctor’s yesterday afternoon right?”
“Yesterday?”
“Yeah, you’ve been sleeping for awhile now. My guess it almost twenty-four hours. I picked you up early this morning and it’s almost five now. I don’t know-”
“I was just going to take a nap. I wasn’ that tired. I didn’t take any of those pills that Dr. Nasri gave me. Something seemed…odd about them.”
“Yeah, it’s a good thing you didn’t. Those pills would have knocked a hum-” He cleared his throat. “They would have knocked you out for at least two days.” He paused. “How are you feeling?”
“Like there are a million bugs underneath of my skin trying to get out,” she snapped. “What am I doing here…Duncaine isn’t it?”
“Most people call me Caine.”
“What am I doing here Duncaine? I want to go home.”
“Well, you see…”

Alana tapped her fingers against her shoulders as he talked casually about burning her house down to save her life. A buzzing started in her ears as he continued to talk about her doctor giving her those pills and something about someone named Ethan was probably looking for her. The name sounded familiar but she couldn’t remember as she suddenly lost her grip on her control and a growl ripped from her throat. She dazedly wondered why everything seemed so crystal clear as she spun around and lunged at him. They tumbled to the ground.

“I could kill you. That was my house. My house!” Her voice was barely recognizable as she squeezed her hands around his throat. He placed a hand on her arm and it seemed to her he caressed her skin before staring calmly up at her.

“Well, that explains it.”
It annoyed her that he seemed so calm while she was in turmoil. She wasn’t a violent person so why were her hands steadily squeezing his throat and a steady rumbling in her chest?
“What are you talking about?” she snapped.
“I wondered why Ethan would want you. He doesn’t usually pay attention to full humans but you’re not full human are you?”
She frowned down at him. “What are-”
Whatever else she was going to say was cut off when he shoved a hand in the center of her chest and sent her flying across the room. Her head hit the floor with a loud thunk. She shook her head and was getting ready to scramble to her feet when he landed on top of her.

Caine’s eyes slid closed as his body molded to hers. The planes and curves of her body seemed to match his. He growled and leaned down until he was whispering in her ear.
“If you want to kill me you’re going to have to take a number and get in line, princess. I could have killed you or left you to Ethan. After he was through with you I’m sure you would wish that someone had killed you. Now, we’re going to go downstairs and talk. I want to know about your family.”
He nestled his nose into her hair then sighed. “I am sorry that I got you involved in this,” he whispered.
“Would you get off me?” she snapped.
Getting up, he latched onto her wrist and tugged her down the stairs with him.
“Sit.”
"I'm not a dog!" She shoved up her glasses when he let out a rumbling laugh.

Alana stared down at her toes as she sat on the edge of the couch. Everything in this house was disgusting. And it smelled like rotting garbage. She didn’t know how he could stay here. And she didn’t have a house to go back to. She blinked back tears. She had just brought that bed set!
“Start talking.”
“What do you want to know?” she asked without inflection.
Caine frowned. “Jesus, it was just a house!”
Her head snapped up. “It was my house! I brought everything in that house and now, for whatever reason, I have nothing.”
“I grabbed your suitcase.” He blinked when she turned and looked at him with a wide smile on her face.
“You did? So everything wasn’t destroyed?”
Women were so weird, Caine thought as he shook his head.
She sagged back against the couch for a brief moment before straightening and making such a cute face of disgust Caine laughed but quickly covered it with a cough.
“Talk.”
She got up from the couch and started to pace. “Well, my mom was in the military. We moved around a lot, which is when I got into the habit of keeping a suitcase packed. Mom was pretty strict but we had, have, a close relationship. She was never one to laugh but she changed when my dad popped into town every now and again. She laughed so much but then she was depressed when he left.”
“Who was your father?”
She shrugged and touched the leaf of a dead plant on the fireplace mantel. It crumbled in her hand. “I just called him dad. I remember asking mom why dad didn’t live with us and she said he couldn’t. He had other obligations. I always figured he had a wife and my mom was the mistress. Then, suddenly, he stopped coming around when I was about fifteen. Geez, do you drink enough?”

Caine noticed that Alana was scratching at herself. He remembered that feeling. When it felt as if his skin was crawling. That happened when he was about sixteen, the year when pups are able to fully transform. He looked around the room and notice that there were a lot of bottles around.
“They’re not mine. The kids that sneak in here keep bring them.”
“Is that a Ouija board?” she asked as she took a quick step back.
He shrugged. “Yeah.”
“Why would you invite spirits into your house?”
“It’s just a game, princess. And besides, I have enough ghosts. A few more won’t matter. Are you hungry?”
Her stomach growled loudly and she ducked her head as he laughed.

“You don’t have any food in here,” she said as they stood in the kitchen.
“Nah, electicity isn’t working and even if it was I wouldn’t use it. That would draw attention that I don’t want.”
“So how are we going to eat?” she asked irritated. It felt as if she hadn’t eaten for days.
Duncaine walked in front of her and she frowned as the air seemed to crackle and spark.

A blinding light made her blink and when she looked again he was…glowing? Take a hasty step back she swallowed and then her eyes rolled back.

Caine shook his head and snorted when he looked down. He had heard the thump and knew what had happened. He inwardly grinned. She was going to have another fit when she woke up. Hopefully it would be awhile.

Turning he trotted out the door and raced down the block. There was a pizzeria a few blocks down. He’d just snatch a box from the delivery boy and be back before she woke up.

Caine walked back into the house and put the pizza on the stove. Alana wasn’t on the floor but he knew she was still in the house. Her scent was still too strong for her to have disappeared.
“Look, I’m sorry that I startled you but I hate beating around the bush. I treat everything like it’s a band-aide. The best thing is to rip it off quickly and be done with it. I’ll explain everything after-”

He spun around when he heard footsteps behind him. The empty fire extinguisher hit him on the temple.
“Fuck me!” he roared as he stumbled backward
Alana swung the extinguisher again and clipped him on the forehead and watched in satisfaction as he hit the ground.
“I think that’s going to need a band-aide,” she said before dropping the extinguisher by his head. The hollow sound of it hitting the ground hadn’t even faded before she was racing out the door. She had grabbed her suitcase earlier and had been looking for the keys when she had heard him coming into the house. Scrambling into the car she shoved the keys into the ignition. Once the car started she peeled out.

Prompt 072

2009-03-13T05:13:00.004-04:00

Title: Lycan Tales
Genre: Drama, suspense
Characters: Alana, Gregory
Prompt: 072~He
Word Count: 1,280-ish
Rating: PG-13
Type: Series
Summary: Plans go awry
Warnings: Language

Westfield residence, late Friday night

Peering through the window his body jolted when he saw the lone figure laying on the floor. Inhaling deeply a low growl worked its way up his throat. Something wasn’t right.

Reaching for the doorknob he hesitated before giving it a twist. It was locked. Shrugging he gave a sharp turn and the handle came off in his hand. Letting himself into the house he cautiously sniffed the air before shutting the door behind him.

Walking over he crouched over her prone figure. Putting a hand to her throat he felt for her pulse. It was slow and sluggish and her skin was coated in sweat. Realizing that she wasn’t going to wake up for awhile he decided to have a look around.

Standing in front of the table he stared at the pills that had spilled out of the bottle. Picking up an unopened one he read the label then glancing over as steady humming finally registered. Her laptop was still up and running. Placing the pill bottle back down he sat in front of the computer.

“Let’s see what she’s discovered,” he muttered. Clicking the mouse he saw that she had left several browser windows minimized. He clicked on the first then swiftly went through the rest. His hand trembled on the mouse as he realized what he was looking at…what he had scented in the air.

Walking into her room he crouched down and peered underneath of the bed. Seeing a suitcase he pulled it out then popping it open study the contents. Neat stacks of clothes, an envelope full of money, toothbrush, toothpaste…it looked as if she was prepared. Grunting, he snapped it closed then looked around the room. A plan began to form in his mind. It was crazy but at least it would be a start.

Taking the suitcase with him, he tossed it into the backseat before opening the car door. Sliding in he sat behind the driver’s seat and turned the ignition with the keys he had grabbed from the table by the front door. The car didn’t turn over. He pumped the gas and the tried the brakes.
“Brakes are good. Can’t say she got into an accident if they find the car,” he mumbled to himself.

Getting out he rounded the hood and popped it open. Bending down he fiddled with several components before dusting off his hands and slamming the hood back.
“That should do it.”
Peering around him, checking to make sure the coast was still clear, he loosened his muscles as he loped back into the house. He had to hurry. It was nearing dawn. He rummaged around the house until he had what he as looking for. Gathering the supplies he turned on the stove, thrust a towel into the flame and when it had caught he went from room to room. By the time he made it back to the living room the air was thick with smoke.
She was still passed out on the floor. Bending down he scooped her into his arms. Her head lolled on her shoulders and he stared down into her face until the smoke started to burn his eyes.

Caine had been thinking about Alana all day. He had kept trying to shove the thought of her from his head but had finally give in. He had just wanted a look, he had told himself. Just to make sure she was alright after their last encounter.
He had scented Dominica, Ethan’s mate, in the air the moment he had stepped into the house. She had been in close contact with Alana. He had recognized the name of the bottle of pills as well. Sophia was Dom's right hand man, or woman in this case, and those pills that they had given her weren’t what was described on the label. No, the pills they had given her were tranquillizers that were used when one of his kind needed surgery. But why would they give them to Alana unless…
He shook his head as he put her into the passenger seat. He didn’t have time to think right now. If Dominica knew about Alana that meant that Ethan knew about her. And that wasn't a good thing. For one she could accidentally lead Ethan to him and he wasn't ready to face him yet. And for another...he'd kill before Ethan laid a finger on her. Getting into the car he pulled out of the driveway. He looked over at her as her head hit the window.
She was going to be pissed about her house but he couldn’t let them know that he had been there. Gunning the engine he took off down the road.

Gregory stared as the flames licked at the house. He had waited until almost dawn to do the errand that Ethan had sent him on. He hated to be cliché and do things in the middle of the night. He prided himself on getting his prey regardless of the time or place. Obviously he had fucked up this time. Flames shot through the roof and he winced when the sirens pierced the silence of the morning. Turning, he went back to his car.

Greg looked down the road then slowly turned when a man cleared his throat.
“Yeah?”
“Is this your residence sir?”
“Nope.”
“Then might I ask what you’re doing here?” the fireman asked suddenly suspicious.
Greg shrugged his shoulders. “Sure you can ask.”
The silence stretched on until the man realized that Greg wasn’t going to say anything else. He eyed Greg until one of his companions yelled for him to get a move on.
Greg sat on the car and watched as they extinguish the fire. He sat as the police came and looked around the rumble. The only time he spoke was when a detective came over and began to question him. Greg dropped Ethan’s name and the detective quickly dropped his line of questioning.

Greg rubbed a hand over the back of his neck as he heard claws clicking on the sidewalk. He didn't bother to look down. Corey, his brother, was never far from his side. He just preferred to stay in his wolf form.
“I’m screwed Corey,” Greg said when he padded up to him as the fire truck pulled away. He rubbed absently at his sore knuckles, he had an incident last night and still hadn’t fully healed. He sat and stared into space until Corey barked at him then sighing he slipped off the car and dug his cell phone from the front pocket of his frayed jeans. Grimacing, he punched in a number.

The phone rang for half a second before it was picked up.
“Is it done? How close are you from the meeting place?”
Never one to beat around the bush, something that made him very good at his job, Greg shrugged his shoulders. “’Fraid not.”
There was a beat of silence then, “I beg your pardon?”
“Someone got here before I did. The house is totally destroyed. I don’t even know if the girl is still alive. I have to dig through it all but it’s going to be slow work since so many people were here already. Do-”
“You incompetent fool! I trusted you to handle this for me! You’re supposed to be the best at-”

“Screw you Ethan,” Greg snarled. “I’m not part of your pack so I don’t have to take your shit! I am the best at my job. I’ve been taking down people that your pack couldn’t find since I was a pup. I'm the one you called when you needed all those still loyal to Bernard hunted down. Don’t you talk down to me.”
A snarl came from the other end of the phone before a silence fell.
“How long,” Ethan began in a strained tones, “Do you think it will take you?”
Greg shrugged. “I don’t do rush jobs. I’ll contact you when I have something. And Ethan?”
“Yes?”
That one word had been torn from the alpha and Greg had to smile. “Don’t send someone to check up on me. If you do our agreement is void and you can come out from your ivory tower and do the job yourself.”

