Wolf Call (open)

[AngelofDeath]

"They would like that. we can take my truck in the morning." As Moonfire was about to dig into her food. a Painful scream came from Starfire's trailier. "Oh no!" She droped her plate and ran towards her friends trailer.

Besdies being the new alpha female she was also midwfie to the clan. Moonfire had heard that scream many times and it only ment one thing.

Pushing the door open she foudn Starfire hunched over her stomach. blood and fluid coverign her legs and most of the bed. stickign her head out she called out, "Mertshak i need you to help me move her!!"

 

[corbetphantom]

Mertshak Yancer

Mertshak looked up from his meal and took off running to the trailer. In an instant he had changed.

Through his feral teeth he growled, "Where do you want her?"

 

[AngelofDeath]

"My trailer. There's more room.' Carefully she helped Star fire up and watched as her mate lifted the girl carefully. She nodded and led them over to her own trailer which wasn't far and had him lay her down.

Looking to him she said,"We'll be fine.i hope go wait with the rest of the elders."

She grabbe dher bag fromt he table and got Star fire prepared while cleaning most of the blood from her legs. There was a lot and Moonfire knew she'd either lose her friedn the child or both.

 

[corbetphantom]

Mertshak Yancer

Mertshak stood outside the trailer waiting to get anything else Moonfire needed. He tried to organize some of the others and get them to prepare the things he might be told to get, but there was too much excitement.

Everyone could smell the blood. They knew that in all likelyhood there would be a tragedy tonight.

 

[landiek]

Calista remembered many times at Connie's the animals that birthed in the barnyard and often times things could go wrong. Hearing the urgency of Moonfire's voice and the scream itself gave her plenty of reasons to give an alturnative activity to concentrate on.

"Come and I'll tell you a story." She suggested. "Do you know why the crow is so smart? It once figured out how to drink from a bottle." Gathering together as many children as she could and laying out a cloth that held small hand puppets. "Here lets take these and you can all help with the story."

"once there was a black crow that longed for a drink of water, however all the water was far on the other side of the woods and the crow didn't want to fly all the way over there when there was an interesting bottle on the ground. Hold up the crow and you hold up the bottle.. yes just like that. See crow looking at the bottle." There was a giggle as the boy playing crow swooped down on the bottle. "In the bottle was water... crow really wanted the drink but the bottle only had water in the bottom." She laid a finger on the bottle to show where the water was. "Crow landed on the ground and tried to put his beak in the bottle but he wasn't able to get the drink and he wasn't able to knock the bottle over to spill the water out... What to do.. what to do? Said Crow... finally he noticed some humans throwing stones down a well to draw water from it. That gave crow an idea. He flew over by the well and picked up small stones." She helped the little girl hold up the puppet of tiny stones. "Crow flew back to the bottle and dropped the tiny stones in the bottle.. back and forth until finally he ran out of stones... oh dear, thought crow. How am I going to get my drink? He looked over at the bottle and swooped at it. Hoping that he might scare the bottle... which didn't work and finally crow thought he would just fly over to the other side of the woods to get his drink when something happened."

"What happened?" A smaller child asked

"What do you think happened?" Calista smiled.

"The bottle fell over from him leaning on it!" a boy laughed. "Someone picked it up?" another suggested with a bright smile.

"Actually crow noticed in the corner of his eye that all those tiny stones moved the water to the top and stuck his beak in the opening and got his drink. From then on when he wanted a drink and didn't want to fly on the other side of the woods he would check and see if the bottle had any water first... and that is why the crow is so smart." Calista hugged a few of the younger ones and let them play with the puppets.

"Do you have more of these?" One child asked.

"Yes they are really easy to make. If you get my backpack, I can pull some of the other ones I have made and you can pretend or make up a story of your own." Calista grinned as one child got the pack and was rewarded with the first choice of the sock puppets that Calista kept in the ziploc baggie for storytime a game that she was very fond of.

