Crosshairs (closed)

[Sleepless_Dreamer]

Gabe was surprised to find Angel leaving him in such a brisk manner.  For a moment, he wondered what he had done to chase her off in such an angry huff.  It took him a second to realize that it was not anger, but determination, that led her away from him and outside.  Uh oh... he thought.  Someone is going to get an earful.  He followed, though much slowly, not entirely sure he wanted to see what was about to go down.  It was like a train wreck in that sense.  Messy, but you just couldn't look away from it.  He found himself standing out in the driveway as Angel was posting up in front of the Detective.


Previously, the man might have regarded her like a kitten, cute when it got all fluffed up and started hissing.  Now, though... now he knew that she was no cat, no dog, but a wolf... and likely just as deadly and terrifying as the rest of them.  He blinked, shocked speechless, as she unleashed her lecture upon him and soon turned it toward Vivian.  He was actually more surprised that Vivian didn't bark back.  He knew how she could get, but it seemed even she wasn't ballsy enough to get into a cat fight with this little ball of fury.  


"Look," he said, holding his hands up defensively.  "If I had it my way, this afternoon will consist of little more than sitting on a park bench and guessing what the clouds look like as they roll by, okay?  I don't want anything to happen just as badly, actually probably more, as you."  He honestly probably would've rather pissed off the cartel.  


"Down, girl."  Gabe, who had appeared by Angel's side, said gently.  "Save some of that energy for the big bad wolf."


He was quick to give her a kiss on the lips before she could scold him for interrupting her scolding of the detective and the PI.  The twins were loaded into their seats and showered with kisses from Elise who was very reluctant to see them go.  When she stood up straight, Daniel was looking at her almost similarly to how he had looked at her before he found out what she was.  Almost like he was seeing her as a human being again.   Almost, but not quite.


"I won't let anything happen to them, 'Lise."  He said with a nod.  Mostly because he preferred to keep his head attached to his neck, but also because it was Elise, and he figured he owed her at least that much.  


The she wolf gave a nod, but could only stand there and say nothing.  She couldn't even close the door to the car, and had to let James be the one to do it instead.  His resolve was a bit more resolute than hers after all.  When they were finally pulling out of the driveway, it was all she could do to keep her inner wolf quiet, when all she wanted to do was howl in misery.

 

[Soliloquy]

The dark haired girl wasn't given a chance to further retaliate, silenced by Gabriel's lip. Pulling away, she gave him a small scowl before a second long hug. He was going to be fine, or if he wasn't, she would hold the two humans about to disappear with him and the twins exclusively responsible. Even if it may or may not be accurate. She reluctantly stepped back by the others, watching the car as it was loaded up.



As much as James had been working to be the strong backbone of both pack and family, it came with a heavy burden on him. He forced a smile for the kids as they and Gabe were shut in the car, giving the top of the car a couple of taps to signal they were good to go. Stepping back, he wrapped an arm around his fiance and mate. He could feel the internal struggle and it was similar to his, just on a much stronger level. He offered his strength to her in every way he could.


"They'll be fine," he said softly, squeezing her, "And the sooner we can get this over with, the sooner it's safe for them to be at home."

His words brought minimal encouragement but offered logical reasoning. Angel nodded, finally tearing her eyes away from the now vacant road and heading toward the house. "How are we going to do this? Foot or car? He does have quite a bit of an advantage on us, time wise."

 

[Sleepless_Dreamer]

It should have never not been safe for them at home.  Elise thought bitterly.  Despite their long reprieve from trouble, she was growing weary of having their home, the den that was supposed to be the safest place in the world for them, as a target.  It was supposed to be their fortress; not their vulnerability.  She wasn't as connected to it as her mate, and she was beginning to think it was time again for the persuasive speech about lifting their roots.


Angel's words broke Elise from her thoughts and stirred the she wolf into movement alongside the younger female.  The men followed easily enough.  "We can't drive around until we know where we're going," Elise said.  "And my nose is best on four legs instead of two.  I can shift and get a general idea of what direction he went.  If we want to drive after that, we can."


She had already come to the conclusion that she would be spending the majority of the day in animal form, but she was alright with that.  The years had earned her much better control of her wild counterpart, and she no longer had any fear of losing control.  Rather than heading into the house, she stopped near the front steps and lifted her head a bit.  This was where Victor and Gabe had, had their encounter.  The coppery tinge of blood was still evident in the air as well as on the ground.  Gabe's and Victor's both had been spilled, but Elise was able to pick them apart easily enough, like two different colored threads.