Greg ended the call and was about to slip the phone back into his pocket when he turned and stared at the burnt shell of the house. He inhaled deeply then stiffened as a scent drifted to him on the breeze.

Prompt 069

2009-03-12T04:26:00.000-04:00

Title: Lycan Tales
Genre: Drama, suspense
Characters: Caine
Prompt: 069~Inside
Word Count: 1,576
Rating: PG-13
Type: Series
Summary: Lancaster secrets
Warnings: Language

The rat infested shithole(Caine’s words not mine), earlier the same day

He absently scratched his stomach as he stared up at the ceiling. If he squinted his eyes just so and tilted his head the cracks seemed to take on the shape of a woman’s breast. Saggy, but he wasn’t complaining. He hadn’t gotten laid since…well hell, Caine couldn’t lie to himself. He had never gotten laid. Being in a nuthouse sort of limited his options. Crayola had stripped and offered and he had less than politely refused. Maybe he should have taken her up on her offer but Caine couldn’t imagine bumping uglies with a woman who looked like a drag queen on her good days. Now Alana, on the other hand...he was pretty sure her breasts would fit the palm of his hands just right and-
Growling, he shook his head. He wasn't going near the woman. She was a menace. Groaning, he swung his legs over the mattress.

He had been putting it off. He had been in this place for almost a month and a half now and he still hadn't gone up there. He didn’t want to go up into the attic and look around. He and his father used to go up there when they came to visit this place and after his break down yesterday night he just didn’t want to face the memories. But he had to. If there was one thing that his father had drilled into his head it was that knowledge equaled power. Sure, he didn’t want to be alpha but apparently the pack had suffered in the years that he had been in the institute. His uncle Ethan had never been a kind man but he was pretty sure he was on a huge ego trip now and everyone was suffering. He kicked at the pile of clothes that were scattered near the bed as he rubbed his forehead. Heaving a sigh he shoved off the mattress and padded down the hall. He stopped right before the entrance to the living room and looked up.

His dad had instructed the architect to build an attic. Once the attic had been built his dad had asked the man to remove the stairs leading to it. If the man had thought the suggestion strange he hadn’t said anything. His dad had been smart. No one would take the time to find a ladder just to go into an old attic. Not unless they thought there was something important up there. And since few people even know about this house, and seeing how all but one of those people were dead, no one would thing there was anything valuable up there.

Caine began to take deep breaths. He could feel the oxygen going through his body and working its way into his muscles. He half crouched and then pushing off with his legs aimed for the opening in the ceiling. His first attempted fail and he landed back on the ground with a thud.
“Fuck me,” he hissed as a shooting pain went through his elbow. Growling, he shot back up to glare at the offending opening. This time he took a few minutes to collect himself before trying again.

His hands grazed the edge of opening and he scrambled for a hold. Briefly claws shot out of his hands and stabbed through the wood until he had a firm grip and then receded as quickly as they had appeared. Caine hung there for a moment trying to catch his breath before he slowly, but surely, pulled himself upward.

“Christ on a crutch,” he wheezed as he planted his hand on the floorboard and his arm on the lip of the opening. He panted for breath.
“I’m out of fucking shape. What kinda bullshit is that? I used to breeze through this thing ten years ago. Now I’m acting like some kinda of out of shape, old man whose balls are hanging down to his knees.”
Pulling his body the rest of the way through he flopped on the floor. Just as quickly as he landed he sprung up and crouched down. A low, warning snarl came from him as he peered into the corner before he realized that he was staring at a reflection. In astonishment he walked over and peered at himself.

“Oh for fuck’s sake! Is this what Alana sees? No wonder the woman was scared of me. Not that I care,” he told his reflection quickly. “She could choke and die on that nasty dog food she carries in her purse for all I care,” he muttered as he poked at his face in the mirror.
There really hadn’t been mirrors in the nuthouse. Seeing as how they thought he might go all ballistic, sharp objects and things that could be turned into sharp objects, had been kept away from him.
“But good Lord, they could have told me I looked god-awful!”
Frowning, he pulled at his beard before he sharply shook his head and turned away. He had not come here to primp in front of a mirror.

He stopped in front of a bookcase and tapped a finger on the shelf as he tried to remember what his dad had told him the code was. He blew out a breath. He had been a kid. He had been more excited to get into the ‘secret’ place than to remember what his dad had told him. Caine stood there for a good fifteen minutes, racking his brain, before a hazy thought jolted his memory.

“Boo-yah!” he exclaimed in excitement then reached for the first book. Shakespeare, then came Bryan, Churchill after that, King’s biography, Tolkien, Hemingway and then Cummings big book of poems. His hand hesitated over the last book before he softly whispered under his breath:
“Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary, over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore…”
He heard a soft clicking sound…

...as the door to the room swung open. The scent hint him. The smell of old books working on becoming mildewy. His father had loved books. Caine could remember the sound of his voice as he read him to sleep each night. That had been their time together. His dad had made sure of it. He might have missed a few school functions when business took him away but Caine couldn’t recall a time when he hadn’t been there to read him to sleep. This room showed his love of books.

But these weren’t just any books. Sure there were the usual but this place had been carefully constructed to hold the history of the Lancaster clan. For over two hundred years his ancestors had been documenting the evolution of not only the their species, the lycanthrope, but also the evolution of the Lancaster’s as a whole. From the first Lancaster, who had been a scientist and had tried to rid himself of the ‘dreaded disease’ as he called it, to the his father, who had spent many a night working on the book. No fact was too trivial, no illness too common. It all ended up in the books.

Caine rubbed his chin as he looked over the well worn books. This room housed the history of his family. A history he hadn’t wanted to deal with because armed with this history he would have to face the future. He couldn’t just hang in a constant state of limbo any longer. He either had to act or continue to be the prey. At that thought he crouched down and grabbed a book.

Walking across the room he sat down in the old chair and began to flip through the book. Every now and again he’d stop to read a hastily scrawled passage or look at a drawing that had been painstakingly etched. He stopped when he saw his father’s handwriting. His father had documented everything from the time he became alpha until just a few days before his death. His name appeared here and there but he was startled to see what appeared to be a short message addressed to him. It had been hastily written and taped on the back of another page.

Caine paused at the end of his dad’s letter. For ten years he had wondered if his dad had been blinded by trust for his uncle and now he finally knew the truth. His dad had never trusted Ethan and had just wanted to keep a close eye on him. Caine shook his head. It hadn’t worked. Caine knew that his father hadn’t thought that Ethan would attack him outright but he had been wrong. Dead wrong. It wasn’t a mistake that Caine would make. True, he didn’t want to be alpha but neither did he want the pack to suffer because of his own wants. Heaving a sigh Caine closed the book.

Running a hand over the cover a slight smile curled his lips. In his hands he was holding his family's history. A history of men and women who had persevered when they didn’t know anything about lycanthrope, when myths had made them something to be hunted and when empowered with knowledge they had learned to blend in with society. He might be the last of the line but he would not shame them.

It was time for him to stop hiding.

Prompt 084

2009-03-08T17:40:00.001-04:00

Title: Lycan Tales
Genre: Drama, suspense
Characters: Ethan, Dom, Alana
Prompt: 084~Disappointed
Word Count: 1,610-ish
Rating: PG-13
Type: Series
Summary: Ethan is upset, Dom hides an important fact, and Alana searches for the truth.
Warnings: Language, brief nudity

Vanderwall Residence, 5:30 pm

With one fluid movement Dom changed from one form to another and continued to race up the stairs to the penthouse. So used to seeing nudity the maids and the butler didn’t even bother to give her a second glance. Well, the butler might have given her a second glance but she was running so fast all he caught was a glimpse. She could hear the strains of the piano as Julius diligently practiced and she absently thought that he was getting a little better. The faint sounds faded as she reached the top floor and burst through the glass doors onto the deck. Her bare feet slapped against the cobblestone before she came to a stop beside the hot tub. She had known Ethan would be out here. This was where he went to relax before any public event.

“Dom, so anxious to join me. If I would have known that I would have waited for you.”
He didn’t even bother to open his eyes, she noticed in disgust. She was sure that he had heard her coming a distance away but still. Did he consider her so meager a threat that he wouldn’t be on his guard? Did he think she was so passive that thoughts of murdering him hadn’t surfaced in her mind numerous times over the years? She felt a growl start to rumble up her chest. Swallowing it back down she dropped to her knees by the hot tub and tried to calm her breathing.
Ethan opened his eyes a bit and looked at her through the haze of steam. She was completely naked and her pupils were dilated as if she were scared. At that thought his body tightened. He thrived on fear. In his mind that's what made him a good Alpha. If there was no fear then his pack mates wouldn’t respect him. Of course when he was around full humans he had to tone down his disdain for their sheep like ways.
“What’s the problem Dom?” he asked lazily. “You seem slightly…perturbed.”
“Ethan, I just came from the hospital.”
“Did another one of your patients die? A pity but as long as you’ve been a doctor I’d think you’d have a thicker skin.”
Feeling a lot calmer than he had before he entered the hot tub Ethan stood and made to get out.

“No, it’s one of Sophia’s patients. Sophia ran a few tests on her and…something has changed in her genetic make-up. She’s a half breed Ethan. And not just any half breed. A fertile half breed. “
Ethan froze with his back to her.“Come again?”
“She said that she’d gotten bitten by a dog but it must not have been a dog. It would have had to been one of us. A rogue maybe?”
“Where is she at?” There was a pause behind him. “Where the hell is she at Dom?”
“I left her at the hospital with Sophia. She won’t get far. She’s going through the change as we speak and her body-“

Her head banged against the wall as Ethan moved so swiftly she didn’t even have time to prepare herself. She closed her eyes as pinwheels of light dance in front of her and nausea worked its way up her throat. The back of her head throbbed in time with her racing heart.
“You left a fertile half breed behind?” He was taking short, shallow breaths and his skin started to ripple and itch, his bones shifted and claws shot out of the hand around Dom's neck. He growled and squeezing his hand tighter, shook her like a rag doll. What he really wanted to do was snapped her scrawny neck.
He had kept a tight rein on any breeding female. They made good bargaining chips with other alphas who didn’t have the surplus he did. Not to mention it allowed him to keep an eye on any whelps that were born. He could never be too careful.
“Who are her parents? Which one was like us?”
“I-I don’t know. Sophia has to run some more test and-"
“You’ve failed me Dominica. Once again. You’re making me regret mating you. You’ve become weak. And one weak link can bring down a whole wall. Why wasn’t this detected earlier?”
“Sophia said that her blood was normal up until now. You know how rare half breeds are. Most of them go their entire lives without realizing that they’re not fully human. With her coming into contact with one of us…she shouldn’t even be changing. There’s something-”
Ethan snarled. “I don’t care about your doctorate Dom. I want that half breed found. Obviously you’re not smart enough to bring her to me. I know someone who will.”
He shook her once more before he tossed her away from him. She stumbled and righted herself before wincing and rubbing at her throat. “You didn’t let me finish Ethan.”
He sliced his hand in the air. “It doesn’t matter. Cancel the event for tonight. I have to make a telephone call. I should have brought him in a weeks ago. Damn it, he's still out there and now this!” Spinning on his heel he walked into his office and punched in a number. It rang once and then a deep voice came over the line.
“Yes?”
“I need you to do something for me…”
Dom stood in the door and listened to Ethan plan. She opened her mouth to speak but he shooed her out of the room before pointedly turned his back on her. Pressing her lips tightly together she spun on her heel and went into her office to cancel the function for tonight. Fine, she thought bitterly, if he didn’t want to listen to what else she had to say, then she wouldn’t mention the vaguely familiar scent she had caught coming from the girl.

