(Human:


Wolf:


Name: Destino Lyro

Age: 24

Race: werewolf/Lycan

Occupation: Alpha of the Sistio pack; meaning, everyone answers to him, and he makes sure that everybody gets it when he says something.

Alpha male: Destino Lyro
Alpha female: None at the moment
Beta male: Jorda Willson
Beta female: none at the moment

Brief History: Destino was born into the pack as a young werewolf pup, then was raised with his sister and close confidante: Arama. He showed an aptitude for fighting when he was young, wrestling with his sister, then eventually trained to be a warrior in the pack. Briefly during his puphood, he met and befriended a vampire when she was visiting his pack. When he got old enough, he challenged the hard-handed beta and won. The alpha died due to various illnesses when Destino reached his twentieth year, and then he took over as alpha.)

Darkness flowed over the lands, a thick and heavy feeling that seemed to sink into the very soil. The pack had been getting more and more antsy; Destino felt their unease the longer they went without contact from the vampires. Bloodsuckers, filthy creatures. At least, that was what his elders had always taught him when he had been a young pup. Destino had never really bought into the entire race being evil and disgusting; however, his beta and most of the warriors seemed to be itching more and more for fighting rather than talking.

Destino paused ontop of a hill, his white coat ruffling over his haunches in the wind. He stood a good head over the other males of his pack, and his size had been part of the reason that he got so good at fighting and sparring. But even more important than his warrior skills were his diplomacy skills, something that he had prided himself on up until the recent frayings between the two species. He blamed Jorda for the more strident edges that had happened during his last discussion with the vampire leaders. His beta hated vampires because he believed they had killed his sister, so he had almost come to blows with the leaders. The only thing that stopped a war then was that Destino had thrown his beta to the floor and threatened to tear his throat out if he didn't obey.

Not that he particularly liked threatening to kill his second in command, but he did what he to do for his pack. He shook his head once, then glanced back at the greyish male with a long scar over his nose. A fighter and a hot-head; but he was mostly loyal, and he could fight. Destino lifted his muzzle to the stars and let a howl echo out over the forest. The call resounded over the trees and hovered for a moment before fading out. His tail twitched, then he began to move through the trees again. The patrol he was leading at the moment was supposed to be sniffing for hints of vampires. Destino didn't like a lack of contact; something bad was coming. He felt that deep within his very gut.

After a long circle of the boundaries, he padded back to the encampment and shifted back into his human half. His long brown hair was tied up with a red ribbon so that it fell just to the base of his neck, and his deep blue eyes swept over his gathered pack. Men and women, pups and children. They all relied on him to keep them safe and sound. The encampment was really a bunch of tents settled around the tent in the center; this one, a larger one than the others, stood out. Destino smiled at his pack as he strode towards that one place in particular. A few fires flickered against the sky, but he didn't have one outside of his own tent. It was another reminder that he didn't have a mate.

Afterall, he'd had plenty of offers. But nothing had felt right; Destino was still single and didn't mind at the moment. A few of the females smiled at him warmly, but he avoided their gestures for him to join them. Instead, he took a rabbit that had been laid outside his den by one of the hunters and carried it inside. The place had become home ever since he'd taken over; it was part war room/strategy room and part home. It was the second part that he walked towards. Sighing, he ate his rabbit by the dying embers of a cool fire, then set aside the remains to be buried later. With a longer sigh, full of worries, he went to his pallet and laid down. It took him a long moment of staring at the ceiling, but eventually he tired out enough to just slip into sleep.

Name: Henna Valerie Vendette [Pronounced like vendetta]
age: 21
race: Vampire
Occupation: An assassin.
Talent: controlling the element of earth
Short bio: Henna was raised in a peaceful world for a while. Her family had nothing against vampires, she was open minded, warm, and forgiving. The kind of person easily liked, and usually loved by all. She even formed a werewolf friend, who should cared for dearly for the short while she visited them. Her father and mother often let her keep in contact, but not too much. But one day, on a second visit, a werewolf, probably one with the "rave" disease, attacked her parents. Her father got away, scarred, but her mother was torn to pieces.

Her father told her of the death and she felt her heart close up. Her warmth and kindness was lost and replaced with nothing but a heart full of vengeance. she pulled away from her government, soon after her father's death from the rave, and vowed to hunt any werewolf she could until she felt her mother and father's death was justified.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Henna sat in a tree branch, one so thin it should have snapped, but her affinity for earth had strengthened it, making the tree willing to hold her weight no matter what the cost. Therefore, she was able to watch the werewolves from far above, watching as they tried to sniff out any vampires nearby.

'Oh dear.... If this is the alpha male people sad was oh so smart, he sure has yet to prove it.' she thought with an inner laugh. She had been hired to take down the alpha, kill him. But she liked to watch her prey before she hunted them. Besides, you never knew what kind of rabies werewolves had, and she wasn't planning on getting the rave, a disease that makes one extremely paranoid, and violent, to plague her. After all, it was what killed her family, and that was all she had left in life. The fact that she could end the fear her people were living in.

Sighing, she silently crawled across the branch to the end and grabbing onto the branch of another tree. She kept doing that, carefully following the pack, her red hair was pinned up, and the leaves she braided into it concealed the bright color that could possibly be the death of her.

She went to the border of the camp and looked at them curiously. In truth, she hadn't really killed many werewolves. Maybe one or two with the rave, but she was usually hired by a werewolf hidden in the vampire kingdom to do so, but this one came from her own kind. Her elders, and she had the kill if she wanted to, but something deep in her gut, like the earth goddess herself was telling her not to do it, made her hesitate. Maybe she should just drop down and fight, not really kill...

It seemed more interesting to her, so she dropped down, and instead of pulling out her silver sword, she pulled out her bamboo fighting sticks, the ones she always bragged about inheriting from her mother when she was little, and shook the leaves from her fiery red hair, the one marking she had of her heritage, and waited for the beasts to attack.

Destino generally slept lightly now a days, as his pack seemed to need him at almost all of the time. His blue eyes were tightly closed with sleep, but he didn't expect to stay there for a full night's sleep. Not with a war just on the verge of happening and with the pack so on edge that he could hear the warriors having small bouts of fighting and snarling just when they were supposed to be sleeping. His father was one of the more level-headed warriors, and he could be trusted to keep the others in line for the most part. However, with even his beta about to claw up the wall with the desire to tear into something....it wasn't an easy time for Destino's rule. He was slowly but surely losing his patience with all of the werewolves that just wanted to tear into the vampires...it was going to be the death of not only several warriors, but also some of his females and their pups as well. No one would spare the pups just because they were young.

As she leapt out of her tree, the camp surged to life. The few females who were still out with their children or just talking began to move; mothers pulled their children into the tents, then stood infront of them with their eyes blazing with fury. Snarling, furious guards and warriors turned wolf and stalked towards her. Thankfully for her perhaps, as the warriors and guards were planning on taking out the vampire despite how many of them she could kill, Destino's father lifted his muzzle and let a warning howl pierce the sky. It was the signal that the camp had been infiltrated, and the noise could make ear drums ring with how insistent it was. But even as it rang out, the werewolves were stalking towards her with their pelts bristled and their teeth exposed. Long glistening fangs that would attack without warning stood out against their grey, black, and brown pelts.