The blonde followed the scent around the side of the house, where she shifted.  A long white snout was pressed feverishly to the ground, inspecting and investigating while she waited for the rest of the pack to make their decisions.

 

[Soliloquy]

After the day prior, none of them were willing to let Elise out of their eyesight, regardless of how ferocious she might seem. It was when the pack took a blow that they became the most defensive of each other, teeth snarling, hackles raised. Just like the animals within, they were more than willing to show their vicious sides as a deterrent to keep enemies at bay.


[SIZE= 14px]The remained at the front of the house to do their shift, not concerned for any eyes that could be peering around. The thick woods provided coverage from the distant road, and frankly none of them had much concern for being seen. But that could have just been the much more [/SIZE][SIZE= 14px]lackadaisical[/SIZE][SIZE= 14px] male thought process. The two giant reddish-brown wolves paced about while waiting, able to tell the moment they were ready to go and anxious in the meanwhile.

Angel, on the other hand, had jogged over by Elise, easing herself into wolf form beside her pack sister. It was her first shift since the accident, and while she had done her best to keep her body limber once healed, her muscles cried out in protest as her ivory bones rearranged themselves. Her jaw in particular, which had taken the brunt of the bear's paw, whined as it was elongated back out into a snout. Unable to contain herself, she let out a soft cry, which translated into a whimper with her new form. Determined to get the rest over with as quickly as she could, she pushed the body portion into wolf faster than she initially wanted, leaving her on all fours, panting from exhaustion. [/SIZE]


[SIZE= 14px]The pure white wolf snorted and shook her head, trying to ease her nerves down so she wasn't so hypersensitive. At the same moment, the three male wolves, dark brown Alpha at the lead, came around the corner. They all looked briefly at Angel, having shared her pain in some form, and as if she knew they would bring it up, she let out a small bark in protest. She was fine and they had to move. Eyes in turn rotated to watch the Tracker already at work. Each of the wolves had a general sense of Victor's scent, although hers would be the strongest, like lines of color that were blurred for four of them and solid for Elise. [/SIZE]

 

[Sleepless_Dreamer]

It wasn't long before the pack was bounding into the woods.  In a rare change of formation, they formed a small V with Elise at the tip, being the nose to lead them.  James and Angel were at either side of her, with Robert and Anthony bringing up the rear.  The excitement of the mostly complete pack on a very important hunt vibrated throughout the whole.  Small barks sounded frequently from each member either individually or collectively.  The wet forest was a vibrantly alive world for them, and it was hard not to relish in such a thing as this.


Victor's scent was thin and growing thinner, but once Elise had it in her nose and in her mind, it quickly became the only thing she could recognize.  The many other scents of the woods and its creatures would not deter her.  That same focus was reflected in her pack mates as they all shared their emotions through their bonds.  It kept them together as a single, cohesive unit that the other creatures of the forest seemed to cower away from in fear.  The forest floor had previously been teeming with squirrels, chipmunks and other small rodents foraging for their autumn harvest, but now they had taken to trees or holes to hide from the force of predators making their way through like they owned the place.  In essence, they did.


The den mother had made her way east, down a sloping bank cut by a small stream engorged by the recent rains.  They had broken out of their den territory lines about ten yards back, but it was made clear that nobody intended on stopping there.  It wasn't until the slope came to the treeline and emerged out onto a small side road did Elise stop.  She stood just on the edge of that treeline, hardly thinking that it would be beneficial for the whole pack to be standing out on the side of the road.  Lifting her head, she sniffed, while her eyes took in the grayscale world around her.


He made it to the road.  She thought as she swiveled her ears this way and that.  But he didn't cross it.  His scent traveled along the road, and she did the same whilst keeping under the cover of trees and shrubbery.  It was a slow moving trail that wafted before her, but then it seemed to abruptly leave.  It was as if he had gone from 0 to 60 and his scent moved too fast to create a trail.  It was like he'd gotten in a car and headed north.  North... toward Flaviani territory.