Westfield Residence 5:00 pm

Alana shook the pills out onto the table and studied them a moment before she grabbed her laptop from her bedroom and sat down at the kitchen table. She punched in the name of the drug and then sighed at the amount of links that popped up. She wasn’t stupid. She knew something was going on. Dr. Nasri had kept trying to detain her before Alana had slipped out of the room and made a hasty exit. She didn’t know what was going on but it was giving her an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach. A stomach that was still rolling with queasiness.

Wiping a hand over her forehead, she absently noted that her bangs were damp from sweat, she started to diligently go through each link and gather as much information about this mysterious drug as she could. Dr. Nasri hadn’t been able to explain fully exactly how this drug was supposed to help her. All she kept saying was that it would help her sleep. Alana wasn’t having problems sleeping. She had wanted to know what was going on but the doctor has said that her blood work wasn’t back yet. She learned forward to study the image of the pills and then looked the pills resting so innocently on the table.
“They aren’t the same pills,” she whispered to herself then pursed her lips. Maybe she’d gotten the generic form. Changing her searching she once again stared at the image on the screen and then back to the pills on the table.
“No, they still aren’t the same thing. What in the world is going on?”
She blinked furiously when her vision blurred then shaking her head got up from the table. She went to sit on the edge of the couch but missed and ended up on the floor.

Rubbing her forehead again she sighed. She wasn’t the most gracefully person she knew but this was ridiculous! Something was wrong with her. She was sweating like a menopausal woman on a winter’s night. It just didn’t make any sense. She blamed the dog. He was the source of all her problems. If he hadn’t came when he did and saved her life then none of this would be happening. She’d just be dead and none the wiser. She groaned. What was she thinking?
“See, now you’re not even lucid. Girl, get a grip,” she told herself. “Just call in sick to work. There’s no way I can teach like this.”

Knowing she wasn’t going to feel better Alana started to get up off the floor to make a telephone call. That way she knew her class would be covered. She had accumulated a plethora of sick days since she rarely, if ever, was sick.
Placing her hands on the floor she shifted until she was reasonable sure she would be able to stand. Taking a deep breath she stiffened her arms and started to push herself upward. Her first attempted she only managed about an inch before her arms started to tremble and a bead of sweat ran down into her eye.
“Ouch! Crap, crap! That’s burns!”
Blinking rapidly she started to push herself up again.

She felt her feet slip out from under her. Her arms pinwheeled for a moment before she was able to plant a hand on the ground. Her whole body started to shake and goosebumps covered her skin.
“This isn’t natural,” she whispered as her eyes seemed to close of their own accord. She tried to keep them open but to no avail. It felt as if someone was steadily pushing her down until her back made contact with the floor. She heaved a contented sigh.
“I’ll just lay here for a moment,” she said drowsily. “Then,” she yawned. “In a few minutes I’ll…get up…and call…my…jo-”

Prompt 060

2009-03-05T22:47:00.002-05:00

Title: Lycan Tales
Genre: Drama, suspense
Characters: Alana, an intern and doctors
Prompt: 060-Complicated
Word Count: 1,260
Rating: PG-13
Type: Series
Summary: A little scrap turns into a big problem
Warnings: None

She hated hospitals. No, hate wasn’t the right word. She despised hospitals with every fiber of her being. The germs. She crossed her arms and stared at the entrance to the germ infested facility. People came here to get well but before they got well they came here infected, bleeding, sneezing, coughing…
Shuddering, she wiped at the sweat on her forehead. But she didn’t really have a choice. This morning she woke up feeling fine but as the day progressed she had dealt with bouts of nausea and dizzy spells. Whatever it was it couldn’t be good. A car horn blew right next to her causing her to jump.
“Hey lady! Get out of the way! I got an emergency here!”

Heaving a sigh Alana trudged forward. One step at a time, she told herself as she looked down at her feet. One step at a time gets you where you need to go…not where she wanted to be. Where she wanted to be was at home, curled under a mountain of blankets. The doors whooshed open as she stepped closer and she could feel the cool air of the lobby and smell the bogus scent of a sterile environment.
“You can do this Lana,” she told herself. “If you don’t you’re going to go around looking like the King of Pop with a surgical mask on all the time." At that horrifying thought she quickly stepped into the hospital.

“I have an appointment with Dr. Nasri."
“Ms. Westfield? I see we have you down for an appointment at four. Unfortunately Dr. Nasri is in surgery. The procedure just started so I don’t know how long she’ll be. You can have a seat if you like. Also, could you feel out this paperwork? Just to update your information.”
“Sure.”
Alana started to reach for the clipboard but suddenly her heart started to beat fast, faster than what she knew to be normal, and it felt as if a tiny man was drilling in her brain as bursts of lights flashed in front of her eyes. She doubled over in pain and tried to reach for the ledge of the counter.

Her hands slipped off and she clenched her chest. Was she having a heart attack? She couldn’t be having a heart attack.
“Ma’am? Ma’am are you alright?”
“Does it look like I’m alright?” Alana was able to wheeze out that question as her knees gave away.

“Oh gosh! Ma’am, I’m just an intern. I don’t even want to be a nurse but my uncle says that I should! Ma’am? What should I do? I don’t know anything about…anything!”
Oh God, Alana thought as she hit the ground. I think the both of us are having heart attacks. The receptionist was clenching her hands to her own chest as she stared down in horror at her.
“Get…a…doctor!”
“Oh, right! Right!”
Alana’s eyes rolled back into her head and the last thought she had, before her face hit the linoleum, was that there had to be about a trillion germs residing on this floor.

She didn’t know how much time had passed but she could hear the faint sound of sneakers squeaking on linoleum and the steady beeping of a heart monitor coming somewhere from beside her. Her eyelids fluttered for a moment before they opened.

Her heart thundered in her chest. Oh god, was she going blind? Had she had an aneurysm? Was she never going to be able to see Venice or Rome? Oh god, she’d never made it to Scotland.
“Here are your glasses,” the mysterious woman said before sliding them onto her face.
Alana blinked her into focus.

The woman checked her pulse before stepping away from her.
“It’s a good thing that I was just finishing up my shift. Diana was having a fit in the lobby and you were passed out on the floor. I had to give Diana a sedative to calm her nerves. My niece isn’t fit for the medical field. Anyways, how are you feeling?”
Alana swallowed. “My mouth is a little dry.”
“I gave you a mild sedative as well. Your heart was thundering in your chest. Do you have a history of heart problems in your family?”
“No. No, not at all.”
“So what were you doing here today?”
“I just came to see Dr. Nasri about a tetanus shot. I was…bit by a dog yesterday and I’d rather be safe than sorry.”
“I completely understand. Here, let’s have you sit up.”

Alana swung her legs over the edge of the bed and fisted her hands in the thin sheet as a bout of lightheadedness hit her. Her joints hurt. That was new. They hadn’t hurt when she woke up this morning. Maybe they hurt because she had hit the floor kind of hard.
“Hmm…still feeling lightheaded I see. We took a blood sample and sent it down to the lab for results so we should know something in a bit. I’m Dr. Vanderwall by the way.”
Vanderwall, Vanderwall…the name sounded familiar but Alana couldn’t really focus on anything right now. She squeezed her eyes shut as the room seemed to spin around her. “I can’t say it’s a pleasure to meet you. I hate hospitals.”
The doctor laughed and then tilting her head tapped her cheek. “Well, you look a little better. Try to stand for me.”

Alana stood and ground seemed to rush up to meet her. Faster than she could blink Dr. Vanderwall, where had she heard that name, righted her and placed a steadying hand on her forehead before stepping back.
“Are you pregnant?”
“WHAT?!” Alana squawked. “That’s kind of a personal question. I mean, I know you’re a doctor but you’re not my doctor and I’m really not comfortable discussing this with you. Seriously,” she said as she leaned backward on the bed.
Dr. Vanderwall crossed her arms as she studied her than smiled. “Alright, well Dr. Nasri-“
“Is right here. Hello Alana. I guess I don’t need to ask how you’re feeling do I?”

Dr. Nasri stepped into the room and greeted Alana with a warm smile and gently clasped her hand. “I know how much you hate hospitals, I can barely get you in here for your annual checkup, and now I think I might have an even tougher time of it,” she said with a laugh.
Alana didn’t laugh because she had been thinking the same thing. She had been feeling better outside the hospital.
“Could you step outside for a moment Alana? I want to discuss another case with Dr. Vanderwall.”
“Sure.”
Alana stepped outside and rummaging around in her purse, grabbed her sanitizer, squeezed some into her palm then slathered it on the side of her face that had hit the ground. Then, just for good measure, she repeated the procedure on the other half of her face.

“We received her preliminary blood tests back.”
“Yes, and? This doesn't really concern me Sophia. She's your patient.”
"Yes, but what we found doesn't affect just me."
Dom sighed. She didn't have time for word games. She still had to go and get her nails done for that society dinner Ethan had planned for tonight. After all these weeks of seeing or hearing nothing about Duncaine, Ethan was slowly relaxing his guard.
"I'm sure it doesn't concern me either Sophia."
"Yes Alpha, it does."
Dr. Nasri stepped closer and whispered in her ear.

Alana was just about to get something out of the vending machine when the door to her room flew open and Dr. Vanderwall ran out.
“Dr.? Is everything-“
She didn’t even spare her a glance as she raced toward the elevator. Alana dimly heard a ding as Dr. Nasri called her back into the room.
“Now let’s discuss some medication that I can give you to…”

Prompt 075

2009-03-03T18:30:00.000-05:00

Title: Lycan Tales
Genre: Drama, suspense
Characters: Bernard, Caine, Ethan, Dom
Prompt: 075~Heart
Word Count: 2,294
Rating: PG-13
Type: Series
Summary: Caine remembers
Warnings: Language

God, he was so stupid. What had he been thinking? Hadn’t he learned from his own father’s death? Apparently not, he thought bitterly as he laid his head on his arms. Apparently he hadn’t listened to his better judgment. He knew something was wrong with Alana. What kind of person came to an old abandoned house day in and day out to hang out with a dog? And not only that but continued to come back around after he, in his human form, had told her to stay away. The woman wasn’t normal but he had been lulled into a false sense of security by her docile tones and her sweet scent that even now made his body tighten. Growling in disgust he shoved away from the table. Idly he glanced at the contents on the table as his hand grazed a newspaper. He froze when the headline caught his eye.

“No, no, no!” he moaned as his legs threatened to give out from under him. Threading his fingers through his hair he finished reading the article then slumped against the table. The headline seemed to mock him. It was an old newspaper, dating back a few months ago, but the date…he would never forget the date. The day his father died was imprinted on his brain but to realize that it just wasn’t his father’s death date but several other pack members as well left him feeling off kilter.
His father’s beta, his guards and their families. The article named them all and blamed it on a serial killer but Caine knew better. It wasn’t a coincidence that the ten year anniversary of the 'Backwoods Massacre', as they had labeled, was the same day as his father's death. Ethan had wiped out everyone who had stood behind his father. Taking a shuddering breath he trudged into the living room.

Lighting the fire, he leaned against the mantle as he stared into the flame. If he were honest with himself the first few years in the asylum he had wondered why no one came looking for him. After those first few bleak years he had hardened himself against the pack and labeled them traitors. For the most part that hadn’t been true. There hadn’t been anyone left to look for him. And the remained few that might still be loyal to the Lancaster clan had probably went into hiding with their families.
“Family bonds are what keep the pack together Duncaine,” his father had told him numerous times. “Regardless of blood it’s those bonds that make a pack strong…or weak.”
He could hear his father’s voice in his head as if it were yesterday.

