* * *

Andy was thankful the male had remained on the ground, he didn't want to admit the fact that his size was intimidating, but it was the truth. Though Sage didn't hesitate to growl in warning to ether male.

"Torin is the prints we saw before, he lives close by...He'll help the wolf bites." Sage had issued her own arm and Andy took her into his grasp, taking his time to look it over. "What the hell are those things?" He questioned, but Torin's attention was elsewhere as his head followed gods only knows what.

"They're still out. We need to hurry back." The male docked his bow and held out his necklace—While featuring the same crystal as the rest. It was much more intricate than their own, personalized to the point of interest, yet it soon disappeared as he shifted.

Though Sage was indeed correct, Torin was certainly double the size of a normal wolf. But he did not smell like an Alpha.
Not at all.

If anything, he smelled foreign, like a new breed.

From what Andy could pick up, he was indeed a pack member. But the closest pack to them now was either Grey Hallow—And he was certainly far away to be associated with them.

They unknowingly followed this stranger, yet the imprinted smell of those amber eyes clicked once Torin's nose gestured to the markings.

Sage had stopped entirely when she caught the smell of burning ash that flew up her nose.

Hun? You alright?

Yeah, I remember that smell. Demon dogs had that at my pack. Never figure it out...But it's the same.

Andy growled, not at Sage and her explanation, but because these stories simply didn't make any sense.
What the hell were Demon dogs?
And what the hell were they doing near Sage in her pack?

With the potential place to rest for the night, the rest of Half Crescent make their way through the thickened bush and straight to a cabin. While it didn't look in the best shape, it certainly held its own.

"Humans believed that they could catch Bigfoot if they made these camping sites and scatter them around America," Torin informed the group, leaving the door open for the rest—However, Andy plowed his way in first to scan the area.

Yet his eyes landed on the plaque just above the fireplace. This man meant no harm, he was a true nomad. And the Norse symbol disregarded any and all primal urges to fight this male.

"Familiar with it, yes?" It wasn't just his voice that was thick. It was the accent paired with it. "Unfortunately...I've only witnessed the other sort, wasn't a good man." He deemed while eyeing the stranger in a sense of apology.

He called out for Sage and the rest of the remaining pack members to make their way inside. Course Torin wasn't prepared for two pups that hardly reached his knees to come and give their thanks. But he smiled down to them anyhow, and set them off with an important mission.

To search for anything that could be used as a bucket.

"Why do you need a bucket?" Sage questioned, with her head drawn into a tilt.
"Those wounds won't heal on their own, lille venner are going to help me prepare the tonic." [little friends]
However, Andy did not like the attention his female was getting—He understood the natural order of progression, that a lone wolf would seek another lone wolf.

It's what happened in his case, and his growl hardly battled Torin's voice when he spoke.
"Smilet ditt er vakkert."
[Your smile is beautiful.] He said without much thought to the matter, nor could anyone understand him.

Or so he thought.

Andy didn't hesitate to raise back his shoulders with his eyes onyx as could be. "You might've helped our females in the last hour, but stay away from mine."
"Your mark is temporary."
"Our pup isn't." Torin knew that it was a losing battle from the beginning, as the playful smile on his face said so.

So he turned to Sage and nodded, bending down into a makeshift seat and unloading his weapon arsenal. He chuckled at seeing the Luna so interested in his dagger.
"It's rude to touch another person's weapons, Pumpkin." She instantly let it go and mumbled an apologized, and Torin hardly understood why the female was pouting. It wasn't a strange custom to think it was rude.
No, he understood what the male was getting at.

It was rude to touch another male's property when being with another, and of course, the Alpha's wolf was still active on the surface. "A-alpha? I don't feel that good." Koby called out, and that brought Sage to rush to see the etched lines of the bite marks start to blister and burn.

She didn't care that Torin was just behind her shoulder. Without hesitation she pulled her water pack forward to allow its contents to flow out at her will. Her healing skills weren't the best, but they managed for the time being to allow a pause in the break out.

"How many of you were bit?" The male questioned, and Andy turned around the room to see a decent few hands rise up. "Pumpkin?"
"Just one. It doesn't burn badly." She explained, but Torin shook his head. "That's not the issue, vakker. The issue is letting it fester—I don't think you want to turn into one of those." He says without another word.

The pups managed to take out one of their many cutlery, and it was perfect for the amount of tonic paste that was needed to brew, and goddess bless that he was in the presence of wolves and witches. Yet Sage bent down to her knees and listened to every word Torin spoke of.