Jorda led the attack as he had been the most blood thirsty of the entire pack; they moved swiftly towards her with their snarls filling the clearing. The vampires had found their hidden camp, and the pack was not happy at all. A few guards checked to make sure that there weren't more of them with her. But the only one with the scent of vampire, a sharp and distinct scent, was the woman standing on the edge of their camp with her weapons drawn. Snarling, Jorda moved to leap on the woman who had dared to invade their pack. He really did have it out for vampires, all of the pack did. There was going to be blood drawn-

"STOP!" Destino surged from his tent with a growl from his human lips. When he'd first heard the howl, he knew that things were going to go very, very wrong. He could also hear his packs roars of attack, and the last thing he wanted was for them to attack. The pack's safety depended on him. A war with the vampires would result in more anger and death than he cared to look at, for both sides. There wasn't enough provocation for him to want to join in, but there was plenty for his pack to want to kill her straight out. He'd rolled out of a bed with a sigh, then ran for the flap that led to the chaos that was his pack.

His hair had partially fallen out of it's tie, and his white blouse and vest were wrinkled from sleeping. In fact, he looked more than a little miffed that the fight had been brought to his pack in the middle of the night, but his job at alpha was to stop them from attacking her right out. Now, if she was going to attack them, well...then he'd be leading the charge to protect his pack. He'd give up his life for these people. Jorda checked his leap before he could really begin it, but he looked ticked off about it. A small sigh escaped from Destino as he shifted wolf to make his way through the pack, just incase it came to fighting. He'd have to deal with Jorda potentially fighting him again just because he'd tried for peace again. The other wolves snarled and growled as he shoved to the front and peered at the vampire standing infront of him.

Something about her, the bright red hair and her smell, was bringing up memories in the back of his mind. What was it about her that he wanted to protect her? She had come to attack them, obviously, so why should he even bother with an attempt at peace? The back of his mind asked him to though, begged him to keep the pack from taking down a vampire and starting this war finally. There had to be a way to keep the calm where they would be okay...his white coat rippled over thick muscles as he walked to the front and stood with his ears pricked at her. The others were snarling and snapping their teeth, but Destino was pretty calm.

"Well, well. It's a nice night out tonight, just right for a vampire to come charging into our camp unannounced. Any way that I can help you?"

Henna gave a cynical laugh at the reflex of the werewolves. It amused her, and her sharp senses and her affinty to earth let her harmlessly knock the werewolves away. Only a couple of bruises would be left. She wasn't killing anyone else accept the one she came to kill for. the one they said was responsible for her mother, and with that, when the werewolf jumped at her she reached up just as vines grew down that pulled her up into a branch. Her green eyes flashed blood red in warning, but also a small, feral greeting.

"Well... All these familiar faces... It's hard to believe none of you remember me, Jorda." She said with a small chuckle at her own amusement before a familiar, masculine voice broke from all the others. the memories, the good ones, it brought back...It couldn't be... Could it?

She tucked her weapons back on her back, slowly sliding down a vine again, doing a secret hand jesture that only her family, and Destino knew. It was a way to show they were coming in peace, to speak. "Destino?" she asked. Her voice had a hint of curiosity, but it was still cold, hard, but musical to anyone's ears, slightly weighted with a rolling purr of an accent. It lacked the warmth that used to be in it though.

It was hard to believe that the person she was sent to kill, was the werewolf in front of her. Was Destino really such a threat? Or were the vampires simply making up excuses to kill off the werewolves for more land. "I am here in peace... Or at least now that there is a face with less savagery in it." she mumbled darkly, her emerald green eyes traveling over them.

She looked at the pups and her heart sank slightly. As tough as she was, her care for nature made her love anything that had yet to reach the late teens, and it even made her eyes soften. If she carried on, war would surely come of it. Children, women, werewolves and vampires, would die. And now that she looked at the large camp of werewolves, surrounded her, it was no better time to become a double agent and try to help, but if she decided to help them, wouldn't another assassin be sent?

Indecisive of what she should do, she spoke the only words she knew would soothe the tension. "I'm here to help." she said, kneeling and putting a fist over her heart in a sign of respect, and a solemn promise that if they wanted to attack her, she would let them without a fight.

Werewolves went flying, and he heard yelps of surprise and pain. Was that his father too? No, not him...a snarl started to rise in his throat that she would dare to toss aside the wolf that had raised him. Destino was many things, but the male had always been loyal to his family, to the werewolves who had raised him and left him stronger than when he'd been a pup. Years had passed; still, he didn't like any of his family or his pack being threatened. Though they had postured, not a fang had been laid upon the vampiress herself. He almost felt it unacceptable that she would attack when his own kind had done very little to aggravate her.

As much as he wanted peace, she obviously hadn't come for such. His ears fell back, always a bad sign because it meant that he was not happy, and he bunched his muscles underneath his thick frame. The last thing he would tolerate was being attacked in his own home; he hadn't been named alpha to allow such things. Already, his warriors were surging to their paws with a mixture of snarls and roars of disbelief. She had the power over earth. Destino made a mental note of this, but even as he did...Henna had had the power over earth as well. Come now, he scolded his mind. Plenty of vampires must be able to control the earth. But surely not the vines, the same way that she had always...

His thoughts were caught off by Jorda. His beta had surged to his paws, and he was in no way prepared to allow the vampiress to get away with what she'd said. He regarded vampires as the reason that his sister had been killed; perhaps the vampiress before them had even done the deed. His heart was torn by knowing that his brethren had every right to be angry, but he also wanted to keep peace as long as possible. Besides, he knew that voice...it had been higher when they were kids, but surely the scent, the red hair, the earth powers must all mean one thing.

Jorda leapt for her again, but Destino checked him with a quick snarl. He lunged to the side and struck his beta sharply in the shoulder with his own; the other wolf tumbled and laid, looking up at the white male that had taken over as their beta. Destino raised his hackles and his tail, his head well above Jorda's. His eyes were sharp and clearly defined: Don't you dare get back up. And Jorda submissively curled over onto his back, though it probably killed him to do it. What a mess...Destino knew that he had used up his last power move now. The male had been humiliated infront of a vampire again, which would cause him to potentially challenge Destino. What a mess....

Turning back to the vampiress, he lowered his coat again. However, his poofy white tail remained curled over his back; it was a challenge to the other wolves and even to the vampiress. That is, until he saw her hand sign. The edges of his blue eyes softened, and he felt the breath catch in his throat. Why had she come to his pack, armed to the fangs and with attack clearly on her face? This wouldn't end well he felt, deep within his chest. But he was so glad to see her at the same time, to know that the fight could end here without blood shed. The last time he had seen her, she had been much younger and had a light in her eyes of happiness and joy...but it seemed gone now. Why was that?

And the last time she'd seen him, he hadn't sung his song to the Mother Moon yet, which meant that he didn't have his wolf form. Now he did, and he wondered what she thought of it. Not many werewolves turned out full white; it was a sign that Mother Moon had chosen that wolf for deeds apart from the normal duties. Destined for greatness, as it were. That must have been his parents guiding force behind his name too. Destino. He looked over her, then flicked his ears back in a more friendly way. His tail even wagged once, warmer.

"Henna," he breathed, his surprise evident on his face. Then he cleared his throat and shook his head once; emotional reunions could happen when they were in the privacy of his tent, not infront of all of the other werewolves. "Disperse. She is my guest for the moment and will be treated as such." The other wolves looked a little hesitant, but, with shifty and untrusting eyes, they slowly slunk back to their tents. But he knew that they wouldn't relax; especially not Jorda, who was sitting not far away with his ears back in a pouting expression. Sighing a little, Destino looked back at his old friend...and shifted into his human form. With a soft smile that had been missing for years, he made the hand signal back to her. "Come on Henna. We can talk in my tent." The pack was uneasy and watching them, but he was determined to get to the bottom of this on his own terms. He made a movement with his hands, inviting her to follow him.