May 23, 1999 Lancaster city residence
He could see his dad through the glass. Excitement beat at him as he raced up the porch steps and burst through the door. His dad was sitting at the computer with his legs on the desk staring off into space. When the door bounced against the wall he looked over his shoulder with a smile.
“Duncaine, what have I told you about that? You’re going to put a hole in the wall one of these days.”
“Sorry dad! I got news!”
“And what’s your news? Wait…let me guess. You got your first kiss?”
“Eww, that’s gross dad! Why would I want a stinking girl to kiss me?” Caine scrunched up his face and his father laughed.
“One of these days Duncaine, you’ll eat those words.”
“Nope. I don’t EVER want to kiss a girl. They’re weird and they smell funny.”
Bernard shook his head and got up from his chair. “So if you didn’t kiss a girl what’s the big news?”

Caine was so full of excitement he didn’t know how to contain it. Leaping up into the air, he tossed his arms up and began to laugh. “I got a solo in the band dad! Just me! Ms. Faision said that my rhythm had gotten better and she thought that I sounded good enough to have a solo. Me and my drums! ‘Course everyone else was jealous but dad…I practiced and practiced.”
“I know you did son and I’m proud of you. Come here.”

Caine allowed himself to be pulled into his dad’s arms. Wrapping his smaller arms around his dad’s neck he buried his face against his neck. “Dad?”
“Yeah?”
“I’m scared. Does that make me a sissy?”
His dad pulled back, squatted down and placing his big hands on his small, scrawny shoulders peered into his face.
“A man without fear is a man without a heart. It’s okay to be scared Caine. You just can’t let the fear cripple you. You’re going to be amazing! I know how hard you practiced and I’ve heard how far you’ve come. Let’s go sit down so we can talk about this.”

“Tell me what you’re scared of.”
“What if I mess up? Sometimes…sometimes I think that once I get in front of a big group of people I won’t be as awesome as I am when I’m in my room. I mean, I want the solo but I don't want to screw everything up for everyone else either.”
“So, just picture you’re in your room when you’re doing your solo. Just you and the music. Don’t pay any attention to anyone else.”
They both heard the clicking of nails on the wood floors and them a large white wolf appeared in front of Bernard. Sighing, he turned and the wolf growled.
“Not now Dominica. I’m talking to Caine. Give me a minute.”
Her growl grew and his dad stood up.

“I told you not now.” A growl had entered his voice and to Caine he seemed to tower over everyone. “My son and I are speaking.”
He made shooing motion with his hands. It seemed as if more wolves had entered the house when they heard his father speak. Caine stared up at his dad and smiled. He hoped one day he was as big and strong as his dad. That would be awesome.

His dad bent down when Dominica snarled. He reached out and patted her on the head. Suddenly they heard more nails clicking on the floor and he looked over to see his Uncle Ethan eyeing his dad. He frowned. He didn't really like Uncle Ethan.
“Dom," his dad said in soothing tones, "I don’t mean to disrespect you. You are, after all, a well known physician who puts her knowledge to good use for the pack. And you are the chosen mate of my cousin who is the head of my security. Both of you have honored places in this pack but right now I am speaking with my son. I will speak to the alpha of the Daniel’s pack tomorrow. That is why I came to the city in the first place.”
Standing he motioned for Duncaine to follow him down the hall. Once they were in his room he shut the door and sat down at the drums.

“Are you ready to rock Duncaine?”
Knowing that something was worrying his dad, that was the only time he played the drums anymore, Caine scampered up on the bed.
“Are you ready to rock dad?” He stuck out his tongue like he had seen that weird looking musician do and pumped his fist in the air.
In answer his dad tapped his drumsticks together, Caine was so going to copy that for his solo, and then began a fast tempo. Caine began to jump on the bed in time with the beat. He didn’t know how long his dad played or how long he jumped but he gave one finally jump before landing on his butt and collapsing on the bed. His dad continued to play as his heart thundered in his ears. Once it slowed Caine sat up
“Dad? What happened to mom?” he blurted out.

The music suddenly stopped as his dad spun around in his seat to stare at him in surprise. An unreadable expression crossed his face then he sighed and stood.
“I was wondering when you were going to ask me that. I thought I had a few more years but…you were always ahead of your time. Come on, I think we need to sit at the table for this.”
The table was where they had serious discussions. Caine swallowed. He didn’t know what had made him ask about his mom but…he really wanted to know.

“Do you remember anything about her Caine?”
He shook his head. “Nope.”
A sad looked crossed his dad’s face. “She was a warm, caring, loving, and selfless woman and I loved her very much. You know about the physical side of mating Caine but it’s hard to explain the emotional side of things.”
Caine wrinkled his nose. “You mean that mushy stuff? Like cards and flowers and balloons? That kinda stuff?”
His dad smiled. “Yeah, that kind of stuff.” His face grew serious.

“For us Lancaster’s it’s even more intense. There’s a side of us Duncaine that scares everyone. Not just full humans but our pack mates as well. Something that is whispered about. When you’re a little older I’ll show you the book. That book has been passed down from generation to generation. Anyways, your mom was an amazing woman but she wasn’t very healthy to began with. She was the runt you know, but God that woman was born to be alpha. I never should have gotten her pregnant but she wanted a baby more than anything. After she had you her health started to rapidly fail.”
“I-I killed her?”
“NO! No, son that’s not what I mean.”

He sighed and scrubbed a hand over his face. Leaning forward he narrowed his eyes. “You gave her life. For the few short years she was here after your birth nothing brought her more joy than to play with you, read with you, cuddle with you until you both fell asleep. Do you understand Caine? I think if she hadn’t had you she would have died sooner.”
“She had you too dad.”
“Yes, yes she did. She’ll always have me. When you finally mate you’ll understand Caine.”
Caine opened his mouth to say he was never going to mate but suddenly a loud commotion came from the front. Caine followed his dad as he raced out the door.

“Ethan, what are you doing?”
Showing this omega his place.
Caine frowned. Uncle Ethan, he wasn’t really his Uncle but Caine had called him that for as long as he could remember, was standing over a smaller wolf who was curled into himself.
“Not in the front yard your not. Not in broad daylight in view of full humans. Ethan, have you lost all sense? Now is not the time or the place.”
Bernard smiled pleasantly as a woman walked by then turned back to his cousin. “Use common sense cousin,” he growled.

Like you, cousin? You spend so much time with full humans I’m surprised you even remember what it is to be a wolf. Always you talk about hiding who we are. I’m tired of hiding, alpha.
Caine saw his dad stiffen slightly. He started to turn but froze when the baleful eyes of the omega met his. He tilted back his head and howled sending shivers down Caine’s spine. He took a careful step back.
“Now is not the time to discuss this Ethan. When you’ve regained your senses then I’ll speak to you. Until then I ask that you remove yourself from the yard.”
Bernard gestured for Caine to proceed him inside the house and then, without even bothering to spare Ethan another glance, he turned and followed.

“Dad, I don’t want to be alpha,” Caine said later that night as he stretched out on the couch.
“And why not?”
“Because. You have to watch over the whole pack, have meetings with other packs and you always have to watch your back. You never get time for fun.”
“You and I had fun today.”
“Yeah, but that’s only ‘cause the Daniel’s alpha switched the time of the meeting. Being alpha sucks. You never get time for yourself.”
“Being alpha is an honor Duncaine. Don’t forget that. Sure you have to watch your back and place others needs before your own but the pack is your family and families watch out for each other no matter what.”

“I still think it sucks…and," he yawned, "…and…I’m not going to mate." He yawned once again making his jaw crack. "…ever…”

Caine woke up sometime later when his stomach rumbled. Rubbing his eyes he got up and hearing typing walked over to his dad’s computer.

"Dad?"
His dad didn't seem to hear him. He was hunkered over the keyboard and typing slowly with a fierce expression on his face. The light from the computer showed a sheen of sweat on his forehead.

“Whatcha doing dad?”
His dad turned and looked at him. He studied him for a moment then blinked. Caine frowned. His dad’s eyes looked funny and it was cool in the house so he wondered why his dad was sweating.
“You okay dad?”
“Yeah, yeah. Must have been those pancakes I ate before you got home from school. As for what I’m doing…your uncle Ethan sent me an email. He wants to apologize in person for acting disrespectful. I was just telling him we could meet tomorrow.”
“Can I come dad? Huh? Huh?”
There was a moment of silence as his dad wiped at the sweat on his forehead. “Sure you can come. Ethan has never been one to grovel so it should be over pretty quickly then I have the meeting with the Daniel’s pack.” He shook his head. “Why are you up?”
“I’m hungry.”
Caine grinned when his dad laughed.
“Sometimes I forget that you’re still a pup and your metabolism burns through food.”
“I am not a pup!”
His dad ruffled his hair as he stood and walked into the kitchen. “Sure you’re not. How about a piece of strawberry cake? I brought some from that bakery you like so much.”
“Awesome!”

"Dad, how come Uncle Ethan doesn't like you? Doesn't like us?" Caine asked as she shoved strawberry cake into his mouth.
"Don't talk with your mouth full," his dad said absently. He tapped the tines of his fork against the edge of the plate.
"Ethan wants what I have. What you'll have one day. He wants to be alpha."
"He can have it."
"Duncaine Malcolm Lancaster! Don't you ever say that again. A Lancaster has always been the head of the pack. Just not by birthright but by might as well. Do you think you're uncle didn't challenge me? I had to maul him in order for him to concede defeat. It's not something I'm proud of but it's something that I don't regret. He isn't fit to lead. If Ethan ever gets control of this pack he will tear it apart and we'll be nothing more than vagabonds. Do you understand me?"
"Yes sir," Caine said meekly.
Bernard rubbed the bridge of his nose and his fork dropped out of suddenly nervously fingers. "I'm sorry to snap at you son. I think I need to head to bed."
Throwing their plates in the trash they walked down the hall to their rooms.

"Dad, you are the coolest dad in the world. You're awesome!"
"Awesome huh? Where'd you hear that?"
"Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. There's reruns on TV. But it's true dad! You are awesome."
His dad patted his head. "Tell me that again in another six years kiddo," he said with a laugh. "I love you Caine."
"I love you too dad."

Prompt 088

2009-03-01T12:30:00.001-05:00

Title: Lycan Tales
Genre: Drama
Characters: Caine, Alana
Prompt: 088~Lies
Word Count: 2,115
Rating: PG-13
Type: Series
Summary: Alana's plan doesn't go as planned
Warnings: Language

It was Monday. A smile spread across Alana’s face as she got ready for work. She enjoyed her job. Teaching was something that she had always wanted to do. She enjoyed seeing that look of understanding cross a child's face when something she said registered in their minds. Putting her bag over her shoulder she locked the door to the house and walked toward the bus stop. She smiled to herself when she passed the old lot. It was now empty. It might have taken her weeks but it was done and she felt a little safer. The first drop of rain splatter against her glasses making her blink. Holding out her hands she sighed as the rain started to pick up. She really needed to get her car fixed.

She scowled when she saw yet another bit of graffiti on the school wall. You would think, she thought in annoyance, that people would have a little bit more respect for public property. She shook her head and had to smile at the fanciful thought. Her dad would have called her naïve. He always said she had the idealistic view of people and things that would one day lead to her downfall. She liked to think it was the one thing that prevented her downfall. She didn’t want to be as cynical as everyone else she knew.

The school day went by quickly, at least for her, and before she knew it the dismissal bell was ringing. After all the kids left Alana sat down behind her desk. She enjoyed staying after school. She liked to see the kids getting on the bus and stayed just in case a student needed any extra help and was just too shy to ask during class. She had been one of those kids. She had learned early on that most everyone in the class hated when a person asked questions. They just wanted to get through with the class. They were content to just scratch the surface while Alana had wanted to know all the layers. She had graduated at the top of her class but she had always been the oddball so she had never had any friends. It had been lonely but she was used to it by now. And so what if a trickle of envy went through her as she heard the other teachers talking about what they did over the weekend together? She was human but she had other priorities right now. She watched as the last bus pulled away from the curb. Realizing that no one was going to ask for help today and seeing that it was still sunny outside Alana decided that she should probably head home before the sky opened up again.