Desperate for knowledge in any and all things supernatural, the male continued to inform them all. Yet the gasp from Isla caused Andy to frown.

"That's only used for—"
"The undead? I take it this is your first time dealing with them?" Sage nodded quickly and spoke about the other Rogues that were traveling. "America's packs have fallen from what I've gathered, the council is no more, and the packs that have managed to stay alive are struggling." Andy shook his head.

"Heard that Mystic Grimm is doing alright..."
"Of course, they're more scattered this side. For weeks I've been trying to figure out why, but they're reckless and have no dire plan in order. They're just migrating back and forth." Sage narrowed her gaze and frowned once more. "Undead? What's that?"
"Have you heard what a Draugr is, Luna?" She shook her head, and Andy growled just as he appeared closer by her side. "Don't fill her head with legends. What are they really?"

"I understand your concern. I would be worried if you weren't. But by that expression, Alpha, you know what they are." Sage sat back and watched the two males gaze at one another, while Andy was in a silent warning to remain quiet—Torin was waiting for Sage to speak up.

And she did so with an aggravated and gruff interruption on her part. "Let male speak, Andy. I want to know what Draugr are."
"He's talking nonsense." This caused her to frown further, Andy was never this rude in Julian's presence, and thus she rose up to her feet—Dismissing his help and only latching onto him when she was settled upright and dragged him across the room.

Why are you being mean?

This isn't about being mean. He's talking about ghost stories, hun. They're not real.

But we don't know what they were. They have red eyes and make skin burn and smell bad. These aren't normal wolves, I learn a lot of new things when I come out of the cage in Underground. If I think everything is fake or think it's a ghost story, I won't learn. Now shut up. I want to hear the story.

She finalized him with one last glare before continuing off back towards her seat beside the fire and working male. "I understand your frustration and confusion, Alpha."

"No, you wouldn't." He bit back, earning himself another strike from Sage about being rude.
"There's no reason to be angry, little Luna. Your Alpha is guarded. I respect that. The Draugr aren't to be messed with...I am glad I found you when I did." He said, nicking his head off towards Koby, who was withering slightly and groaning.

It didn't stop the method of madness that Sage watched before her, Torin worked just as well and spoke about the dangers that Draugr possessed—But it still didn't make any sense in her mind. What were they?

"They're dead...They're the dead rising up. It's an old Norse myth that involves creatures that have no mind or soul. They're just...walking again." Torin nods his head at Andy's explanation, and Sage is caught in the endless cycle of the unknown trying to kill her.

"What do Draugr bites do?"
"If left untreated, wolves will become just the same—Mindless servants to whoever woke them up." The Luna's eyes go wide at that reveal, that someone intently sought to use them for a reason, but what could that possibly be?

"You said they're mostly in New England?"
"Yes, and I haven't made it close to any willing packs that aren't closed at the borders. I'll admit, they are using their heads for once. But they're fightable, and the bites are curable." He said, gesturing to the said bowl before making his way off towards Koby.

"This will take away the effects of the burn and should heal by morning. I suggest everyone gets treated before retiring." Andy agreed, and the witches didn't hesitate to aid in Torin's brewing of said tonic-infused paste.

Sage sat mixing in the said ingredients right beside the rest of the witches, which caught Torin by surprise. "You certainly know your craft, little Luna. This surprises me."
"I'm a hybrid, my mama is a hybrid, and my papa is a wolf."
"Ah, that explains it. But magic isn't simply for just witches. Wolves can experience their own forms of magic, yes?" Sage found herself stilled at the explanation.

"Like what?"
"This tonic, for instance. Or that we draw our strength from the moon. Shifting into our beasts is not the only gift the goddess gave us as beings. It's been lost in translation over time. Modern medicine has risen instead of herbal." Sage nodded instantly and showed the fine lines that displayed the abuse she faced from said modern torture techniques.

Torin's attention had turned outright. Concern laced his eyes as he scanned over the years of imprisonment. He hardly had to ask, it spoke heavily in the way the Luna held herself and spoke.

"I know wolves from Arctic Crest. They're closer to old practice. That's what my friend says." "You're correct, and they would certainly know how to fight them." That peeked Severin's attention, who was in the midst of binding his mate's bites. "There's a way to fight them? As in safely fight them?"

"Of course, fighting in fur gives them the advantage. And seeing them in skin is much more unpredictable. You'll need to fight them from a reasonable distance or with weapons." That was certainly a sore topic amongst them all.