She turned her head towards Moonfire's trailer and fretted. Maybe we should have gotten that girl to the hospital or something. Silently praying that the girl would fare well from childbirth.

 

[poohlive]

3 O’clock in the morning.
The God Damned morning.
Terran slid into his car, firing up the engine and driving off. He shrugged at the pain that rippled through his back, hoping to ease it in the least. For a moment it backed off, but then fired right back up again, a low dull ache that just would not leave his tired muscles.
He had been at work since 7, a bouncer at the Guilded Lantern. His job was just supposed to check I.D.’s and make sure no little kids got inside. Two drunken brawls and a jealous boyfriend later, he was about to pass out from exhaustion. His shirt stank of dried blood and beer. Along the stomach was a huge cut. A broken bottle had destroyed his shirt, and dug deep into his chest as well. He took it off, leaving it in a pile of others in the back seat. A bouncer never got away clean and easy. This was no
movie.
They got hurt, just like everyone else.
He drove to the outskirts of town, leaving the flashy lights, the annoying sounds, and the horrible tourists all thriving in Las Vegas. He liked it quiet, and had boughten a home out
here, in some of the new developments.
There wasn’t much out where he lived. A few houses still being built, and then just sand and desert.
It was nice, quiet, and most of all, peaceful.
His car lurched to the right, threatening to spin out. Terran grabbed the wheel, straightening it out. The car shook, and came to a jugged stop right on the highway bank, miles away from anything.
A flat tire.
Shit, and he had no spare.
Terran got out, bare chested, looking at the damage. His left front tire fell flat in the gravel next to the road.
He tried his cellphone, but there was no reception.
Laughing, he threw the useless thing out into the desert night.
“Well, fuck,” He said, leaning against his car. He was literally miles away from anything. With a sigh, he looked around, waiting for something (or something) to come and help.
People drove on this highway all the time, surely someone would help him.

 

[AngelofDeath]

The next two hours Moonfire worked desperately to save her friend and the child. Starfire's screams ranged from silent to blood chhilling.

As teh secodn hour slipped into the third Starfire began growing weaker and paler she knew her friend was dying. She had no choice but to save the child.

She hated to cut her friend but it wa sthe only way. carefully she pulled back the layers of flesh and muscle and with a loud cry Starfire's daughter was born.

The infant's cry filled the trailer as moonfire washed her and wrapped her in a blanket. It didn't go unnotice by her that they child was not a true Flame. She was part Shaodw. Evident by her look an dthe birthmark on her shoulder.

Walkign out of the trailer, infant in tow she said aloud, "Starfire is dead. But the clan has a new daughter."

Her eyes where full of tears that spilled down her cheeks.

 

[corbetphantom]

Mertshak Yancer

Mertshak nodded. The loss of Starfire was hard, but he passing was eased somwhat by the birth of her daughter. He took the small, squirming mass from his mate and walked toward the main campfire. As he moved, he changed. The other weres, seeing their leader coming formed a large circle around the fire, with a gap toward which Mertshak was walking.

He entered the circle. "Our sister Starfire has passed, but she has left us a piece of herself." He held the child aloft, "I present to the pack the child Vadoma, may the pack accept her and guide her."

The rest of the Flames, who had also changed, bellowed back loudly for a few moments, aknowledging their new daughter. At a look from Mertshak they all fell silent.

The Alpha raised his head and began to howl into the night. Soon the others joined him, and the night was filled with the sound of the weres.

 

[landiek]

Calista couldn't hide the sorrow that she felt as she felt her heart wrench in her chest as Moonfire announced that Starfire was dead. A sudden burst of anger welled in her soul yet she was unable to change the events that happened.

Calista watched as Mertshak bought the infant in the circle to present the child to the "clan". Her mind went back to what he first told her. "You see? We take care of our own."

Calista waited and observed the small ceremony and even made a note in her journal. today a child was born but her mother died. she is now considered part of the clan as she was accepted my the leader, Mertshak. He has given her a name that I find oddly beautiful, Vadoma.