It had started to rain again a mile from her house. She stood outside in the rain as she debated on whether or not she should check on her dog. Okay, technically he wasn’t her dog but still, that’s how she thought of him. She didn’t know if he would have enough food for the night and what if that old house had a leaky roof? An idea began to form in her mind, and if she were truthful with herself, she had been thinking about it for awhile. Turning, she raced inside. Grabbing a bottle she sprinkled a bit of the contents on the dog food in the Ziploc bag before dropping the baggie back in her purse.

Locking her door once again she sprinted down the sidewalk. Her heels beat a rapid tempo as she dodged puddles and kept time with her thundering heart as she tried not to think about what she was going to do.

Caine laid on the couch and stared in disinterest as the rat crept across the floor. Every now and then it would pause and look at him before cautiously picking its way over to carton of Chinese food. Just when the rat was about to reach the food Caine let a rumble well in his chest and it quickly scurried back to its hole. This was the fourth time they had done this and Caine wondered how long the stupid motherfucker would keep this up. He flipped over on his back and stared at the cracked ceiling. He was bored. It was raining and he was pretty sure that Alana, she had told him her name a few weeks back, wouldn’t be stopping by today. Okay, she hadn’t told him her name per say. She had told the dog her name. He winced.
“A dog. I still can’t believe she thinks I’m a dog.”
And he still couldn’t believe that he was actually going along with this charade. He didn’t know what it was about that broad. She wasn’t beautiful. Except when she smiled. And she smiled all the time. There wasn’t anything about her that would draw the eye but damn, she smelled good. And it wasn’t a perfume. It was her. Put her in a room with a thousand broads and blind fold him and Caine was positive that he’d be able to-
He sat up when he heard a clattering about a mile down the road. What was that?
“Fucking A!” He leapt from the couch.

It was her. She had come to see him. He felt his tongue loll out and he looked behind him to see his ass wagging. He huffed out a breath and concentrated on making sure his tail was still. He placed his paws on the windowsill and let out a bark when Alana rounded the corner of the house. She came to a stop and teetered for a moment. He eyed her legs. She had good looking legs. He’d noticed that first off since he was pretty much eye level with them. They looked silky and smooth. He frowned when he noticed that she was shivering and her dress was plastered to her body. Had the stupid woman walked all the way here? Dropping from the windowsill he raced outside.
“Hey boy! Who’s a good boy?” Alana crooned. Or tried to. Her voice was shaking too bad for it to sound soothing. She didn’t know if it was from the cold or nerves. With trembling hands she reached into her bag and pulled out the dry dog food. After dumping the water out of the bucket she empty the baggie into it.

“Are you hungry? Eat up boy. Come on.”
So far he hadn’t eaten anything from her even though she tried to get him to every day she was here. She held her breath as he looked up at her then down at the bucket. He studied it a moment before he seemed to give a shrug and took a cautious mouthful. Five bites later she noticed that he seemed to be leaning further into the bucket as if to steady himself. Another two bites and…

She dropped to her knees, paying no heed to the mud and gravel, as she checked to make sure he was still breathing. She had enjoyed biology in college and had even considering becoming a vet, like her dad, but had realized it wasn’t for her. But she had picked up a few things. One of them was knowing how to mix chemicals so they were odorless and tasteless. Her dad would be proud. Reaching down she stuck her finger in front of his nose and was relieved to feel air. One of the things she hadn’t been good at was measuring. She always worried about the dosage.
Digging out her cell she called for a cab.

“Are you sure you don’t want to take him to a vet ma’am?”
“Yes. Thank you for your help in carrying him in. I’m sure he’ll be fine in the morning.” She handed the man some bills and shut the door in his face. Turning she kneeled down and tugged at one of the dog’s legs. It flopped out from under his head. Sighing, she should have asked the cab driver to place him in the dog bed, she dropped her purse and with a lot of pulling and tugging was able to roll him into the bed.

This wasn’t exactly how she had imagined bring him home but the dog was just so stubborn. And it really was for the best. If she didn’t bring him home maybe the local animal control would have caught him and then he would have ended up at the shelter and then Lord knows what would have happened to him. That, that man, would never have claimed him. All these weeks and she hadn’t seen him which lead her to believe that maybe he had went someplace else. She guessed when you were an escapee you couldn’t low lay in the same place for weeks on end. Sighing she headed toward the bathroom. She had to take a shower.

Caine could hear the sound of her footsteps as she turned and walked away. He tried to will his legs to move but they just laid there. He swallowed a growl that was working its way up his chest. That bitch. He thought he could trust her. He thought she was different. Now looked what happened? The same thing that had happened to his dad. He laid there unable to do anything as the water from the shower squealed through the pipes and began to spill out from the shower head. An image began to form in his mind. Her naked. Water beading on her skin then to slid down her breasts and-
He slammed his mind closed and tried to focus on moving. Damn it, he couldn’t even control his tongue. He must looked like an idiot with his tongue hanging out of his mouth. Huffing he concentrated.
He didn’t know how much time had passed but he had regained control of his body by the time the water stopped in the shower. The door opened and a scent tickled his nose. Soap and her. The bitch. Alana. The name whispered through his brain. Her footsteps stopped a short distance away from him and he leapt from the dog bed.

He snarled. He didn’t know if was from anger or seeing her nothing but a towel then he shook his head. Remember dad, he said to himself. You don’t know what this woman wants or who she is. His snarl turned into a low, steady growl.
“Hey boy. Calm down, calm down. I was just trying to help.”
She held out her hands and spoke in placating tones but veil of red clouded Caine’s brain. Is this the way his father had felt? Helpless? His brain still felt fuzzy and all he could hear was the thrumming of his blood. She had betrayed him. He thought she was different. Everyone was the same.

Without thought his hind legs coiled and he leapt toward her. He would take her down and be done with her, with everyone. His jaw opened as he went for her throat…but something made him glance up, into her face. Into her wide brown eyes which held fear and sorrow. But suddenly he remembered the laughter that had been in them yesterday as she talked about her hopes and dreams and the haze receded a little. At the last moment he closed his mouth and turned his head. She had flung her arms in the air and he felt his teeth graze the back of her hand before he hit the ground and ran toward the door. Hoping she hadn’t locked it he slapped the handle with his paw and felt it twist under him. Nudging the door open he slipped through and disappeared down the road.

Alana’s heart was pounding. She had come that close to getting her throat torn open. If she were honest with herself she didn’t blame the dog. After all anyone, or anything,, would be confused to wake up in unfamiliar surroundings. And the dog was wild. Walking over to the sink she turned on the water and washed her hand. The small cut burned for a moment before it went numb. She examined the cut. It was small, maybe two inches in diameter and shallow. Really all she needed to do was put some antiseptic on it but just to be on the safe side she’d go to the doctor tomorrow after school.

But for now Alana did what she always did when she was upset. She started to clean in the hopes that the routine would take her mind off of her troubles. This time it didn’t work. The guilt still gnawed at her.

Prompt 086

2009-02-25T06:55:00.001-05:00

Title: Lycan Tales
Genre: Drama
Characters: Caine, Alana
Prompt: 086~Laughter
Word Count: 1807
Rating: PG-13
Type: Series
Summary: Caine gets playful
Warnings: Language

It was like clockwork. Even though she had the day off her body still woke up at six. Rolling over onto her back Alana stared at the ceiling before heaving a sigh. She winced when that small gesture hurt her throat. Frowning she reached up and gently poked at her throat then groaned when she suddenly remembered why her throat was sore. That crazy man from yesterday. Not the mugger, the other guy. The mugger’s grip had been a caress in comparison to the crushing grip of the escapee. Swallowing, she shoved back the blankets and swung her legs over the bed frame. Her heel hit the edge of the suitcase under the bed and she absently nudged it back before walking into the kitchen.

Realizing that she wouldn't be able to actually eat anything, her throat wouldn’t allow for it, she dumped a can of soup into a bowl and popped it into the microwave. Her stomach rumbled making her realize that she hadn’t eaten since that burger in the mall yesterday. When she had finally made it home she had hopped in the shower and scrubbed herself until she felt raw and then, after dumping her clothes in the garbage, she had crawled into bed and immediately fallen asleep. She glanced over at the garbage to see her the sleeve of her shirt hanging out. She shuddered. She would admit it. That guy from Deal or No Deal wasn’t the only one who was freaked out about germs.
Bending down she stared at the bowl as it circled around and around. God, she was hungry! Suddenly she frowned. And if she was hungry that dog was probably starving. Alana had always wanted a pet and once she’d gotten her own place she’d even stocked up on pet food. She was nothing if not prepared. She even kept some doggie biscuits in her purse just in case she came across a stray. The microwave beeped and she popped open the door, grabbed her bowl and sat down at the table. After she ate maybe she’d go looking for that dog. After all, she did owe it her life.

Caine came awake with a jolt. He had fallen into bed after making sure that the woman had gotten home safely. He had been impressed that she had ran so far. Hell, the woman hadn’t even slowed when she reached her door and it had amused him to watch her bounce against it in her haste to get inside. She had finally succeded in getting the door open then raced inside. He had listened to make sure she locked the door before he headed back to the house. He had wanted to stay awake and think about the information she had given him but exhaustion won out. He winced as the sound that had woken him pierced his ears ago.
“What the hell?” he snapped. He inhaled deeply and then stiffened.
“What the fuck? Tell me she is not here again after I told her to stay away. The woman can not be that stupid.”

He bounded off the bed, and taking the stairs two at a time, raced through the house and into the kitchen. He came to a screeching halt to clamp a hand over his ears when the sound came again. Scowling he walked over to the window and peered out to see her standing in the yard blowing a dog whistle.
“A fucking dog whistle. She has got to be kidding me!” He started to step back but stopped when a ray of sun glinted off her hair. Absently he rubbed a hand over his chest before he tore his gaze away and looked down. He stared in stunned amazement at the bucket of dog food on the porch.
“Dog food?” She had brought dog food and set it on the porch. He shook his head. She was a piece of work. He scrubbed at his ears when she blew that goddamn whistle again.

Alana blew the whistle one more time before she sighed in defeat. Maybe using the dog whistle hadn’t been a good idea but she couldn’t very well go around talking all morning. It hurt to swallow and she didn’t want to look like a complete loon by going around talking to herself. She eyed her surroundings, to make sure that that man hadn’t appeared out of nowhere before chewing on her lip. Slowly she dropped down to her knees and peered into the tower of wood and rumble that was in the yard. For all she knew the dog could have made that an impromptu house.

“Ew, ew, ew,” she muttered under her breath as her hands scrapped against the concrete and the pungent smell of something rotting reached her nose.
“Here doggy, doggy! Come here! Please come here so I can get off the ground,” she said hoarsely. She slowly edged forward to peer in between the slates of an overturned fence. She froze when a throat was cleared.
“Lady, what are you doing?”
She thought about lying but decided against it. “Looking for the dog.”
Caine frowned at her hoarse tones. “What’s wrong with your throat?”
At that Alana whipped around to stare at him in amazement. She opened her mouth to snap at him but paused when she realized he was wearing nothing but his underwear.
“Do you ever put on clothes?”
He shrugged lazily and leaned against a chair that looked as if it had seen better days. Alana could just imagine all the germs that were on that chair. Shuddering she stood and dusted off her pants and then her hands before reaching into her bag and pulling out some sanitizer.
Caine watched in amusement as she dumped a large amount of sanitizer in her palm before she rubbed it into her hands. Shaking his head he crossed his arms.
“Your voice?”
“Are you trying to tell me that you don’t remember choking me yesterday?”
“Fuck, I did that? Look, I’m sorry…I don’t know your name.”
She eyed him. “Yes, we weren’t exactly on friendly terms were we? We still aren’t. I’ll just be getting off your property now. Although technically this isn’t your property is it? You’re just squatting.”