Henna looked at Jorda, actual sympathy was in her eyes. It was rare, for her, now with her hatred of the lycans, to show sympathy for them, but she silently followed. She was tense, alert and frowned. Did she accidentally hurt someone bad? Was something more going on than she knew?

Shaking her head and than nodding slightly, she followed him to his tent. Her eyes were searching, wondering what was going on exactly. The elders had told her he was mad with the rave, but he seemed perfectly normal.

Henna paused on the inside of his tent. She definitely wasn't as relaxed as she used to be around him, and the way she kept her eyes sharply on him showed that she had yet to prove she trusted him. "Do you know what's going on? The blue core hired me to come here on business... but I can set that aside... i want to know why we're on the verge of war." she said.

She pulled out a ribbon, braiding her hair over her shoulder and tying the end with it.

The werewolves glared as she walked with their alpha to his tent; however, Destino kept his head up and his gaze fierce. They should know better than to distrust their leader, but disagreeing with his views bred distrust and anger at this point. He had been walking that thin line with his views of peace and working together, something that they didn't agree with. So they watched as he led her back to his tent in the middle of the clearing. His head remained up despite his being in his human form; if they had issues with him, they could bring it to his face. And he knew it.

The rave...what a disease. Lycans called it moon madness, and they believed that it came from wolves having spent too much time under the powerful lull of the Mother Moon herself. Werewolves, at least his pack, were a very spiritual and superstitious bunch. If rain didn't come for too long, they began to believe that the moon had turned on them and would do all sorts of crazy rituals to bring her good favor back. Of course, Destino did believe in a lot of it...but he didn't think that the rave was caused by too much exposure to the moon. He believed it to be caused by eating the wrong kind of meat, but he kept his opinions on that to himself.

He needed a new beta; it looked like that time was coming soon, as Jorda had quite the sulky look upon his greyish maw. Sighing a little, he led her into the tent, then closed the flap behind him. For once, he was embarrassed by the state of his home. There was stuff everywhere, books and scrolls and letters, the half-eaten carcass of a rabbit. Seeing as he had no mate, he just let his house get to a downright bad state. Oops. His human ears flicked back a little as he shoved some books and papers aside to reveal a wooden table that was low to the floor and two cushions. Hopefully she wouldn't look at the truly messy part, his living area.

As she spoke, a smaller frown crossed his face. What happened to make her so cold? But even as he thought of a response, he realized what being hired by the blue core meant. She was an assassin now? Who had she been sent to kill? Jorda? This was worrying indeed, especially as he felt like she probably could have had the jump on them earlier. He could have had a war on his paws by then if anyone but Henna had been sent. A small growl escaped his lips at the thought, and he ran a quick hand through his messy brown hair. Why? He would have to double patrols, and who knew what else...

And she was...an assassin. What happened to the girl who had been nice and sweet to him? Sweet Henna with the bright eyes? He was surprised by her sharp gaze that followed him. Oh, he most certainly didn't have the rave. With a frown, he poured her a cup of water and one for himself, then motioned for her to sit as he did so. All of this was night was very troubling, but more so the fact that his childhood friend didn't look happy to see him. He badly wanted to hug her, but she didn't seem the type to welcome that.

"The blue core hired you." He shook his head once, then sighed. "We've been heading to war for years, ever since the alpha I took over from insulted a vampire elder. But there's been more than that, isolated cases of vampires killing werewolves and vice versa. I mean, Jorda's set to go to war because he believes vampires murdered his sister, and there are plenty more stories of the same around here. Nerves are very tense right now. I've been trying for months to keep the peace."

She shook her head at the report, finally letting her guard down she accepted the water. Of all her people she was still the most humane. "I'm afraid if war does come, many nations will be split apart. I pulled away from the vampire community slowly. My mother was killed by a vampire with the rave, and my father soon caught it. He begged and cried until finally he forced me to kill him. the vampire nation split, rebellions who wanted peace were cut down. They were called the white core. Anyone of them who were caught are enslaves of publicly tortured to death. No one dares to speak up against the blue core. Only me. I was one of the young ones who started the white core. They murdered my cousins. Then they hired me to kill an alpha male of this place. they said you were made with the rave and the origin of the disease... I'm starting to think there's more behind this than the blue core is letting on..." she said, sipping the water. she had nothing to hide from him.

"Remember how vampires and werewolves used to hunt together, one drains the blood the other gets the carcass? It's said blue core wants to kill off the werewolves with the rave, and than take the land for more food source. Others say both sides created the rave to cut down the population before returning to peace. There are many theories but none of them seem to sum up. I've been watching you for a week now, the wolves seemed tense." she said, sighing slightly and closing her green eyes. she was weary from lack of blood, and no sleep. Especially being out during daylight, she was in disparate need of a warm, red drink. But she could deal for the time being.

Setting down the cup she looked at the books. "i know this is not the time to say this but you really need to find you a mate that likes to clean..." she told him, offering a soft smile that didn't seem to bring any light back into her eyes. It was as if after all the deaths she'd died with them. Like she wasn't there anymore and thst's how she felt. Like she'd died, went cold. Maybe the reason she was an assassin was because she felt her life was worth exactly nothing.

Well, yeah, Destino knew a lot of that already. He didn't know many of the particulars as to why her side was crying out for war, but he knew that his pack and his kind were being called infectious and evil creatures that spread their disease to the purist vampires. However, he knew that his kind did no such thing; sometimes, a wolf ate bad meat and went a little insane in the end. They were known to chew holes in themselves, to dig holes so deep that they could barely get back out of them. He always felt like they were searching for something, perhaps for a cure for something that they just couldn't seem to find. Always he felt bad for them...despite the healers best attempts, nothing helped.

Her parents had been killed by a rave werewolf? His eyebrows shot up, and he felt the shock hit his stomach deep within his very gut. Had it been a wolf from his pack? One of the ones allowed to live but chased off? He hadn't been beta then, he was sure; he still felt guilty however, because it must have been an infected one from here. Why was it that the vampires had to get up in arms so quickly? They always left Destino feeling like he was lower than them, except for Henna. He relaxed a little when she accepted his drink, when she seemed a bit more like the Henna he knew. Missing her had been his prime hobby growing up, but now....she didn't look like herself anymore. How awful losing her family, her parents...he felt to some extent responsible.

As she mentioned the state of his tent, he offered her a rough chuckle. The books and letters, piles of clothes and who knew what else looked so awful...he knew it looked back. She obviously didn't want to hear that he felt bad about her parents; she didn't even want to think about that. Frowning, he ran a hand through his long brown hair and tugged it free from his hair tie. How cold her eyes were, how distant she seemed....he missed her. Who knew who started the rave disease; he'd just been lucky that no one had caught it in a few months. He didn't know what he'd do if Jorda came and told him that one of his own warriors had gone crazy.

"Being single suits me more," he said, shrugging with a teasing grin. "Besides, no female wants to deal with my mess and my bad morning breath." The teasing was fun, of course, but he knew that it couldn't last. They weren't kids anymore, with the liberty to make jokes and just play around. There was a pack waiting on him to make sure that they were safe; no wonder Brandin had caught some crazy disease and went fast. So much stress could not be safe for one person...but Destino didn't think he could be anywhere else. He loved it.