Listening to the howl of the weres gave her a new feeling of belonging and then a thought occured to her. She waited for a while until after Mertshak was not so involved with customs.

She approached him respectivly and looked up into his face. "You said that you wanted someone to care for children and I was wondering." Taking a deep breathe and asking, "May I be responsible for taking care of Vadoma? Unless Moonfire has already decided to take her as her own."

Calista hesitated then looked over at Moonfire and saw the anguish written across the girl's face. Calista lowered her eyes and then said a silent prayer that Moonfire would be able to take to heart that she gave hope for a new tiny life.

 

[AngelofDeath]

Moonfire walked over, still covered in blood. " You can take her if you wish. i only wish to see starfire's beauty live on." Moonfire had wanted to keep the infanr with her.

Theolder memebers of the Flames where very dictated and ruled by blood. if they new Vodma was part Shadow. child of the enemy they would possibly want her dead.

She nooded to her mate that it was ok for him to hand the infant over. Turning before she started to cry she ran not for her own trailer for Satrfire's body lay there still but to Mertshak's.

 

[corbetphantom]

Mertshak Yancer

He watched his new mate walk to his trailer. He sighed, he would have to preform the burial rites. But first there was something else that had to be done. He took Callista by the shoulders and steered her toward the Pack, who was still in a circle.

"This is Callista. Many of you have seen her this day. She is a stray, without a pack or a home of her own. I have invited her to join ours. She has agreed and taken on the duties of the pack by volunteering to serve as mother to Vadoma. Is there any here who oppose this descision?"

The Flames looked to one another, but no one spoke.

"In that case, I name Callista as a member of our pack."

 

[landiek]

"This is Calista. Many of you have seen her this day. She is a stray, without a pack or a home of her own. I have invited her to join ours. She has agreed and taken on the duties of the pack by volunteering to serve as mother to Vadoma. Is there any here who oppose this descision?"

Calista felt a little bad being called a stray but in her heart she knew that it was only to make her more acceptable to the rest of the clan. She glanced around at the people that were still standing around and gulped hard waiting to see what they would say.

"In that case, I name Calista as a member of our pack."

Taking the tiny child in her arms and looking at her with a softness that only love can make, then looked up at Mertshak "I swear that I shall do everything in my power to ensure her survival and make sure that we both are beneficial to the clan."

 

[AngelofDeath]

Moonfire watched all this frm the windo of Mertshak's trailer. She had cleaned herself off and put on one of his sihrts. it came down to her knees and she moved away to lay on the bed. Her heart was in shatters at the loss of her friend.

 

[corbetphantom]

Mertshak Yancer

The Alpha nodded at the pack's approval. "Very well then, try to make her feel welcome."

He smiled as the circle broke up, despite the tragedy, things were not as bad as they could have been. They had gained a new pup, and they had also gained a new member.

But he knew that Moonfire would be in a pretty bad way, so he made his way to the trailer to comfort her. He opened the door and looked at her, "Hey kid...how you holding up?"

Despite the apparent looseness of his words, his face showed genuine concern for Moonfire's mental well-being.

 

[AngelofDeath]

"I'm not a kid." she said rather harshly before laying down on his bed. "it's not fair. Starfire should still be here. She sould have told me the truth about..." She cloase her mouth and looked away.

 

[corbetphantom]

Mertshak Yancer

He tried lamely to lighten Moonfire's mood, "Compared to an old fart like me, you're a kid." He put an arm around her shoulders, "I know it seems unfair that she died, but you know as well as any of us that we lead a violent life. Better to die in the childbed than at the hands of a hunter."

It was then that he noticed the unfinished sentence in Moonfire's statement, "Told you the truth about what?"

 

[landiek]

Calista smiled down at the tiny girl and then another thought occured to her but she didn't let it bother her at that moment.