Caine straightened. “This was my father’s house and so it passed onto me when he died. This is my property and I thought I told you to stay the fuck off of it. And don’t blow that damn whistle anymore or I swear to God I’ll ram it down your throat.”
“You really should watch your language. There are more ones to speak than to resort to cursing.”
“What are you? A fucking teacher?” He grinned when she winced.
“As a matter of fact I am,” she said lifting her chin.
“Well princess, I haven’t stepped foot into a classroom since I was eleven. I’m afraid that I’m too old to learn anything new.”
Alana couldn’t help herself. She had always wanted to be a teacher. She took a step forward. “Oh, it’s never too late to learn something new. Why I could-”
“Take your whistle, your bucket of dog food and your cheery mood and get your ass off my lawn,” Caine said as he walked into the house. Caine watched from the shadows as she stared after him for a moment before her shoulders dropped and she headed toward the front. He absently rubbed at his chest again and then with a short curse spun away from the window.

Alana snapped her fingers as she hummed to herself. Well, she had left the dog food. There was nothing else she could do. She hoped that if anyone ran into that dog that they would give him a good home. Maybe she could go to the pound today and…seeing movement out the corner of her eye she turned to see the dog sitting in a chair staring off into the distance. She froze and it turned to her and barked.
“Hey,” she crooned as she edged closer. “That’s a good boy? Girl?”
The dog hopped off the chair and then walked toward her rolled over onto its back.

“Oh! Boy! You are most definitely a boy! Hey fella!” Moving slowly, so as to not startle him, she squatted down and let him sniff her hand before she gently patted his side.
“Well, you’re a big guy huh?” His tongue lolled out and she could swear he was laughing at her. She studied his teeth.
“Wow, look at those suckers! Your canines are huge!” He seemed to roll his eyes before sitting up and barking at her and trotting toward the back of the house. She followed while digging into her bag.

“Look what I have for you! You want a treat, you want a treat?” Alana ignored her sore throat as she spoke to the dog in soothing tones. She waved the biscuit in front of his face. He looked from it, to her and back again. She bent down and he gently took the biscuit from her then he just stood there. They stared at each other for a moment before he turned his head and spit it out. She raised her eyebrows.
“Not hungry huh? You don’t look malnourished. In fact you look well fed. Do you belong to someone?” She bent down to feel around his neck but there was nothing. Maybe he had one of those electrical tracking devices embedded under his skin. Those were way more popular. He barked and bounded away from her and then raced back.

“You want to play catch?” She looked around and finding a good sized stick she picked it up and flung it a short distance away. He darted after it and then brought it back with a trot to his steps. They played catch for awhile and Alana laughed hysterically when she pretended to throw the stick and he ran off only to realize that she hadn’t thrown it. Looking over his shoulder his eyes seemed to narrow at her laughter before he made a huffing sound and for a moment she thought he was laughing with her. Shaking her head at her fanciful thinking they continued to play until she realized that it was getting late and she still had some things to do.

“Hey, I have to go but I just wanted to thank you for helping me out last night. I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t came along.” She patted him on the head and he leaned in closer to peer up at her. For a moment she was mesmerized by his eyes but then he blinked and she shook her head.
“Next time I’ll bring you some better treats okay?”
He leaned in and with one gentle swipe licked at barely noticeable marks on her neck before he darted away and ran down the block.

Prompt 091

2009-02-22T08:50:00.003-05:00

Title: Lycan Tales
Genre: drama, fantasy
Characters: Ethan, Dominica
Prompt: 091
Word Count: 1227
Rating: PG-13
Type: Series
Summary: Ethan is not satisfied.
Warnings: Language, violence, some sexual overtones

He turned his head slightly when he footsteps coming down the hall. He tapped his fingers together. She did this shit just to piss him off, he thought in annoyance. She knew that he had asked her meet him at noon and here it was after one and she was just sauntering her ass down the hall as if she didn’t have a care in the world. Clenching his teeth against the growl he could feel building up Ethan stared unseeingly at the wall in front of him. His face fell into placid lines when the doorknob turned and the door opened silently.

“Imagine,” he said without turning his head to look at her. He knew it would irk the shit out of her. “Just imagine that you asked for one simple task to be done. One little thing that should have been handled ten years ago. And just imagine how you would feel if said task still was not accomplished. What would you do in my place Dominica? After all I am alpha and I do have to set an example before everyone starts talking. So, what should I do Dom? Hmm?”

“Jesus! Are you still on that bullshit? Ethan, it won’t be long until the boy is caught and then you’ll have every little thing that you ever wanted when you were a pup growing up in the shadow of your cousin. Jesus, you’ve been harping on this for ten years now. You would think if it was so damn important to you that you’d get from behind your desk and do it yourself! I mea-”

Before she could blink Ethan had spun her around and slammed her up against the wall. She winced as her elbows struck the wall then she stiffened when she felt Ethan take a handful of her hair in his hands. It wouldn’t be long now before he was using that fistful of hair to yank her neck back and demand she tell him who was alpha. Who was her alpha. She had always known Ethan needed to be in control but she had never realized the extent of it.
“Such pretty hair. That’s one of the things that drew me to you Dom. What other female would be worthy of her alpha than one that was so uniquely beautiful as you? Your white fur just stood out. And you wanted to be alpha bitch didn’t you?” He gave her hair a hard tug when she didn’t answer fast enough for him.
“Yes.”
He laughed. “I know you did. You made sure that I would notice you at every opportunity. Are you happy where you are now Dominica? The fancy house, the newest car, the unlimited amount of money? Are you happy?”
Before she could answer, and she seriously didn’t know what her answer would be, they both heard the pounding of footsteps outside the hall coming steadily nearer.

Ethan released her hair and she moved away from the wall just as the door burst open and their son sprinted in. Dom absently rubbed her elbow as she stared out the window at the yard. It was huge but bare. Ten years ago there would have been people milling around during the day and at night they all would have changed just to go running. But it wasn’t ten years ago and they all had a different alpha. Something that she regretted being a part of every day.
“Mom! Dad! Guess what? I-”

“Didn’t I tell you to knock before you enter my office Julius?” Ethan growled.
“Sure dad! But I gotta-”
“And yet, you didn’t knock this time. What do I have to do in order to get you to listen to me boy? You’re not a pup anymore. You’re almost eight. In a few years you’ll be forming your own pack. Hopefully. Do you want to end up being the Omega of the pack? No son of mine will be rolling over on his belly for anyone? Do you have that?”
“Yes sir.”
There was a moment of silence and Dom had to resist the urge to go cuddle her little boy.
“Now, tell me what was so important.”

“Well, I was playing with cousin Kyle and he said that you weren’t the true alpha ‘cause Uncle Duncaine was still alive. I told him nu-uh. That you was too the alpha. And he said of course you was the alpha NOW but only ‘cause you murdered the REAL alpha and that it wasn’t even a fair fight ‘cause you had to drug him so it don’t count. Then I told him that you could take anybody down you didn’t need no drugs to win a fight. And then he says,” Julian finally took a breath before finishing his tangent. “And then he says that no one really respects you dad. He says that when the old alpha was in charge that everyone liked him and respected him without him having to slaughter all the people that didn’t like him like you did ten years ago. What did he mean dad huh? Huh? Anyways, I told cousin-”

“W-what did you just say?”
His voice was like cold steel and it cut through Julius’ chatter like a knife.
Dom could hear a rumble working its way up his throat and she quickly spun around.

“I said…I said…”

“You know how children are Ethan. They’re always boasting about things they have no knowledge of.” Behind her back she waved her son out of the room. She felt him squeeze her hand before he darted out of the room.
“Bernard was weak,” Ethan snarled as he spun around and punched the wall. “He was weak and spineless and didn’t deserve to run this pack. The stories regarding the Lancaster bloodline, the pure bloodline,” he said with a sneer. “Were a myth. We change into wolves and we change back. There’s nothing more or less!” He punched the wall again and over his shoulder Dom could see that a red streak had been left behind.
"It has to be a myth. I couldn't find that book anywhere. Bernard was weak," he said again.
“Yes, Bernard was weak,” she said soothingly.
“I do have the respect of the pack. They all fear me.”
“Yes.” But fear and respect weren’t the same thing. She should know. She had once respected the man standing before her. The ideals that he had spouted as they laid together but now, he was just a tyrant ruling over the people who lead.
“And yet they talk about me behind my back. Compare me, ME, to Bernard. They’re like parasites. I thought I had gotten rid of those mongrels years ago.”
‘Those mongrels’ were the people who had stood up to Ethan. They hadn’t turned tail and ran once they had found out their old alpha was dead. No, they had waged a full on war against Ethan and in the end he had come out the victor. Inwardly sighing she run a hand up his back. He spun around and mashed his mouth against hers.

Even the sex wasn’t the same, she thought dispassionately as he thrust his tongue in and out of her mouth. She shivered when he reached down and grabbed her ass. He groaned in satisfaction and she had to squeeze her eyes shut to prevent herself from crying. Ten years ago she had made a horrible mistake. And now she had to suffer the consequences.
"You will find Duncaine for me," he whispered in ear as he slid off her top. "And when you find him you will kill him and bring me his carcass." He pinched her nipple and she hid a wince. "Do you understand me?"
"Yes."
"Good, now show me how much you respect your alpha..."

Prompt 057

2009-02-21T20:45:00.000-05:00

Title:Lycan Tales
Genre: drama, fantasy, suspense
Characters: Caine, Alana
Prompt: 057~Cold
Word Count: 1954
Rating:R
Type: Series
Summary: Things aren't what they seem
Warnings: Violence, nudity, language

They kept moving further and further away from town, Alana thought as she kept a good distance between herself and the dog. And the dog seemed to have a specific place in mind. He kept up a steady pace, not a run but more of a slow jog which meant that she had to jog to keep up. Suddenly the dog veered into a abandoned yard of a dilapidated house.

Caine climbed up the steps of the back porch and eyed the door of the old house before bending down and sniffing around the bottom of the frame. There was about an inch of space between the door and the porch but that was all that was needed to let him know if anyone had been here. Specifically Ethan or his pack. That thought made Caine growl low in his throat. No one had been here. No one but humans. Reaching up he batted at the door with his paw and it sprung open. He slithered in and gave the door a slight kick with his back paw to shut it.

Alana hesitated for a moment. She had heard that growl. It sounded slightly vicious and had caused a shiver to course through her body. She debated on whether or not to enter the house but then she gave herself a stern lecture. She had come all this way, she wasn’t going to back out now. Besides, those doggy treats in her purse weren’t going to eat themselves. Getting up from her crouch she started toward the house being careful to look around the yard to prevent herself from stumbling on all the trash that was scattered about.

Jesus Christ, Caine thought. He was rank. He scratched his armpit and had to wrinkle his nose as the pungent order reached his nose. Hell, he had rarely stopped for anything once he had left the asylum and he’d pretty much stayed in wolf form so eating and drinking had been as easy as running into the woods that still dotted this area and snapping up a rabbit or two and drinking from puddles. He ran his tongue over his teeth then absently spit out a bit of fabric that had lodged in his teeth as he walked out of the kitchen and into the living room.

Another growl worked its way up his throat as he stared at the mess there. Obviously this place had become a hang out for the local kids, he thought irritable as he watched a fat rat slink across the floor. His hands clenched into fist. This used to be his father’s home. The place where he'd come to get away from the pack for a moment’s peace. He and Caine used to come up here every so often to just have father and son time as his dad had called it. Caine’s eyes burned for a moment at the memories before he forcefully pushed them aside. It wouldn’t do to think about something that he hadn’t thought about in ten years. Not now…not ever. He headed upstairs. Hopefully the backup system still worked.

“Oh my GOD!” Alana whispered as she scrunched up her face. She shoved her finger under her nose but it was too late. The rank smell reached her brain and her stomach at the same time and she had to swallow hard to prevent herself from throwing up. This is wrong on so many levels, she thought as she took a step forward. Hearing a clacking noise coming from behind her she spun around.

“Oh Lord,” she moaned. The rat looked at her sullenly as it finished its piece of moldy cheese. Then, as if it knew it had nothing to fear, it slowly turned and leapt off the counter. It landed with a soft plop before it trudged across the grimy floor and disappeared into a darkened corner.
“Rats. I hate rats. Oh, that poor dog! Who knows what it might be infected with.”
Yeah you idiot, her conscious screamed at her, it might have rabies! You saw how it attacked that man. It could attack you next and no one is going to know where to find your body. You’ll lay in here, in this old house, rotting…of course the rats will probably start to nibble on your lifeless-
Alana slammed the door shut on her conscious and trudged forward. She could hear water running upstairs.