"You probably don't want to hear this, but I'm sorry about your parents. They were good people and didn't deserve to go like that. Brandin, the alpha before me, didn't like killing them, for fear that the healthy ones would catch it and as an act of not wanting to kill them. Maybe we should kill them...I..." He wiped his face with his hand, a very bad nervous habit that he only let show around the people that he trusted. "I think it's spread from bad meat. One of our elders ate a piece of meat that didn't smell right, then she was crazy by the next day. Maybe I'm wrong. I just really don't feel like leading my pack into a war where all we'll do is die." Yeah, his pack was tense. Heck, even he was stressed. She'd been watching for a week without them knowing? Now he wasn't sure what to think; it just seemed like they were going to die no matter their training and preparation. "Guess my pack's not good at sniffing you out, huh?" He sighed heavily, tiredly.

She gave a small scoff. "If you're going to be single, at least have the pride of a single wolf to prove you can take care of yourself, your home, and your pack." she said, trying to find a scrap of life beneath all the death, but it was no use, and she sighed, looking down at the last bit of water. "I could offer my help. The blue core only trusts me with certain informations but i have former white core members, working on the inside. I could get information to you. I do not want this war... I've seen too mcuh death and killed too many to see anymore blood stains. Especially after the fall of my family. Me and my cousin Ariles are the only ones left of our bloodline. That's why when I saw you I quit attacking. Because this will not longer be a two-way war if my kin keep fighting each other." she said, setting the cup down to put her head in her hands.

She couldn't help it, it was one of those times where she just kind of sat there, not even breathing, thinking about her parents. She looked back up at him with those blood red eyes. "I promised my father whoever created the rave would die. and I don't think this is bad meat. You would be able to tell in any animal. Even the normal wolves, the gray wolves, got it. The squirrels. The earth itself is slowly being tainted and if we don't do something, anyone with the affinity with earth, will be weakened, and eventually be mortal, than we die." she explained.

Turning away from him she simply averted her gaze to anything but him. "Father never blamed you... and before mother died, I'm sure she didn't. But sometimes... After everything, it's hard not to hate everything. Even yourself." she said so softly, only the sharpest ears could hear it.

He chuckled at her scoff. Yeah, maybe he should have the the pride to take care of his den and the war room Brandin had left behind. Heck, it probably wouldn't have hurt if he set aside some time every now and then and did a deep cleaning where he tried to find the dirt again. Actually, sometimes he did get tired of living in a constant state of filth and cleaned up the best he could. Afterall, he did have to live with himself and with the fact that he might catch something from the place where he was supposed to be stretching out and relaxing. Ugh, what a bachelor he was! Maybe he was just happier that way, happier not having a female nagging him about things like eating properly and sleeping.

Sleep was for those who weren't trying to keep the peace. Sleep was for those who had time to. Cleaning also fell into this category, though Henna may have disagreed. Well, tough cookies. He wasn't going to clean his den just because she disapproved...though her teasing seemed to be lacking so much. It was dead, cold, gone. Why? He felt a sadness in his chest as she fell apart right infront of him. His ears strained for her breaths, but she had just...stopped. His human ears fell back a little, though they still appeared human. She promised to help, but even that seemed....hollow. Hollow. When had Henna ever sounded hallow? He guessed losing your parents would do that to you...he couldn't imagine as his were still alive, still waiting outside. His mother was probably cleaning up his father's wounds. Maybe his sister was joining in.

No wonder she was so gone...He wanted to reach out to her, to take her hand and tell her everything was going to be okay. Like when they were kids and she'd fallen and cut her knee. Did she even remember that? Sighing a little, he wondered how much of her had been lost forever. All of her? He reached out his hand for her, then checked himself. She probably didn't want any of his sympathy, as much as he wanted to give it to her. Werewolves were very tactile, the complete opposite of vampires. Poor Henna looked so sad and so gone. His heart ached for her, for the death she'd seen and even committed. Henna...

"Henna..." The word was out before he could really think about it; she hated life. It made his heart ache so badly that he just wanted to reach out for the girl sitting across from him. Flicking his human ears back, he slowly put one of his hands over hers....hoping that, by simple comfort, he could help her. He'd always blame himself, whether her parents didn't or not. He must have been able to, somehow, do something. Something. But all he could do now was offer her his comfort, as much as it wasn't wanted. They'd talk more about their plans, about saving the planet...but not at the moment. "You don't have to hate everything. Not yourself. If you hate yourself, you just end up lost in a wood where no one except maybe a good friend can find you."

She sighed, not moving her hand from his, shaking her head. " There's no one else to hate. Of all my family, why am I the one surviving... And above all that, I turn into exactly what the lycans call us. I don't think there's anyone in the world who can find me. Even if you burned the woods I'm lost in to the ground..." she said softly. "Sometimes, I wonder if it's possible that I can find myself again. It almost seems a lost cause though." she said, trying to control herself but her connection to her childhood friend, made her feel as if she had found the last spark of hope in her god forsaken life.

She turned her hand and held his softly. Maybe she could be the one vampire who stood for the werewolves. Maybe it was possible to create a new core, where lycans and vampires could come together to fight against the blue core.

"I'll make you a deal. If I can become a part of your family again, I will try and start a rebellion in the vampire kingdom. If I can get more vampires to fight against she blue core, the war would be a lost cause because the weres will have the better hand. I'm no war genius, but I have developed enough skills to get some to support you guys. Because believe it or not, the weres the blue core are killing.... some of their own looks at the elders with disgust and hatred. If blue core falls apart, a new core can take over. I think our problem from the beginning was the lycans and vampires not being so close, that no one could see that you are not bad people." she said, trying to help throw some possibly good ideas out there. She just wanted to be able to trust him. "First I want to know if I can still trust you, and view you as my own kin again." she stated softly.

He wanted to be that spark for her, so badly. The murmurs that had been in his head forever about how vampires only sought to kill them couldn't be true; not when he had met and befriended one that had showed him what they were really about. If one vampire could learn that werewolves were not all bad, and one werewolf could learn that not all vampires were all bad...surely the entire races could learn the difference. It wasn't that hard for him to learn that she was more than a bloodsucker, that at one point they had worked together. Hadn't they used to run around as kids? Destino would catch something, and she would take the blood while he took the meat? A tandem partnership that he could really get behind even then.

So why now was he so alone? As she took his hand, he gripped hers back. His hands were rough and not the most gentle of things, seeing as he often spent a lot of time using them to walk upon, but she hoped that she understood about that. For a moment, looking at her, he could see the little girl with the red hair streaming behind her, and he himself with his warm blue eyes trailing behind. He wanted to be that spark for her; he would give anything to see light return to her eyes when she herself didn't seem able to believe in. Because he still believed that, even deep down, his Henna was in there. And he wasn't going to give up on her, even if she felt like her forest had been burned until there were only ashes. No soul is completely lost so long as someone else believes in them, he thought, willing her to understand this.

A smile broke across his face, a smile that he didn't even know still existed. How long had it been since he'd untensed? Though she had been sent to kill one of his pack, he found himself trusting her still. She genuinely seemed to want to change, to work for the werewolves instead of against them. So he believed her, perhaps despite his alpha logic telling him he shouldn't. Maybe he was just reaching for something from his puphood...but he knew Henna. She was telling the truth. With a small nod, he took his other rough hand and put it over hers. What type of family could he offer her? The pack wouldn't like her being there, but they could be won over...plenty of them would remember Henna as well. The only potential issue he could see would be Jorda...and if his father stuck with him, he saw no real issues other than that. Maybe his beta could even be persuaded to get along with Henna....maybe. And maybe he would give in to the idea of peace.

