"Something deep is on your mind, Gypsy," a southern drawl said from near him. At first Sean jumped ready to defend himself, as he hadn't smelt or felt anyone coming up to him. But then he seen one of the only two people he knew of who could do that and him still trust them. Matt Hardy stood there leaning against the tree Sean had been against before being startled.
"Just thinking about how happy I am." The smaller dark haired man knelt and put his cheek to his Ulfric's knee and just sat there taking it all in.
"You're lonely." Matt said, able to read that from his vague answer and the look in his eyes.
"How can I be? I have the pack." Sean said looking up at his Ulfric in shock. If he was lonely he didn't know it... But Matt and Jeff both tended to know what he was feeling before he did.
"You're lonely because you have yet to find your mate... Sometimes I forget that I was lucky to have been with mine my whole life. Soon. Jeff told me soon you'll find your other half. And when you do it'll be a great day for the Omega pack." Matt leaned over and brushed a soft kiss to Sean's forehead before taking a few steps away to shift. Once he had shifted and looked back at Sean one more time he ran off to find out if Jeff had found out anything more about Sean's mate.
Sean watched him go and with a sigh shifted to run in the other direction to think about what he had been told.
*******
"Our family will be complete soon." Jeff murmured softly as he sat on the edge of an outcropping of rocks that had a full view of the lupanar. One of his legs was bent up to his chest and his arms were wrapped around it. The other was over the dead drop of the outcropping. He looked first up at the sky with all of it's stars, then down at the lupanar where his and Matt's pack sat around talking and laughing.
"Jeff?" Matt asked shifting from wolf form after having come upon his lupa sitting there looking so distant.
"It's all coming together, Matt. And soon the circle will be complete." Jeff said so softly that Matt almost didn't hear him.
Matt wrapped his arms around Jeff and whispered to him, "What do you mean?"
"Hmm? About what?" Jeff asked looking slightly confused.
"Nothing. Lay your head back and rest." Matt pushed gently at Jeff's forehead until his head was against his shoulder. It frightened Matt when Jeff said things like that, and then in turn didn't remember saying them.
"Love you, Matt." Jeff muttered.
"I love you too, Jeff. Soon we'll be able to run the fields like we want to." Matt muttered back laying his head on top of Jeff's.
"Sooner than you think." it was an echo that Matt didn't hear, but Jeff did and tensed only to have Matt run a soothing hand over his shoulder.
*****
Sean ran for what seemed like hours, but when he stopped and looked at the moon, found it to only have been about twenty minutes.
Sighing he walked to the obstacle that stopped his mad, thinking run. The river was small and fed into the sea, so at the point he was at it ran clear and sweet. He was happily lapping his fill when the scent of pack stopped him... No not pack. Wild wolves. They would be the some of the ones Matt brought in to cover up the wolf sightings.
Sean looked up in time to see five or six pups come tagging along with a large male down to drink.
The blue-black wolf couldn't help but laugh at the pups' actions. The large male who was with them watched Sean for a leery moment then, realizing him to be a were didn't think anything of him coming closer to watch the pups at their play.
Sean was all but giggling, which in wolf form was rather disconcerting. The male that had brought them to the river was also amused at the young ones' play. Just as Sean was about to get up and leave two of the more rowdy pups fell into the river.
Without a second thought, very little of a first one, Sean jumped in after them. He easily caught both by the scruff of the neck and pulled them to shore where the male and the other pups sat watching in shock and amazement.
Quickly though, the large wolf stepped up and took the pups from the were.
Sean gasped slightly for breath before turning to look at where the pups were getting a wolf form dressing down.
When that was done the male came over and nuzzled Sean to see if he was okay. When Sean nuzzled back the wolf gave him a toothy grin. Then the wolf started herding the pups back to their pack. But as they were getting to the edge of the forest the large male looked back at Sean, waiting for him to follow.
And being the impulsive gypsy his Ulfric called him, Sean followed.
*****
The den wasn't far, but it was very well protected. Sean could feel the magical barriers around the wolves' home and could all but taste Scott's work in the area.
The large male hurriedly communicated what the werewolf had done and the pack of natural wolves accepted him easily.
Sean was just about to go when the scent of pack stopped him. A werewolf among the naturals?
He went in search of the smell and found it lead to one of the caverns that the wolves called home.
The inside was dark, but dry. Sean followed the smell back until he found himself in a small room off the main chamber of the cavern. Inside of the smaller cave lay a shiver, barely breathing werewolf.
Sean quickly shifted and went to the small blond wolf's side. There was blood seeping from a gun shot wound... Hold it, scratch that, insert silver shot gun blast.