The bathroom was just as disgusting as the rest of the house. Geez, you would think that the kids that came here, to do whatever it was that kids did when they snuck off to such places, would at least try to clean up a bit. Although from the sight of the living room they just came here to drink it up and smoke weed. Shaking her head she started to turn.

“What are you doing here? Who sent you?” Caine demanded as he yanked her back against him. She stumbled and landed hard against his chest. An almost silent gasp passed her lips as he started to curl his hand around her throat.
“Answer me! Who sent you?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Alana choked out as she felt a large hand curl around her throat. Her heart felt as if it were going to come out of her chest. Twice in a day, she thought wildly. She had been manhandled twice in one day. What were the odds?
“Don’t lie to me,” Caine growled. “You think I’m stupid? You think that I don’t know you work for him?”
The woman was trembling like a leaf in his arms and she was making some sort of clacking nose in the back of her throat. It took a moment for him to work past his rage to realize that his hand had closed tightly around her throat. She was trying to talk. Shaking his head he released her only to grab her arm and tug her down the short hall into the bedroom. He tossed her in ahead of him and he watched, dispassionately, as she fell forward.

He padded into the room to stand in front of her. She laid on the ground for a moment before she started to get up. She looked up at him then sucking in a sharp breath, promptly began to cough.
“Your naked,” she said hoarsely.
“No shit! Now tell me why he sent you. You seem…incompetent. And we normally don’t let breeding females out by themselves. And you are by yourself. I don’t smell anyone else on you. What? He thought to entice me back to my own slaughter? Well sweetheart,” he sneered. “He could have tried a little harder.”
He shoved her back down when she more than half way up from the floor.

Alana felt her legs go boneless and she gave a sad smile as the man continue to rant and rave above her. Out of all the ways she thought her life would end, she never could have imagined this. She hung her head.
“All I wanted to do was feed the dog.”
“What did you say?” he snapped.
“I followed a dog here. He saved my life and I just wanted to give him something to eat. Maybe take him home.” She sighed then shrugged. “It doesn’t matter now.”
Caine stared down at the top of her head before recognition hit him. She was that female that he had felt the absurd need to rescue earlier.
“Hell!” Scrubbing a hand over his face he stepped back. “No dog lives here,” he said slightly offended that she would get a wolf and a dog confused.
“But I saw-”
“Look lady, I said no dog lives here. However, you and I are going to have a little chat. Have a seat while I start the fire.”

Caine quickly built a fire and a slow grin spread over his face as he heard her timid steps heading toward the door. The woman had balls, he thought with a glimmer of admiration. But she sure as hell didn’t have a brain in her head.
“I wouldn’t try that if I were you. I said have a seat.”
“There’s nowhere to sit. I am NOT sitting on that filthy bed. Who knows what is on that bed.”
Caine heave a sigh and turned to look at her. He grinned when she quickly adverted her eyes.

He nodded toward an old crate leaning against the wall. “Will that do Princess?”
Walking over he righted it with his foot before shoving it across the room and toward the bed. “Sit your ass down and start talking.”

Alana didn’t know what he wanted her to say. She didn’t have anything to say. And the man was completely naked and didn’t even seem to notice…or care. But that wasn’t any of her business. If the man wanted to walk around, waving his, his penis in the air for everyone to see that was fine by her. She wasn’t a prude by any means and-
“Aren’t you going to put some clothes on?” she blurted out.
He looked down at himself as if he hadn’t realized that he was naked then shot her a wicked grin. “See something you like, princess?”
He would be attractive if he’d cut his hair and shave off that scruffy beard, she thought as something, a memory, tickled the back of her mind.. It wasn’t until he got up with a curse and tugged on a pair of underwear that it hit her.
“Oh geez, your face! It was on the back of the milk. Come to think of it your uncle was-”
He appeared so quickly in front of her that she reared back and fell off the crate. He snatched her up as if she didn’t weigh anything.
“What did you say?”
She winced when he squeezed her arms. Almost immediately he set he down and took a step back. “What did you just say?”
She nibbled her on her lip. Hadn’t the news said he was dangerous? And that he had escaped from an asylum a few days back? Oh great, this was just fabulous. First a mugger and now a nut job. Although if she thought about it they-
Her neck snapped back and forth as he shook her.
“Damn it woman! What did you just say?” he snarled.
“Your uncle is looking for you. That is, if you’re the guy that they’re talking about on the news. The one that escaped from-”

“GET OUT!!!”
Alana tried to make her face as non-threatening as possible. Who knew what would set this guy off. It was obvious he needed some help. Maybe she'd just tip off the police or something. She slowly walked out of the room.
“And don’t come back! Do you hear me? Don’t come back! And if you call the cops I swear I’ll hunt you down and rip out your throat!”
At that last threat Alana threw caution to the wind and started to run.

Caine took a calming breath. “Fuck,” he muttered massaging his forehead. He really needed to get a hold on his temper. It had never been a problem when he was in the asylum but now that he was out it seemed as if everything was bombarding him. And that woman, she made him itchy. There was something about her….
He blew out a breath and started to head to bed but thoughts of something happening to the woman kept intruding.
“Fuck it,” he snapped going with his instinct.

He knew she wouldn’t be that hard to follow. Her scent seemed to be imprinted on his brain. He just wanted to make sure she reached her house safely.

Prompt 051

2009-02-18T10:04:00.002-05:00

Title: Lycan Tales
Genre: Drama, fantasy
Characters: Alana, Caine, suspicious person
Prompt: 051~Moon
Word Count: 1126
Rating: PG-13
Type: Series
Summary: The crossing of paths
Warnings: Violence, nudity

Alana rolled over and started to nestle back against the cushion but the frame from her glasses dug into the side of her head. Frowning in confusion she tried to remember why she would still be wearing her glasses in bed then groaned when it all came back to her. Since it was the weekend and she didn’t have to work she had decided to pull an all nighter and get as much of her thesis down as possible. Apparently she had fallen asleep on the couch. Groaning and sitting up she took off her glasses and rubbed at her face before pinching the bridge of her nose. Her stomach grumbled loudly reminding her that she had been so immersed in work that she hadn’t taken the time to eat. Yawning, she winced. First things first. She needed to brush her teeth so that she could actually taste the food.

Pushing off the couch she walked to the bathroom She stared at her reflection as she brushed her teeth. She wasn’t much to look at, she thought bluntly. Never had been but she was okay with that. The kids in her classroom weren’t too worried about her being good looking. And the parents sure didn’t care as long as their children received a quality education. And she was good at her job. Swishing and spitting she wiped her mouth as her stomach growled once again.

Without thought she went about her ritual of getting a bowl of cereal. She tossed the empty milk carton in the garbage and set down at the table. As she ate she looked around her place.

Her place. It wasn’t much but it was hers, she thought with a faint smile. She had picked all the furniture herself and while she hadn’t had a chance to change any of the rooms, except for her bedroom, she was satisfied with her house. Having grown up with the bare minimum and having to move at a moments notice she was relieved to finally set down roots. Regardless of the neighborhood, she thought with a sigh as she felt the vibrations from the bass of a passing car. Washing her bowl and spoon she went back to her laptop and brought up the work she hadn’t finished last night.
The sooner she got her Masters the sooner she could make more money. She wasn’t materialistic but she was realistic. She knew what made the world go ‘round. With a sigh she started to reread her last paragraph. Her fingers idly tapped the keys then with a frustrated sigh she flipped on the TV. Maybe the added background noise would help her. It wasn’t long before she was typing away.

...escaped four days ago from the local mental institute. He’s considered dangerous. If you have any information on Duncaine Lancaster please contact the police or his uncle, Ethan Vanderwall.
Alana absently looked up to see a good looking man talking to group of reporters. He had a worried expression on his face but something about him made her uneasy. Shaking her head she turned the TV off and went back to her paper.

Deciding that she had stayed cooped up in the house long enough Alana checked the time and realized that it was nearing six o’clock. Figuring she would go out to grab a quick bite to eat she booted down the laptop, grabbed her bag and walked out the door and down the street to the bus stop.

Her car had quit on her a few weeks back and she just couldn’t afford to get it fixed right now. She crossed her arms uneasily as she waited for the bus to arrive. Right behind her was an empty lot where the homeless and the thugs seemed to congregate…no matter the hour. Right now it was suspiciously empty. She blew out a sigh of relief when the sound of the air brakes alerted her to the bus’ arrival.
She did some window shopping, grabbed a quick burger and then hopping on the bus returned home.

“Gimme your bag.”
Alana let out a yelp when her head banged against the side of the bus awning when he wrapped his hand around her throat and squeezed.
“Take it,” she rasped out as she fumbled with the strap. Her fingers were suddenly clumsy and she tried to swallow but his hand just clamped down harder.
“Gimme the bag, bitch!” he rasped.
Couldn’t he see she was trying, Alana thought frantically as she tried dropping her shoulder to let the strap fall. Instead it seemed as if it was tangled in the neck of her vest. Damnit, she loved this vest but it would be the death of her. That irrational thought almost made her laugh but the hand around her throat lifted her a few inches from the ground and gave her a shake.
“Whatcha got in the bag?”
“M-money. My cell phone. Lip gloss, some tampons, my eye glass case, some gum and-”
“Are you fucking kidding me lady? You think I won’t knock you out and take whatever I want?” His blood shot eyes raked up and down her body as he sneered.
“You ain’t much to look at but it’s been awhile since I’ve had a good lay. I think you’ll do just fine.” When he licked his lips Alana gagged and tried to twist away from him.

“Good, I like them with a little fight in them.” A sick smile twisted his lips.
She closed her eyes when he stepped closer and reached out a hand to cup her breast. His breath was rank and he smelled of urine. She started to open her mouth to scream but instead of cupping her breast he clamped a hand over her mouth.
“Shut your mouth,” he hissed.
Over her heavy breathing Alana heard the clacking of nails on the concrete. Opening her eyes she saw a large dog walking nonchalantly down the sidewalk. It seemed to be studying them with interest before looking away and continuing pass them.
“Please,” she whispered.

Suddenly there seemed to be a flurry of activity. The man holding her was suddenly yanked away, she heard a growl, a piercing scream and when she blinked her eyes she saw her attacker running down the sidewalk gripping his buttocks. It looked as if his clothes had been completely ripped off and she could see the pale globes of his…she quickly looked away. Placing a calming hand over her heart she looked across the street to see the dog turning the corner.
“Hey!” She saw its ear flick but it continued on. Gripping the strap of her bag she looked over her shoulder at her house then hurried down the sidewalk after the dog.

Prompt 080

2009-02-13T06:17:00.016-05:00

Title: Lycan Tales
Genre: drama, suspense, fantasy
Characters: Caine, old man, Marshal, psych patients/orderlies, Jonathon
Prompt: 080. Years
Word Count: 1925
Rating: R
Type: Series
Summary: Insanity or self-preservation?
Warnings: Some Violence and language

He ached. Caine slowly resurfaced from dark recesses of a dreamless sleep. Wincing he went to scratch an itch at the end of his nose and almost knocked himself out again when plaster met flesh. Blinking he stared down at the cast on his left arm and suddenly everything crystallized in his ten year old mind.

His dad was dead.

Tears burned his eyes and he took a deep, shuddering breath to try and prevent them from falling. His dad wouldn’t want him to cry but, his dad wasn’t here so he would never know. Burying his face into the cushions he let them soak up the torrent of tears that flowed freely as he cried silently. His body stilled when he heard the sound of a sliding door. Quickly he positioned himself as he had been before and tried to calm his breathing. He still didn’t know where he was or who had him. For all he knew his Uncle Ethan could be staring at him now. Slowly, carefully, he opened his eyes slightly when he heard voices.