Yes, and maybe rabbits would fly into their mouths next.

"I will accept you in my family again," he said softly, looking her in her eyes. There was a spark of old Henna, and he held onto it. "Of course I will Henna. All you had to do was ask for it. If you can get enough vampires to switch to our side, maybe we can force down the blue core without too much blood shed. My pack is itching to fight all vampires, but I think I can direct them towards the blue core if I can convince my beta to join with me. It'll take some doing, but...I can do it." He gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "You can trust me Henna. I swear that to you." And once again he was the boyish pup again with feet that were bigger than he was and teeth that were switching from pup to adult, all gangly and disproportionate...but there for her no matter what.

Henna smiled. Even his rough hands over her soft, fragile ones were starting to melt the ice on her heart, slowly, but she was waking up. Maybe the only person she needed was Destino. He trusted her, she grew up with him, he still cared for her. She had to make him the family she fought for.

"I will do as good as I can... But to earn the blue core's trust to give you information on their plans will have to include even the slightest loss to you. The blue core are the ones who want you dead. I know that for sure. But until there is something I can use to convince them I am 'loyal'' to blue core, there is nothing I can do." She said, closing her eyes she shook her head. " I need to feed soon... I haven't for almost two weeks... If I don't soon, the bloodlust will drive me to do horrid things." she said, tears springing to her eyes when he swore she could trust him.

She pulled her hands from his, leaning across the table to give him a hug, and an actual burst of motherly warmth she used to have seemed to seep from her. "If I had known you were here, i would have came to you when my parents died..." she told him softly. An ache for him, to try and relieve the stress he's in, to help him as best she can grew in her. She wanted him to be proud of her. "There are three vampires you need to be on the watch for. the first two are Miu and Maiyuu. they are twins, and vampires that are permanently at the age of six. They seem cute, and harmless, but get within arms length of them, and you're dead. They don't even have to touch you. The last is my own cousin.He's is lost worse than I... And the most inhumane. He will be sure you could hear your packs cries as he burns them to death. i've seen everything they can do. If they are spotted.... i don't want the lycans anywhere near them. I will take them." she told him, her eyes serious.

Maybe he shouldn't have trusted her, because she was an assassin that had come here to kill someone, but he found himself unable to just throw her back out to the vampires and their assignments to kill more of his people. Not only because he wanted to protect his pack, mind you...he wanted to protect Henna from the world that had done her so much wrong. He himself had had a good life so far; it was what was supposed to happen to an ambitious and strong male that possessed a very strong drive to protect the world from everything. This extended to Henna, just like it always had. What he wanted to do was scoop her up into his arms and hold her so that she couldn't get hurt anymore, so that all the blows the world wanted to deal hit him instead of her.

It was just like when they were kids, when the biggest thing they had to worry about was their parents needing one of them for something trivial. For Destino, it had been his fight training and his hunt training, both of which he knew could happen all the time...but his being with Henna could only happen while she was visiting. And he made it his job to take her all over the woods; he showed her the waterfalls, the groves of weeping willows, the hills of red rocks. He'd always been protective of her, wanting her to be kept from the world's tough blows. Then he'd let her go off to be on her own again, and she'd...she'd been so hurt that she was lost to herself. No more....I'll protect you. Just like he made it his job to protect and serve everybody in pack so that they were kept safe and from harm.

At her next words though, he forced himself to think about the implications. She had come here to kill him, to make sure that he didn't live to see another day. Who had decided that he had rave? But more than that, did she know that he was the alpha prior to her coming out there with the intent to kill? He told himself that she couldn't have known, that his taking over the pack at such a young age hadn't really been foreseen by anyone...but he found himself having to admit that she may have been so lost that she would kill him too. As soon as the thought of her actually thinking about killing him came across her mind, he shoved it away. No, if she wanted him dead, she'd had plenty of chances. What she really wanted was a change, to help them. To keep them safe.

As she mentioned her need for blood, his attention turned to her. Oh, of course...they would have known she was there if she'd taken blood from a kill, as that was what they had been looking for as well as the coppery scent that always came with vampires. Poor Henna. He almost sprang up then and there to get something for her to eat, but she leaned across the table and hugged him. This caused him to pause.....he didn't even hesitate as he wrapped his arms around her thin frame and hugged her back. Her scent of copper and fresh flowers filled his sensitive nose, and he wanted her to feel okay again. They had both grown up; for his part, he'd filled into his limbs and gained some muscle, though his human form wasn't the strongest of the werewolves. But he was tall, and he used that to his advantage a lot. He knew that his hands had the rough callouses typical of even the female werewolves, as their wolf pads had the same to help with walking...but her skin was soft. So soft and light.....he closed his blue eyes for a moment and just held her.

She would have been more welcome back then than now; people were always more open with children, and the relations between the two races had been better. Perhaps things wouldn't have gotten so bad if they'd had a vampire living amongst them, showing them that not all vampires wanted them dead...but Destino also wondered if she wouldn't have been the first to go when tension came. Oh, Destino would have taken her in back then....he would take her in now. Why hadn't she come to find him back then? Maybe she was just so lost....he couldn't imagine being that far gone that he wouldn't reach out for her. His blue eyes looked down at her red head as she then went on to explain the assassins she wanted him to watch out for.

"I'm sorry to tell you this, but you won't be alone if three assassins come looking for me....I won't leave you." He said this very firmly, in what had come to be termed his alpha voice. His No arguments voice. "And I'll most certainly protect you now. Whatever we have to do to gain their trust we'll do, perhaps even pretend that you succeeded and killed me." He looked down at her, willing her to understand that he would do everything in his power to keep her safe and free from harm. "I'll get you a kill, unless you want something else..." He knew that sometimes vampires preferred to have humanoid blood, in which case he would offer her his neck if she needed.

She nuzzled his chest softly. she still had the bad habits he'd rubbed off on her, the way his people nuzzled him in a sign of affection, she used to do that all the time. Like she was one of them, and she still did. She needed to respect and care for him. After all, she didn't just have a vampyric bloodline, but a more complicated mixture of racial heritage. But she'd only tell him when the time came. But at the moment, she took the comfort of his warm, strong arms, and rough hands. She didn't mind them. Her hands were occaisionally more rough than they were,but simple herbs helped soften them.

"No. The earth bloodline is almost finished, and at this point, unless the element they hold is wind, I will easily be able to take them. I'm more skilled than I was before. My uncle taught me everything he knew about battle, and he never sugar coated things. He told me every weakness of every race, what targets to make before attacking, how to take out twenty enemies with a single blow of a sword. I can protect myself when it comes to fighting people. But I will not say I can protect myself from you. Silly pup." she told him, pulling away just enough to ruffle his hair.

She couldn't help it, and actual smile, stunning to anyone's eyes, like pure rays of warm sunshine, and her eyes had a gold warmth to them rather than the cold silver of her pain. She did need Destino. She needed his pack, and she would protect them with her life. "I want to speak to your father... I did not hurt anyone badly, did I? I didn't use my sword or powdered silver, but still... Bamboo can still deal great bruises." She said.

She widened her eyes as he offered her a kill and quickly shook her head. "No. To actually be satisfied, I can to kill my own prey. Part of feeding when you're an adult vampire is the kill. It gets rid of access aggression and anger, rage, the likes before we actually feed on it. And in case you have any crazy ideas, never offer me your blood. Don't let anyone do that. I have more control of my bloodlust, but once I taste your blood... the need to kill you and drain you dry will be strong. I will not lie to you about that." she said, her eyes hard and final as she spoke, even though her words were soft, warning, and wise. She was strong, even when she did go back to old-Henna. She inherited her personality from her father more than her mother, it was strongly evident in the stubborn set of her jaw, and her eyes that told him if he argued, she'd give her her two-sense.