"Damn." Sean muttered gathering the unfamiliar were into his arms. He couldn't leave the poor man there to die.
Turning he started making his way back out of the caves, and then back to the lupanar. Hopefully Scott and Jeff would still be there.
*****
"Sean's coming." Shannon said hearing him long before the other's could even catch his scent on the wind. His gift and his curse, he called it. Shannon had better hearing than even most weres. It was disconcerting for him to go home and hear his parents at night. And sometimes he could hear other things... Sometimes it was the munin in the area, other times it was something else.
"And he's got someone with him." Scott's voice drifted from where the magic-user had been sitting meditating on the inner stone of the lupanar.
"Who?" Shane demanded as he grabbed Shannon and started pushing him back towards the other exit from the lupanar.
"I don't know, but they're wounded and barely alive." Scott hurriedly jumped into action getting the first aid kit, not knowing if it were human, animal, or were.
"Jeff! Scott!" Sean called as he carried the barely breathing were into the lupanar. Adam was by his side quickly and relieving him of the weight.
"Put him down... Damn!" Scott muttered seeing the damage done then backed away when Jeff came to the man's side where he lay on the inner stone.
Jeff studied the wolf for a moment then smiled as he pressed a hand over the wolf's wound. A golden fire seemed to glow and for a moment a woman's figure could be seen with her hand over Jeff's, then she and the fire were gone, as was the wound.
Jeff stood up with a shaky smile and allowed Matt to hold him up for a moment until he had found his balance.
"Bring him back to us, Matt. I think we will find a familiar man inside of the wolf shell." Jeff said as he broke from Matt and went to sit on his chair that sat beside the one Matt ruled from.
Matt nodded to his lupa and with a frighteningly large burst of power shed the were's form.
Laying upon the inner stone of the Omega pack's lupanar, was none other than the Heartbreak Kid himself.
"Shawn?" Sean demanded as he went to look closer at his friend.
The blond groaned and started to awaken. "What was the name of that booze? I never want to touch the stuff again."
"It wasn't booze." Sean said softly and watched as Shawn opened one eye to stare at him.
Taking in the smaller black haired man's state of undress, Shawn grinned. "Then sign me up for some more of what ever it was you're putting out."
Sean sighed and popped Shawn on the arm before going to get his clothes from where the were hidden in a rock crevasse.
"Why did we never know you were a were?" Matt demanded as he released his full power, causing everyone from the Omega pack to whimper, except for Jeff who only watched in interest.
Shawn drew a deep breath, then realized what the Hardy brat had said. "A what?... Oh hell no... he didn't! That bastard!"
The pack watched as Shawn drew in on himself and started shaking and crying.
Sean, hearing his friend in distress went to him. "Hey... don't do the tears man... I can't take the tears."
At those words Matt looked to Jeff, his eyebrow raised in question. To this Jeff gave him a bright grin and a nod, before turning his full attention back to the men.
"You were bitten and left weren't you?" Shannon said as he watched Shawn's pitiful reaction.
"I didn't know!" Shawn all but cried and turned his head into Sean's shoulder, to which Sean promptly wrapped his arms tightly around the shaking man.
"Who did this to you?" Matt asked his eyes glowing.
"Drew's dog bit me... or I guess it was Drew's dog... But it couldn't have been if I'm a were now." Shawn's voice was almost hysterical. Matt gestured to Scott how nodded and taking some power from one of the pouches in the first aid kit blew it into Shawn's face. He only had time to blink once before falling into a deep and healing sleep.
Sean laid the sleeping man down and looked at their Ulfric. At the exact same time Matt and Jeff hissed the same thing. "The Leaf chaser clan."
*******
Shawn slowly came to aware of the warm bodies laying by him. One had a set of arms around his waist and the other had a head laying on his chest.
"I know you're awake... Are you feeling better, Shawn?" Sean asked as he squeezed his arms a little tighter where he held Shawn.
"I... I'm not human." Shawn whimpered remembering.
"It's okay, Shawny... Neither am I... And my Ulfric and Lupa are already planning some retribution for you... Are you hungry? It's gonna be another two or three hours until the others are awake... I can make you something if you want." Sean offered as he moved his arms and pushed Shannon from where he had pillowed his head on Shawn's chest.
"Thanks... I don't know when I ate last... Where are we? The last thing I remember was feeling funny and then a lot of pain..." his hand went to his side and the large scar that was already fading from the silver shot wound.
"You were shot with silver shot... I found you in the den of some of the local naturals." Sean helped Shawn up from the bed they had been in and to the older man's surprise he counted six other forms in the bed.