"Hello there Princess." kissing the tiny forehead that gave Calista the stronger feeling of belonging.

She talked with several of the others that were talking to her and maknig suggestions about caring for the baby as they once had a small one. Even a few questions about where she was going to set up her trailor.

"Ummm I don't have a trailor but I am planning to set up a good heating source so that Vadoma doesn't get cold and I'm going to see about some formula or canned milk to feed her with." Glancing in her backpack and finding that she did have one last can of canned milk. Mentally adding baby formula to the list of things to get when she went with Moonfire to town for supplies.

One man offered her the use of a camper which she thanked him and offered to give him money for it but he refused. "We look after our own, Calista."

What could she say to that. "Thank you then." Giving the man a gentle hug as she was used to that custom. Even if it made him feel strange to receive such form of passion that wasn't normal to him. Calista would take getting used to.

 

[AngelofDeath]

Moonfire bit her lip. it was wrong to speak ill of the dead, but she couldn't lie to her mate, "Vodma wasn't Jorel's child. Vodma's Father was...is a Shadow. i saw the mark on her shoulder."

 

[corbetphantom]

Mertshak Yancer

"Hmm. This is not as bad as it may seem. I have been seeking a more permant alliance with the Shadows."

He stood up and started pacing. "I shall go see their Alpha tomorrow and tell them of the babe. Perhaps I can convince her that if the two of them were able to look past the barrier of clan, that we as leaders might be able to as well, for the good of us all."

 

[AngelofDeath]

"And what of those in the clan that hate the Shadows. You can't make them except love or like Vodma. Or even Respect her. And you know they raise thier children the same. When the truth comes out how do you expect her to find a mate."

 

[corbetphantom]

"They would not dare oppose me in any public way. I have defeated all who challenged my right to rule." Mertshak growled deep in his throat. "If there are those who are so offended by the presence of the Shadows, let them leave. We have no true quarrel with the Shadows, other than an accident of birth. I refuse to lead my people in a pointless war. If we must defend ourself, so be it. But we will not start a war, and we will seek peace when possible."

 

[AngelofDeath]

"Still blood is thicker than politics." Moonfire curled into his arms and sighed. The loss of her friend even with al of her help still saddend Moonfire. Without thinking about it she layed her own hand over her stomach.

 

[corbetphantom]

Mertshak Yancer

"Agreed. Blood is thicker than politics. And is not war the ultimate use of politics? Besides, we are all weres. We all have that in common. Despite all our differences, that similarity may yet save us, in spite of all the things that might destroy us."

Mertshak stroked his mate's belly and kissed her hair.

 

[landiek]

Calista rose early and walked with Vadoma into the hills and held her up in the soft moonlight. Recalling a tradition that Connie taught her.

"This is my daughter, I bless with love and ask that the spirits that guide the human beings to look upon her with favor. Great Spirit and maker bring joy into this one's life and long life as well."

Walking a little further, Calista noticed the faint glow of a pair of headlights. Noticing the man that was leaning against the vehicle. She noticed the cell phone on the the sand as she walked closer.

hmmmmm seems that someone had some car trouble. Holing Vadoma closer and setting into view she called out "ARE YOU HURT?"

Waiting for a response before she moved any closer. After all she was learning constantly, one had to be wary of hunters.

 

[poohlive]

He must have dozed off, cause when the voice spoke to him, it jarred him more than usual. Terran almost fell, if the car hadn't been behind him, he would have face planted into the gravel ditch.
"Hello?" It was someone. A great smile came over him, "yes, hello. My name is Terran. My carp brtoke down, and there's literally nothing for miles around. I was waiting for a car actually..."
Something in the back of his mind said this wasn't right. A woman coming up from the desert with a child, seemingly from nowhere. He should be curious, at the least, of this help that came his way.
But he wasn't. It was too late, he was tired, and a woman, with or without child, would help him.
He walked towards her.
"Do you live around here? Maybe a phone I can get to, or something?"