Ah, she still nuzzled, didn't she? Destino felt a warmer smile pull at his lips as she did so; sure, his chest itself was a bit more marked up then when they were both kids, and he even had a few scars mixed in there from various fights. Including the one with the former beta, whom had always been a fierce and angry guy. Come to think of it, he was even Jorda's father; the two had the same fiery, quick to action manner that made Destino wary to have them in a place of power. He was a good enough beta so long as things went the way he wanted them too and not some other way...such as, the way that Destino as alpha decided they were going to go.

Maybe he should have let one of the females cut his hair...it was getting longer and almost swept into his face at this point. Her soft nuzzle brought back memories of their childhood, of him teaching her what that touch had stood for. They had both been so young and naive then, but he had wanted her to know some of the customs of his people. After all, he himself did weird stuff like flick his human ears back some or use other wolf body language even as a human. It was just a part of who they were and a part of what made them them. Lycans. Part wolf and part human, but all warmth and kindness. There was something about them that was just real. Destino for his part had never been one to put on airs....and he flicked his ears back a little as she ruffled his hair.

Just like when they were kids, and he'd done something goofy to make her laugh. He'd always tried to get her to crack up; jokes, goofy maneuvers...everything that he did served a final purpose, a humorous end. Was she really one of the last of the Earth vampires? If this was true, then they really were losing touch with the place that they lived, with the grass and the trees. Destino was sad that that was the case, but he was only partially reassured that she could take care of herself if they were attacked. If it came to that, he'd stay with her anyway...no way he was leaving her, silly pup or not. He gave a playful growl at that, grinning a little.

So she didn't want one of their kills? Or even his own neck? There wasn't anything that he wouldn't do for her; even lose a few pints of blood for her. At her insistence that she never drink from him, he dipped his head once. Then that was that, as he didn't really have a death wish on his hands. Paws? Whatever. And she wanted to catch her own food...he smiled a little warmer, even brightening more at the real smile on her face. All she needed was a dose of Destino, most surely! If he'd been in wolf form, he would have wagged his tail. Chuckling a little, he released her from his embrace and stood. "Silly pup huh? I suppose I am, but I still worry over you." He refilled her cup of water, just incase she wanted more, then stretched a little. Sleep was not for the weary. At all.

"No, I don't think anyone was badly hurt. A few bruises, but it could have been worse. Mom's taking care of him anyway, just like she always does. We can go and visit them now, if you'd like. No one's probably sleeping right now anyway except maybe the pups. And don't worry, I won't go offering you my neck unless it would save your life." He gave her a warm wink, much like one that he had given her when he was a pup. But now they were both grown...he couldn't forget that. As much as he wanted to offer her his tent...no, he would. He'd sleep outside to protect her from the pack until he was sure that they had decided to leave her be. His authority was on shaky grounds until he got a better beta or Jorda decided to respect him more. Whichever came first.

She laughed at his growl. A musical sound, alien to her own ears. She then jumped up. her reflexes and actions were much quicker. Much more graceful, and she was way taller than she was, but at a god height for her kind, and she had well toned abs, legs, and arms, but not unpleasantly so. She stretched herself, arms above her head before relaxing. "I'm surprised Jorda doesn't remember me... He used to love picking on both of us as kids... In truth i miss him too... But I think I'll have to earn the pack's trust. I was sent after your head... and I tried to harm your pack, so i guess I deserve the disrespect I seem to be earning." she said, nodding when he offered to visit his father.

She wondered if he'd still call her his soul-daughter, or his neice anymore, or if she shamed him. She wondered if his sister and mother would still obsess over herbs and nature with her, or if they would shun her. Slightly disappointed in herself she looked down at her feet and played with a sharp silver chain used as a whip for any werewolf that she wanted to fend off without killing them. She cut herself a few times but they healed right up, and she hardly noticed. "Maybe I should wait to go see them..." she said softly, guilt seeming to slam down on that small ray of sunshine like a dark cloud.

He hadn't even noticed when he growled, though it was a playful noise and nothing more. For years, Destino had been playing the part of grown up alpha and worker...but he knew that there was a part of him that missed playing around and just relaxing. There hadn't been much call for that since he'd had to be the responsible one. The pack relied on him to use his head and to always be able to make the right choice, but surely he was allowed some time off every now and then. As she messed up his hair, too long and needing to be brushed from his blue eyes, he realized that he'd missed the crazy girl. And more than that, he'd been neglecting himself in his desire to just take care of everyone else.

His den, his hair, his calloused hands were just symptoms of a bigger problem. What he needed to learn was that it was okay to relax again, something that Henna had brought out in him again. They both needed each other, didn't they? He needed her to make him untense and stop worrying, and she needed him to be her support and care. With a soft smile, he realized that he had missed her like he might have missed a limb. Now he felt complete with her with him again, like he had had a piece of his heart missing. Perhaps he had...the piece that belonged to Henna had gone with her when she left.

For his own part, he had finally grown into his limbs and his too-big hands; rather than being gangly, he was strong and purely built for strength. Henna...she had gotten taller, had filled out into a fine young woman. He banished the thought almost as soon as it came; why had he even thought that? Henna with her warm red hair seemed distracted by guilt again. For a while, she would be wracked by it...it was unavoidable, but Destino was determined to help through all of it. After all, he had decided to take her into his home and into his heart again. She was a warm part of him that he had missed, a smile that was just returning.

He knew his family would take her back in. They, much like him, remembered Henna and her warmth and light that always brought a smile to Destino's face. While the others clamored for war and blood, they had backed their son and brother in believing in peace between the two species. It was a possibility, if the two could learn about each other, that they could get along just fine. Destino had been right in thinking that they would back Henna, and he knew that they would. They were probably waiting for them already....his mother might actually have something warm to drink, just as she always did. Again, Destino was reminded that he needed to find a mate to take care of him.

His eyes went back to her sad and very guilty face; oh no...stepping closer, he put his arms around her again. Just like when they were kids, just like when they had been so close...just like all of that. Poor Henna. "They'll want to see you," he assured her with a soft smile. "They've worried about you like I have, and they won't blame you for anything. Trust me, Dad will forget all about the bruises just to know that you've come back to us." He gave her a soft smile, hoping that that would comfort her. As for Jorda...the other male was going to have to come to terms with Henna on his own time. Destino just hoped that that could be reached without blood shed.

She hugged him tight, as if she were holding on to dear life, but controlled herself and relaxed slightly. "They won't... Besides it would be better if I feed and rested before I saw them.." she said softly. she swallowed the lump of sadness that made it almost hard for her to breath, and she did her best to hold back the tears that were burning in her eyes. But she'd deserved this, didn't she? She killed so many she lost count, and than on top of that she would end up having to end her own cousin's life.

She took a shuddering breath as a small, shimmering tear rolled down her cheek. "I don't even think I have much strength to hunt at the moment so... if it's not too much trouble, could you spare one of your kills?" she asked. She didn't exactly want to leave a tent. It started to feel like a fortess with heavy protection around it. Like just because it was Destino's home, it was the only place she would be safe because he would be there.