"They are my pack... Your's too if you like. Come on." Sean pulled him away from the bedroom and the sleeping weres.
"I guess... I need to learn all there is to this, huh?" Shawn sat at the kitchen table he had been pushed to while Sean scurried around pulling out the fixing for a large breakfast.
"Yeah. It's not that bad... and kinda fun when you've learned everything. First off Matt is our Ulfric," Sean stopped seeing Shawn's blank look. "Our leader. Jeff is his Lupa, his mate. Those two are some of the rare ones... They were born as weres not turned like the rest of us. Scott is our vargamor, our magic user. Shannon and Shane are a mated pair... So are Adam and Jay... Is there anything else you need to know right now?"
Shawn could only shake his head and try to process what he had been told.
*******
Matt looked at the large rather stately home that belonged to the Ulfric of the Leaf Chasers. His own pack was standing behind him ready with silver loaded guns. It was time to exact some revenge.
"Omegas..." he called to them softly and they nodded as they moved in a group toward the door.
Matt knocked on the door and gave Lance a fangy smile as he opened the door. "We're here to see Drew."
Lance pulled away from the door and started to run. But a shot from over Matt shoulder dropped him, as it went through his head.
Matt turned and raised an eyebrow at Shawn. "He was in on it." Shawn told him with a shrug.
Quickly, knowing they didn't have much time they raced to find the Ulfric of the offending pack. They found him in a torture chamber, or at least the modern equivalent.
"Drew!" Matt called as he raised his gun. It would be the first time he had taken another human's life, but this man didn't deserve to live... He was what Matt and others like him fought against; the stereotypical were. Vicious and mindless.
"Matt." Jeff called to him softly.
His Lupa directed his attention to the far wall where Chris Irvine and Chris Benoit were hanging by silver hooks embedded threw their collarbones.
Matt growled and was about to attack when out of no where Stacey stepped forward with a silver tipped arrow notched and aimed at her mate. "Matthew, get the Chris's out of here. I'll deal with my Ulfric."
"Oh, come on Stac, you're not going to-" Drew's sentence was stopped by the `thwack' of the silver arrow lodging in his heart. With a gasp he fell to the ground.
"Go on, get them out of here.. Their only crime is being were-leopards." Stacey said as she walked over and planted her boot in the middle of the arrow and ground it in farther. "You are a sick fanatic. I hope you burn in hell for this Andrew."
Silently Shane and Scott lifted Chris and Chris off the hooks and carried them from the room while Matt walked over to Stacey. "Are you safe here?"
Stacey looked up and gave him a sad grin. "I am... One of the others will rise to power and as long as they never know it was I who killed him, I am safe... Finally."
Matt patted her on the shoulder. "If you ever need pack... or help we're here for you."
"Thank you, but you had better go now. Tell the Chris's I'm sorry." Stacey turned and walked from the room.
Jeff walked up to Matt's side. "We've got them loaded... Matt there's a... I doubt that there are any of their pard left... I found a whole bunch of were remains in the barbeque pit outside."
"Don't worry... I'm sure we can find someone to take them in." Matt looped an arm around Jeff's waist and they walked away.
******
Scott watched Sean hold out his hand for Shawn, who smiled almost shyly as he took it. Life had changed in the pack considerably since Sean had found Shawn. They had not only got a new pack member, but they were the only werewolf pack he knew of to have a set of were-leopards as members.
Jeff had been right when he had guessed there wasn't any of Chris and Chris's pard left. After they had healed enough to speak of what happened the pack was sickened to hear how the pard had been attacked at their holy place and most were killed in the onslaught, but those that were left were taken to Drew's home. Chris and Chris had been forced to watch as their pard mates were burned alive.
Then they were taken to that room where they had been tortured for two or three days before the pack had gotten to them.
Both of the Chris's were scared, not on the outside but inside they were still hurt and taking comfort in one another.
"Come on, Scott!" Shannon yelled as he raced ahead of the slower magic user as they walked to their lupanar.
"Great Mother, did I ever have that much energy?" Scott asked himself as he watched Shannon jump on Sean's back who laughed and they started to play wrestle.
"I doubt it." Shane said then hurried to catch up with his lover.
Scott shook his head and glanced up to where Matt and Jeff sat watching them. They were going soon he could sense it. As Jeff had told him once, he and Matt were never meant to be humans.
Scott just hoped that they would wait until everything was a little more stable for the pack before they left them.
"Hey, no sad faces today!" Shawn called as he seen the dark look on Scott's face.
Scott couldn't help but chuckle as he put a little extra speed on to catch up with his family.