"I only know how to shoot a gun." She whispered out in defeat, and most of the pack hardly knew that, to begin with. "That's a start, but bullets are a rare commodity as of late. Pure silver too. What I mean are with swords and daggers." His gesture brought them up to his beautiful arsenal that Sage left as a sort of display than actually real and ready to use.

"Careful Luna, those aren't your size. Might have to slim this one down for you." He said with a cheeky grin, though that was soon denied as Andy pulled her back. "I'll build you one, Pumpkin."

She snorted, seeing the jealous look in his eyes that was starting to turn crazed. Which caused her to lean up and kiss the side of his cheek.

Careful. Torin is just a male. I don't know him and don't want to mate him. I'll listen a little but remember what happened before with Lucy.

Yeah, I don't need this Viking to poison me. Funny thing is I'm sure he could.

She wiggled as her smile shined bright, but she raised the small bowl with it painting her fingertips. "Shirt off." Was all she ordered and the male stripped from his layers and sat down, to work with her shortened height.

"I should be doing you first, hun."
"You have more bites than me. It's okay...See?" It certainly was not okay, as the bite itself had looked much more rotten in terms of appearance that Sage jumped at the sight.

"Torin? Can you look at my bite? It looks funny." She whispered out, and the Viking male had finished with overlooking Elena before turning his attention to the Luna.

He took a solid gaze on it and then scooped up a large portion of the paste. "If it's blackened, it needs a second dose. Witches! We'll need another round of buckets" Isla and the rest had shouted their confirmation and switched out the communal bowls with the freshly mashed paste.

"Fortunate that you run with a coven...We wouldn't have enough hands to make the paste otherwise." He said, massaging said paste into Sage—Though she felt a slight burn lingering, she flinched.

"I take it's worse in witches then...Their blood is thinner and sweet—Makes sense." Torin was speaking to himself. It was clear he didn't realize he was speaking out loud until he caught Sage's smile.

"Where you learn all this?"
"I hail from the clan known as Lundr. I was tasked by my Alpha and Jarl to come up with a set of hunters to eradicate their kind. But this is no simple dismissal, they're hunting something themselves." Sage listened intently but held no concept of what a Jarl was or how Torin came to this little human travel post to pose a threat.

"You hunt them?"
"I try, yes...Wrap it firmly, Alpha." Torin interrupted himself and allowed Andy to stop his seething to continue off with said healing. "There are too many to keep track of. The cluster your group ran into was one of the many I've been after. Thankfully they are no more, but I don't doubt that they'll be resurrected soon." When Andy was done with his set task, he analyzed it and made sure that Sage was comfortable and could move underneath.

Once that was set, he allowed the viking's words to settle in his mind, causing him to huff—As well as remove the small bits of skin he removed from the said Draugr previously.

"This isn't Norse, is it?" Andy said, looking for confirmation of his own knowledge. But Torin shook his head.
"I've sent it to all my brothers and sisters in the states. They're unfamiliar with the symbol." Sage moves her head forward and jolts forward to hold onto the Draugr's removed skin.

"That's—That's Master's symbol, bad vampire man...Elena! Isla!" She hardly needed to call them out, the term 'master' had never been used since their escape. Yet the faces of pure terror had caused most of the female population to shiver in pure terror.

"I take it you know of this vampire?" Sage nodded, whispering out the name causing the rest to flinch and cower away. Andy didn't realize how sore of a topic this would be, though he shouldn't be surprised.

It was their life for goddess knows how long.

A heartbeat passed a howl sectioned into the distance that caused Torin to almost cringe. Though it was met with an equally livid Viking who retracted his bow before taking the necessary strides to the exit.

"Anyone who is bandaged and can fight, I'd like the help." He deemed, and of course, Andy could hardly stop Sage when she walked forward to the male and took the offered sword.

She didn't know one movement with it, but one thing was for certain in her mind—The Draugr were on their way.

______

Date: 10/28/22

Time: 8:39

Words: 2830

Author's Note:

And the Red eyes have a name!

What Sage is referring to is what happened in Blue Moon during the scene with the mermaids. There were 'demon dogs' that were released when Sage was being dragged under the water. 

Just wanted to clarify tying up the loose ends here. 

But they will be the big bad right beside Vampire man,
but it sounds like they're one and the same👀

Two more chapters to go in this phase before we're in the countdown!
Chapter 32 out of 37

Will we be able to wrap up everything? I guess we'll find out soon😈

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend, and I'll see you Monday!