Nuzzling him again, she closed her eyes. swaying slightly as she almost fell asleep, and it was dangerously clear she was on the verge of dropping down with how exhausted she was, and if she did have to fight earlier, she would have been dead. "I know I said before I didn't need it but... Not exactly in the best shape to hunt." she mumbled sleepily, once again looking like a fragile child. She was forced to grow up way too fast, after all, so she needed more time to be more of a child.

----------

[[ sorry for my shortness...]]

Nobody would dare to enter Destino's tent to harm her; even if they did, they knew that Destino would come down on their heads with all of the fire and fury of a wronged alpha. That was how he kept his control, by the power of the fang. Sure it was easy for some upstart to try and take him over, and it wasn't the most secure of governments by far. But he wouldn't have the thrill of it any other way. He was half wolf, afterall, and the desire and thrill of the government filled him with something that he couldn't quite describe. As such, his pack would respect his word or else. They had learned to respect the words of their alpha, and Destino kept them safe.

Still...he wondered just how badly Henna's staying with him would turn out. But he'd decided that he would do his best to keep order still, and hopefully...hopefully they would decide that he knew best. He had known best by keeping them out of a war so far. Jorda would surely cause mischief, but maybe he wouldn't. Maybe he would remember Henna and how the three had played together as pups. They'd had fun then; maybe that would be enough to call him off. He doubted it, but vengeance and anger guided his beta at the moment. Hopefully, given time, he could learn to stop being so angry...

As Henna just collapsed into him, he tightened his grip so that he was holding her up. Oh Henna...he hated to see her like that, so fragile and so weak. She was like a doll that needed him to survive...and his large heart went out to her. Smiling to himself, he put his arms around her. Oh Henna...he wanted to keep her safe forever. That strange desire to just protect came over him. She was in a very fragile and delicate state, and he wanted to protect her from it all. All of her guilt, all of her sorrow. Was that even possible? No, she had to deal with some of it by herself. There was only so much he could do by being her protector and by keeping her warm in his embrace. He was plenty strong enough to hold her up...and it was what he wanted to do anyway.

Gently, he slid one arm under her knees and the other around her shoulder blade, lifting her up into his embrace. When they'd been kids, he'd teased that one day he would be able to do that with her, carry her around all the livelong day. He chuckled lightly at the memory, then carried her over to his pallet in the corner and gently lowered her onto it. It was large enough for two werewolves, as it was intended for the alphas, not the alpha. He always thought it too big for just him. Smiling, he settled her red hair on the pillow and stroked her cheek. She would see his parents and talk with them, realize that they still cared deeply for her...but not then. Now she needed to rest.

"Just stay here," he said softly. Leaning over her, he nuzzled her forehead in that warm way that they had as children, as even then he hadn't been comfortable with nuzzling her chest, and paused for a moment with his nose against her skin. He might not be back for awhile, though he was hoping to avoid a fight...or, too big of a fight. Hopefully, he could just sneak to the prey pile and back...but he doubted it. So he filled his nose with her scent and just steeled himself. Gods he needed a mate, someone to give him that strength on a daily basis. Would anyone ever know him as much as Henna did?

Finally, he lifted his head and graced her forehead with a light kiss. "Even if you hear sounds of fighting, don't get up. I'll take care of anything that might happen." Smiling warmly at her, he looked kindly upon her...then stood and moved towards the exit. "I promise I'll be back as quickly as possible." With a last smile to her, he turned and strode out to face his pack again.

She smiled slightly and stroked his cheek when he nuzzled her forehead, tucking his hair behind his ear. "If you want your hair long, at least cut it correctly, Tiny." She said, using the nickname she always had when they were little, because compared to his parents, he was almost as tall as an ant to them.

His parents were always big and strong. They protected her, and Destino when her parents had to go on the trip before her uncle, very grave, took her away. She remembered how frightened she was. He uncle usually smiled and called her his Fire, but that day, his face was weighed with grief, and it was hard not to be scared. Even Destino's parents probably knew something was wrong. Her parents had been gone for longer than usual, than they sent her uncle to get her.

She could never remember being so scared.

She closed her eyes, smiling as he kissed her forehead. "I'll try not to... But if any blood falls before I feed." she whispered softly to him. He would understand her temptation, and what she meant.

Watching as he left and curled up, hugging her knees tight to her chest in that way that if someone attacked her, she would roll like a ball across the floor and get out of the way just in time, before drifting off to sleep. Her hair grew longer as she slept and wrapped around her, turning into a large rose petal, wrapping around her and keeping her warm, as well as cleaning her body with rose water as she slept.

Tiny...yes, he hadn't really grown into his height until after his first full shift. Before then, he'd had the hints of growing into his gangly limbs but had yet to do so. Back then, he had barely come up to his father's chest when he was in human form, and Destino had dreamed of the day when he would be tall enough to be considered as something other than Tiny. But once he had shot up to his current height, he found that he missed being small enough to climb into his father's lap and ask him for a story about the warriors of old or one of his own fights. Even back then, he'd been captivated by the twist and pull of dominance dances....and his father had carefully explained every intricate step of the fights.

His mother would roll her eyes and go back to talking with his sister about the herbs and tales about the plants and the earth. When Henna had been with them, she would join his sister and mother or listen to his father with him. He could remember warm nights with little Henna curled up against him....his father's warm voice talking about a battle he'd been in or seen. The pack had always been an inviting and warm place then...before the vampires had turned against them. It was a good part of his childhood before everything fell apart.

He shook his head at the memories, then stepped out into the moonlight. His pack had been on edge, and a vampire in their midst had made it even worse. Not only that, he had let her into his tent, had talked with her and even left her in there. There was no doubt that Destino cared for her to some extent....and many of the wolves had figured out that Henna was the young vampire that had be accepted into their pack during the past. Well, as he left his den, he saw most of them stop hushing. His father was front and center with sharp snarls on his face and a bruise starting on his arm.

Whom he was facing off with was none other than Jorda, who had apparently picked up from his shame. The two were in human form at the moment, but they were about to shift when Destino popped up again. He took a quick glance around to make sure that the pack might have been on his side...and he was surprised that most of them seemed to have been behind his father. Good old dad. He missed his father, being a part of his den, but he was grown up and had to live on his own now. In fact, he had to lead a pack now. All eyes shifted to him, almost as if they were daring him to say that Henna was staying and even staying his tent.

He lifted his head, then strode over to where they were talking. "Is there a problem here?" he asked in his alpha voice, head up and blue eyes blazing. His father backed off at his approach, but Jorda had found the real root of his problems. Growling, he turned on his alpha. His gaze was strong and fierce, breathing a challenge in every step he took towards Destino. He flicked his ears back as much as his human form allowed, but he didn't chase after his beta. The anger in his look....Destino felt bad for him, but he would keep his pack at the end of the day.

They stood eye to eye for a moment, alpha and beta, and the tension could be felt in all of the wolves. With a flick of his head, Jorda let out a fierce growl. "I won't be led by a lover of the blood suckers," he began, then shifted wolf. His grey pelt stood out every which way, and he curled his tail up over his back with a low snarl. A challenge. Destino was afraid of this, as he didn't like fights for his position...but it came with the territory. Snarling back, he shifted to his larger wolf form and lifted his own head over Jorda's. They stared at each other a moment, and Destino let the adrenaline fill his very limbs.

Then Jorda lunged for him, and the battle was begun. The two fought as the pack watched on; Destino was raised to be a leader and had been taught by his father how to fight. Jorda was at a clear disadvantage, as he fought with his emotions and rushed blindly for his alpha. Also, Destino was larger and slightly better fed. They tore into each other for several long minutes. Perhaps the pack hoped Destino would lose, but he knew how it was going to end. All of them knew that the beta wouldn't win against the stronger alpha. They fought for so long that blood practically soaked the ground, and Destino hoped Henna had enough endurance to hold out until it was done.