“Look old man, you called me frantic because you hit the kid. All I did was patch him up. What you do with him is up to you. I can’t get involved in whatever you were doing. I’m trying to get through medical school and they kind of frown on doing outside work. Take him to the clinic.”
“How am I going to explain him?”
“Tell the truth. That he ran out in front of your car and you couldn’t stop.” Caine watched the younger man lean down and take a whiff of the older man. He quickly stepped back. “You might want to sober up first otherwise you’ll be charge with a DUI instead.”
“Marshal, can’t you take him to the hospital for me?” he whined before he stumbled and hit the wall. He tried to right himself but he ended up leaning hard against Marshal.

Caine watched as Marshal shoved him away from him before heading toward the door. “No, I can’t drop him off. I have a date and I’m in the Mercedes. The last thing I want to do is get blood in it. Look, the kid is still asleep. When he wakes up tell him that there was an accident and you saved him. I’m sure he’ll be grateful as will his parents and everyone will be happy.”
“I don’t know Marshal. When I was putting him in the back of the car I could hear this loud commotion in the forest. It sounded like…dogs or something. They were barking and howling and there was this tearing sound.”
“Maybe they caught a rabbit or something,” Marshal said with a shrug. “Find out where the kid lives and just drop him off.”
The door slammed behind him and the older man winced before rubbing his forehead. “Stupid boy! Think he’s so high and mighty ‘cause he’s some kinda doctor. Think he knows better than his ol’ man. Shithead. I oughta-”
His drunken rambling was interrupted by the sound of vomiting. Caine squeezed his eyes closed and started to roll over but stopped when his body protested. Swallowing a groan he stared at the ceiling. He continued to stare even when he heard the old man come stumbling from the bathroom.
“Hey kid? You awake?” Caine let the silence stretch out and he was just about to check and see if the man might have fallen asleep when he heard him grunt.
“Didn’t mean to run ya down. But you were runnin’ mighty fast. What were ya runnin' from huh? Huh?” The man grunted again before he walked into a room and shut the door.

Caine must have dozed but he woke when his stomach rumbled loudly. Swinging his legs from the couch he stretched and was amazed that his body was healing so rapidly. He still felt a few twinges but it wasn’t nearly as bad as before. Deciding to keep the light off, he didn't want to wake up the old man, he started to head toward the fridge but the hairs on the back of his neck suddenly rose when he heard another rumble…and this time it wasn’t from his stomach. Swallowing, he licked suddenly dry lips before slowly turning his gaze to the left. He could make out the shape of a wolf running full tilt toward the sliding door.

Spinining on his heels he started to run toward the door as he heard glass shatter behind him. He could feel the vibrations of its paws hitting the ground and the sound of breathing. And then he could feel its breath on the back of his neck as huge paws hit his shoulder blades and sent him sliding across the carpet.

He felt the heat from its large body as it crouched over him and growled low in its throat. Caine tried to crawl away but paw slapped against the small of his back and the growl grew louder and suddenly, to his amazement, he could understand what he was saying. His dad had told him about it but he had never experienced it.
Silly pup, he rumbled. Did you really think that you were going to get away from me? The voice was male and a strange chuffing sound came from over his head. Caine stiffened. He was laughing at him.
Your father, the almighty alpha, fell. Did you really think that we weren’t going to hunt you down and do to you what we did to your father? He thought his line was so powerful. He thought you all were better than us ‘normal’ werewolves because you could change into the something beyond a werewolf. Well, that didn’t seem to help your father did it?
“My father was the best alpha this pack has seen. Ask anyone,” Caine exclaimed then winced when a paw slapped against his face and claws dug into his cheeks.
What good is a dead alpha? No matter, as soon as we rid ourselves of you Ethan will take his place as alpha and I will be his beta.
Later, Caine swore he blacked out. He didn’t remember what happened. He just suddenly felt a ball of anger so large that it blinded him.

“What’s going on?” the old man slurred as he opened the door to his bedroom. “I thought I heard something br-….what the fuck??”

Ten Years Later
“Are we going to take our pills today Caine?”
Caine stared balefully at the orderlie grinning at him from between the bars. His eyes flicked briefly to the girl making faces behind her before he turned his attention back to the ceiling.
“Are we going to fuck off today?” he asked her in the same cheery voice she had spoken to him.
“Well, I’ll take that as a no. You should come out today Caine and socialize.” She waited to see if he would say something but when he didn’t she sighed and went to go make more rounds.

Caine looked away from the ceiling once she walked away. He hated this place but at the same time this was his home. He had been here ever since the old man had dropped him off that morning with nothing more than the clothes on his back. His file said that the old man had come out of his room to see him standing in a pool of blood and the battered body of a large dog was at his feet. He had been mumbling something about murder, alphas and werewolves and then he had curled into a ball and started to sob uncontrollable and then…nothing. He had just been a blank slate. His file said that that there had apparently been some tramua that he wanted to forget about. He remembered it now. Caine just didn’t want to talk about it.

“Caine, Caine, Caine.”
Heaving a sigh he got off the bed and walked toward the door were Crayola stood making faces at him. Crayola wasn’t her real name of course but that’s what she remind him of with her mismatch of make-up.
“What?” he growled.
“Come out!”
“Go bother someone else,” he snapped. She shrugged and raced off.

Shaking his head Caine headed out of his room and walked downstairs. The room fell quiet when he entered as everyone turned to stare at him before they hastily looked away. He saw that Crayola had went to mess with some other people and they didn’t look very pleased to have their game interrupted. Smiling he walked over to the window and stared out. He could feel the new orderlie looking at him.

“Don’t even think about it,” he said calmly. “You might intimidate all the others here but I don’t give a shit that you used to work at a maximum security prison. You ain’t there now so fuck off.” The orderlie looked away without a word and Caine headed toward a card table.
“Hey Flameboy, wanna play some cards?” His low rumble cut through the chatter and reached the person he was talking to.

“Why do you call me that?”
Dealing out the cards Caine shrugged. “Your entire family died in a fire and all you do is sit around staring into the fake fireplace. I have nicknames for everyone here.”

He nodded toward the other table. “You see Curly over there? Has some kind of hair phobia. He can’t stand hair on his body so he spends hours checking himself for body hair. Crayola there wears a ton of make-up to hide the sins. Apparently she did something , no one knows what, but when she starts feeling guilty she’ll pile on the make-up. I haven’ figured out the new chick yet. Give me time.”
They played a few hands before Flameboy cleared his throat. “What about you? What are you-”

“Wrong question. Game over.”

He walked out of the room only to hear Flameboy yelling at Curly ‘to get off the fucking table!’ Grinning he headed toward the kitchen but stopped when he heard low whispering. Looking he realized it was the new orderlie. There was something about her that made him uneasy. At odd times he would find her staring at him. Crouching down he listened to her conversation.

“I think I’ve found him alpha. Yes, he does look sickly. No, it won’t be a problem to slip him the same drug that you gave his father. I have it on me. Yes sir, I can do it tonight.”
Shit! This place was no longer safe. It was time for him to go. He knew it was only a matter of time before Ethan found him. He had thought it would be sooner than this but…he shrugged and then backtracking came out of the room whistling. The orderlie smiled at him.
“Hello Caine.”
“Hello.” Bitch. Literally.

Caine had never anyone guide him through the process of changing. Luckily his first change had occurred late at night when everyone was asleep. The first change was the hardest and was the only one that was uncontrollable. His dad had always wanted to share that experience with him. Shaking his head he got up from the bed. There was a flash of light, like a light bulb popping and then a large wolf slipped out from the room.
He could have left at any time but now he HAD to leave. And he was going to the emergency place he and his dad had always talked about.

Hopefully it was still there.

Prompt 070

2009-02-10T12:22:00.010-05:00

Title:Lycan Tales
Genre:fantasy, romance, drama
Characters:Caine, Bernard
Prompt:70
Word Count:920
Rating:PG-13
Type: series
Summary:Prologue, A power struggle finally comes to a head.
Warnings:Violence

“I like coming here with you Dad.” Duncaine kicked up some leaves then inhaled deeply as he looked around the forest. He grinned when his dad reached over and ruffled his hair.
“You’re just saying that because you got out of Ms. Fiona harassing you about your homework.” Bernard winked down at his son. “It’s okay. It’ll be our little secret.”
“Cool! Hey dad, why are we here? Usually you meet everyone at the house.”
“Your Uncle Ethan requested a private meeting.” Bernard hesitated. “Things are complicated Caine. There are things that I need to tell you, but I want you to just enjoy being a kid.”
Caine puffed out his chest. “I’m not a kid! I’m almost ten.”
Bernard barked out a laugh. “Yeah, you’re getting up there in age.”

Looking around Bernard took note of how quiet the woods were. Wiping a hand over his sweaty forehead he blinked rapidly to clear his blurry vision. He had been feeling a little off this afternoon but he couldn’t postpone this meeting. Ethan would take it as a sign of weakness and try to press whatever advantage he could. Bernard couldn’t allow that to happen. A Lancaster had been alpha of the pack since the 1800s…and if he had his way a Lancaster would always be alpha. He looked down at Duncaine.
“Alright, I want you to go over there and stay out of sight. Do you understand? I don’t care what you hear or think you see don’t come and investigate. And if I tell you to run do exactly that! Don’t look back. Go to our secret place and wait for me there.”
Caine stared up at his dad as a shiver went through him. “Dad, I can’t leave you. I-”
His father straightened to his full height and glared down at him. “Do as I say,” he growled then his postured relaxed as he patted his shoulder. “Please Duncaine, it’s important that nothing happens to you.”
“Okay.” Caine looked over his shoulder as he turned to walk away. “Hey dad?”
“Yeah kiddo?”
His father had already started to head deeper into the woods. “When we get home you have to help me with my math homework. Stupid Ms. Ruston gave us a ton of word problems. I hate math!”
“I’ll help you son. Now go play.”

Caine heaved a sigh as he agilely jumped from rock to rock. Sure, he liked coming with his dad but usually they did stuff together. His dad had been gone for awhile now. It was dark and he was starting to get cold. He might be young but he knew that dad and Uncle Ethan didn’t get along. And for whatever reason Uncle Ethan didn’t like him much either.
“Well, I don’t like Uncle Ethan either,” he mumbled aloud. “He’s always staring at me.” Caine started to jump to the next rock when a howl ripped through the air. He whipped around but branches were blocking his view. Jumping down from the rock he headed toward the sound. As he drew neared he could hear a steady growling and what sounded like bones being ripped into. He froze.

“RUN CAINE!”
Bernard hoped Caine could understand him. Ethan and his pack had snuck up on him. They had bribed one of the cooks to slip something into his food, dulling his senses and disabling his shifting abilities. Something he found out a little too late. After they had finished toying with him Ethan had come in for the kill only to scent Caine.
“Get the boy,” he had snarled loosening his hold on Bernard enabling him to lift up his head and call out the warning to his son. The boy he would never get to see grow into a man…
“Now, I will be alpha! With you and your whelp out of the way I will command this pack. It should have always been me!”
“You’ll never be the true alpha Ethan. Someone will figure out what you’ve done.” It was getting harder for him to breath and his wounds had went numb.
“And I will deal with those that usurp me in the same manner I have dealt with you!” Ethan snarled before clamping down on Bernardes neck. His teeth sank through skin and muscle and ground against the bone as a he gave a vicious shake of his head. He looked up to watch Bernard take his final breath but his feeling of satisfaction waned when he realized that even breathing his last Bernard was staring him down. With a snarl he snapped his neck.

It was his dad’s voice but it sounded weak and garbled. Spinning on his heel he ducked his head and started to run. His breath caught in his throat when he heard the sound of something crashing through the bushes after him. There was a growl and then a snap and Duncaine could have sworn he felt the hot breath of an animal behind him. Sucking in air he put all he had into trying to reach the tree line. As long as he reached the tree line everything would be okay. It HAD to be okay.

A small smile formed on his lips as he broke through the trees but it quickly disappeared when he realized that he had been herded toward the main highway. There was a blinding light, a blinding pain and then he was flying through the air.

His head cracked against the pavement and the last thing he remembered seeing was the seemingly satisfied look of a wolf as it turned and run back into the woods.