 

[Soliloquy]

The pace of the pack was consistent, and while they shared a common goal, that didn't stop each wolf from being overly aware of their surroundings. Victor was the flag at the end of the run way, but that didn't mean that Anthony or Robert would let down their senses on the side lanes. The last thing they needed was to stumble into a sinkhole.


At the treeline, James had given a sharp bark to stop any considering exiting out on the wall, enforced by will.  He was fine with the exploration and hunt, but Angel seemed far too ready to leap on your the pavement. They trotted behind Elise, less aware of the scent, but experiencing it second hand through the various bonds.


The revelation that Victor was tucking tail and heading home was interpreted many different ways. Angel for one was upset that it could potentially mean they wouldn't be able to pursue the rat bastard and responded with a protesting whine. It was quieted by a snort from Anthony, who's bigger concern was that their allies may be in for little better than what they had encountered. It was imperative to get to where he could contact them and make sure Nicky and the others knew.


The Alpha was still on the fence as to how he wanted to respond. Like Angel and no doubt his mate, he wanted to finish what the Elder wolf had chosen to start. He wasn't comfortable with the idea that a threat to his family could simply walk away. He also knew that their own bloodlust for revenge couldn't be a determining factor when the Flaviani's deserved to know as well. Pawing at the ground, he worked to get everyones attention. They were looking to travel a great distance and by foot wasn't the most convenient.

 

[Sleepless_Dreamer]

All eyes were soon on the Alpha.  While each wolf was making their own interpretation of what they had found, the decision would ultimately be up to James.  There was a strange mix of thought among the pack.  While the knowledge that Victor had gone north seemed a relief to some, it posed worry for others.  What was his goal, after all?  Was he trying to seek some sort of amnesty within his former pack?  Did he think he would have safety from this pack in his old territory?  And just who had he driven off with?  Elise half-expected him to have stopped a car in the middle of the road and kill the poor driver to make off with their vehicle, but no trace of a murder had been left behind.  If he had gone peacefully, that meant that he had someone else up his sleeve.


Elise let out a huff, a long snort of frustration from her snout that perhaps could have doubled as an attempt to get Victor's scent out of her nose.  Her head still swam with his trail, and it was difficult to shake thoughts of ill intent when he was so prevalent on her mind.  Her sensitive nose was both a blessing and a curse in this regard.  She let out sneeze, shaking her head in the process.


The brothers waited as well, but it was clear their patience was growing a bit thin.  Robert pawed at the ground with one giant paw, exhibiting his antsy feelings.  He would look to the road just beyond the treeline, then back at the Alpha.  There weren't a lot of cars that passed, but the ones that did went by quickly enough that it made even the big wolf a little nervous.  He thought the best course of action would be to go back to the manor, inform the Flaviani's of their potential visitor, and follow what was left of the trail by car.  He didn't get paid to make the big decisions, though.  Well, he didn't get paid at all... 

 

[Soliloquy]

After a few minutes of contemplation, his mind was made up: they would return to the manor and continue the search by car. The road was too dangerous for them to risk on foot, be it a collision or just a sighting in general. The downside to wolf life was being viewed as a predator, and often times not just by the small animals in the forest. 

James also recognized that with the lead Victor had on them, the chances of them catching up even with a car were slim. Even if the hunted was injured, he had enough of an advantage that the spot they were standing at could easily have been the night prior. Their best bet would be to alert their allies of the information they had and proceed from there. Regardless, once he entered Flaviani territory, their pack lost rights to pursue without permission. It was a common courtesy among neighboring packs.


With a low bark, he turned and started toward the manner, expecting the rest to follow, or at least come with. Their formation was less important at that point in time, and his primary concern was making sure none of the others decided to go vigilante and extract their own revenge. The last thing he needed while chasing one rogue wolf was to end up with a second. 


[SIZE= 14px]Angel was hesitant to follow, the pure white wolf had her eyes transfixed on the treeline. She was silently weighing how far she'd be able to make it before either one of them caught her or James could order her to stop. Her biggest threat at speed was Elise, who was currently a very angry mother wolf, that she might have been able to [/SIZE][SIZE= 14px]persuade[/SIZE][SIZE= 14px] to let her go or join her. Before she could test her luck, a headbutt from Anthony followed with a warning growl made her change her mind. They were all on the same side and had the same goal, her running off would have only slowed them down. With a snort, she turned and followed after him and their Alpha. [/SIZE]