Finally, Destino fought his alpha to the ground. For a long moment he stood over him; the kill was his, as he had defied his alpha's orders, but Destino hesitated. His friend...Jorda had been so angry since his sister's death. Jorda curled against the pain, knowing that his alpha was going to hurt him, and his eyes shut tight. Destino lifted his bloody muzzle to his neck to do the deed...then pulled his head back and stepped away. His white tail swept behind him as he moved away and shook his head once. "Get out," he growled to his beta. "Get out, and don't come back." All eyes went to Jorda, who slowly and painstakingly got to his feet. In Destino's eyes there was a hint of mercy...so he took. Turning his head, he sprinted away into the forest and hopefully out of pack grounds as he had been ordered to.

Not that Destino was unscathed. There was a long cut across his chest that was probably going to scar up, but he was running on adrenaline. Nodding to two of the guards, they rushed after the male to make sure that he left the area for good. He looked after him for a moment, then hopped up ontop of the rock that served as a meeting place. His blue eyes swept over the pack, who had their faith in him restored by his show of power. For a moment there was silence, then he lifted his bloodied maw and began to speak.

"Listen, all of you wolves. Too long have we lived in fear of vampires, of the species that could just as easily be out brethren. We believe that they have only plans to harm us, but the truth is that they fear us as we fear them. If we do not stop this war, many, many lives will be lost. Not just ours, not just theirs. Entire species could be lost, and to what? To foolishness! I won't tolerate this. Henna has rejoined us as a sister and as a close friend of mine. You will accept this, as I am telling you that she will be a part of us now. I hope to eventually bring an end to these angry emotions. This is how it is going to be." He spoke with his alpha voice, ringing out over the air. All of the wolves watched, enraptured. It wasn't his first speech, but he could be pretty moving when he wanted to be. And at the moment, he was.

He closed his eyes for a moment, suddenly very tired. But then he opened them again and lifted his muzzle. "I will announce my choice as beta in the morning. Now all of you, sleep except for the patrols that should be working. That is all." He leapt down from his rock and walked slowly, achingly to the stream to clean up. No sense in working Henna up, and he wanted to be by himself for a second. Who was he going to appoint? Oh, he didn't know. He'd think on it and decide in the morning...he washed all of the coppery blood from his white coat, then padded back to camp. Things were more relaxed now, and the wolves were actually resting. A small smile came to his face; this was why he did the things he did. Pausing infront of the prey pile, he licked his chest to clean it up a little. In the morning he'd see his mother...in the morning.

Lifting his muzzle, he let his pure and clear howl fill the air. Just...because. To reclaim his dominance and to make it all the more sweeter that he was alpha. The others that were awake joined in, lifting their heads to the Mother Moon. With a warmer, more relaxed smile, he picked up a rabbit for sweet Henna and padded back to his den. Why was he still wolf? Maybe because he wasn't sure what was going to happen to his human chest, and his chest fur hid the wound for the most part. It was deep, but he didn't show a hint of pain as he made his way inside and walked slowly towards the pallet.

Ah, asleep. He laid the rabbit at her feet, then curled up beside her bed. What a night...exhaustion filled his limbs. His ears fell back, and he found himself so tired...within seconds, he was asleep, a little twitchy from all that had happened.

Henna heard the fighting, but did her best to remain in sleep. Instead of registering it as a need to be alarmed, she registered it as a nightmare. One that would probably haunt her for weeks to come. Everything she saw, every drop of blood she shed, every face she watched twist in agony flashed before her in extreme detail... Before one specific scene pulled through the murky confusion.

She was there, with Destino and his family while her parents were trying to restrain a wolf infected with the rave. Trying to calm it enough to use mind control to know it out to research and find a cure. But the wolf would not give in. It fought them. It snarled, growled, and than pounced for her father. Her mother and father fought together, doing what they could, but her mother saw something in that wolf's eyes, like agony, and soon, Henna saw herself pinned beneath the wolf, and Destino as his elder self had a silver dagger in his arm, on his side watching her...

The wolf turned into her cousin. He was holding an onyx blade, with fire streming from his fingers down to her neck, and a look of sorrow as well as hatred made his face something evil.

"Damien... Don't..." She whispered, she could feel the tears streaming down her cheek. She could feel her skin begin to blur.

"Of all the people you could choose from. Why him? Why a beast?" he asked, his voice rumbled like thunder.

"He's my friend.." she whispered, looking back at Destino In time to see a small child with a silver sword pierce Destino's heart, and the blade came down on her own, and in both emotional and physical pain caused her to wake immidiately in a cold sweat.

"DESTINO!" she screamed, the sound was filled with so much pain and sorrow that when she saw him next to her, she ignored the rabbit he brought for her and hugged him, sobbing hysterically. She hated that dream, hated that she knew that she would possibly cause that, and the fact that no other wolves were around either meant they were picked out and kidnapped, or the whole pack was killed too.

She held him tight, whispering inaudible but sweet things to Destino, the few could be heard was a prayer to Demeter. "Please... don't take him away from me, protect him and his family, please save him from any hard take me instead..." she whispered before the prayer turned into a latin jumble of works, her voice was soft but the prayer became something of a sad, sorrowful, heartbreaking song that she sang as she held Destino.

Destino didn't know how long he managed to sleep this time...his dream world was far too heavy, as he was exhausted from the fight and from the other issues that had been happening for the past few months. Beside that, he needed to figure out a beta before he faced his pack again , and he was really far too sleepy. Finally, all of his muscles seemed to untense...with his display of anger and dominance, they wouldn't fight him anymore. Ah, he was relaxed against the pallet where he was asleep. His ears were even relaxed as he slept. With a soft sigh, he snored deeply as he found himself having a good night's sleep...for the moment. If he dreamed, they were laced with thoughts of sweet Henna.

He didn't know what else to say...he was going to enjoy the small sliver of sleep he found. But as soon as she was reaching for him, his blue eyes flew wide, and he felt adrenaline pour back to his limbs. Oh not again... He was tensed for an attack from the pack that he had thought he now had under control, from Jorda whom might not have left. But the only scents in the tent were his and Henna's, the second of which was holding onto him as if for dear life. Had she had a bad dream? That seemed likely. He found himself having to stifle a small whimper though as her arm brushed against his chest, and a spasm of pain radiated from the wound and down to his toes. Ugh....he hated any small wound that slowed him down, but it was necessary.

"Henna, Henna, shhh..." Despite knowing that it would bare his chest to her again, he shifted human and pulled her into his embrace. She needed that it seemed, maybe even more than he did. Her words....oh, they brought such an ache to his heart. He had been grateful that the fighting earlier hadn't woken her up, but he also wondered if she had had a bad dream because of the awful scent of blood. There was nothing that could be done about the dirt; hopefully she would eat before she had to step outside again. Poor sweet Henna....Henna....he held her close and rubbed her shoulders in an attempt to calm her down.

"My Henna, you're alright. You'll be okay now." Closing his eyes against her red hair, he let her sob and cry into his ripped shirt. He sighed softly, then began to sing to her in a quiet voice. His own song was a lullaby his mother had once taught him, and his warm voice was gentle and soothing. Perhaps even more so because it was husky and deep when he sang. Henna...he just wanted her to be okay. To take away all of her pain.