Big Bad Wolfie

I'm no hunter.

Even when it comes to animals, I'm not fond of having to chase my pray. It gives me too many opportunities to feel guilty about taking a life and just decide to go get something from a store that somebody else has killed for me instead.

But when The Hybrid King took off towards our people with deadly poison leaking from his already lethal fangs.

I had no trouble sprinting after him and giving chase.

And when I catch him. ...

It'll be the end of him.

Before I caught up, I made sure nobody was following. I'm not letting any of them get hurt like Wolfie did.

By the time I'd get the poison removed from them, The Hybrid King would already have made it to the first hideout.

I don't have to worry about that though, because the others are coming, just keeping a safe distance behind me.

Thank the goddess.

I'll try and make this quick.

I felt less remorse for The Hybrid King as I jumped onto his back and dug my claws into his flanks than I do for the cow when I bite into a juicy hamburger.

I dug my feet into the ground to slow him down and let my claws drag through his skin.

He gave a resounding growl as he slid to a halt and tried to snap at my arms with his powerful jaws.

I wasn't having any of it.

I grabbed his lower leg and put all the force in me into kicking it in half.

After hearing the bone crack and The Hybrid King howl, I jumped up before he could retaliate and landed my foot directly onto where he had been cut by the poison dagger across his back.

The impact made him bend his front legs as he tried to shake me off, but I just wrapped may arms around his neck in a bear hug and sunk my talons into his cheeks.

I meant it when I said that this ends now.

He tried to shift so I'd lose my grip, but that was the dumbest thing he could have done.

For the second he used to shift into his vampire form expertly, he was defenseless.

Using my new found indifference, created by the bomb that he triggered and my talent making a perfect storm...

I sunk my fangs into the side of his neck. And at the same time that I yanked all the veins and ligaments in my mouth out, I tore more skin with my claws, pushed against his shifting body with my feet and ended him.

I tore his head off and threw it across the field.

I heard the running footsteps of my friends come to a halt.

"You did it," I heard Marco whisper.

"He's dead!" Brandon breathed.

"Holy crap we're alive!" Rose hollered and jumped into Brandon's arms.

The effects of the bomb are wearing thin now...

I was so high on adrenaline just a few seconds ago... Now I can't even think about celebrating for a second.

Crazy how things like that happen, huh?

All I can do is lay here and stare up at the sky.

I'd recognize the weight of the world crashing back down on me from anywhere.

I sank down into the hole created by the explosion. Deeper.

Deeper...

Deep-

"Maria!" Jason was dropped next to me by a panting Happy.

He didn't say anything.

He just dove on top of me and clutched me close to him.

I gasped in pain after my mate embraced me like this.

Not in physical pain, that hasn't processed yet.

In all the pain I said was for later. I felt it.

"I've got you, love."

And I kept sinking.

But he held me while I did.

We both know I'm going to be sinking for a while, but he still clutched me like he never wanted to be away from me.

And it made the pitch blackness of the hole a little less intimidating.

Everyone stood in exhausted, shocked, mournful, and grieving silence.

The silence was all those things...

But it was also victorious.

Because I can hear the allied houses and packs arriving.

And we've won.

After their king's death, the rest of the hybrid army started running around like chickens with their heads cut off.

They were equally as violent and strong, but they made mistakes, and made decisions that were dumb as rocks. So it wasn't difficult after they were heavily out numbered to wipe them out.

I guess we were right about The Hybrid King being all the brains behind the brawn.

Now it's still undecided if the affected houses and packs of both the first Blood War and the Blood War: The Sequel (we're still working out the name) should go out and hunt any remaining hybrids. House Crimson or Silver Moon Pack won't be taking any part in genocide, but I'll still be asked to be involved in the conversation.

I still have no idea what my stance is on the whole thing yet. I want to wait until I have more of a grip on my emotions to think about it. I still feel like I'm watching the world go on from the bottom of a hole, no use trying to form an opinion from here.

But a ceremony commemorating all those pack and house members lost before their individual funerals over the coming weeks is not a time to think about hybrids. It's a time to think about them.

"I'd once again like to thank all the heroes we're commemorating today. My condolences goes out to their families... Your friends, children, siblings, cousins, grandparents, or parents were the bravest among us. It's up to us now to live on with them in our hearts like I know we will... I promise their sacrifice will be fruitful. We will live on with the life they would have wanted for us and have died for us to have. That's how we can honor them best... By thriving. Thank you" I stepped down after getting out the last few sentences of my speech. The sores in my mouth from helping Wolfie healed just in time to give it tonight.

Wolfie already gave his speech addressing his pack, so I don't feel bad about ruining his suit with my tear stains after I ran off the podium and into his arms. He stumbled back a bit, still weakened from the trace amounts of poison I failed to get out, even a month and a half later. He's doing better though. According to Doc he'll be back to normal in no time.

I tried not to get choked up while I was speaking but we all knew that wasn't going to happen. I'm just glad I didn't break down into sobs and not be able to get a word out.

After the speeches, everyone started mulling around to the different stations we had set up. Every six feet or so there was a small table set up with a picture of the departed and a little blurb about them that their families prepared beside it. Finally a small space to place flowers.

Wolfie and I carried boxes with 156 roses each so we could place one at each station.

We stopped and cried at a lot. Sometimes it'd be over someone I'd never seen in my life that Wolfie was close to, and others it'd be the other way around. But we both clung to each other during each of them and cried.

Sometimes we placed a rose onto a mountain of other flowers, and others ours was the only one, but we hit every setup.

When Wolfie reached to place

red

rose on Captain @sshole's station

though, I blocked his path. He

paused for a second to see if I would

change my mind but after a head

shake from me, we moved on, no

questions asked.

I love this man.

We got all the way through 311 stations and reached the last one, number 312.

I read the name on top of the picture.

'Destiny Zummers'

We stood in silence for a bit with only two roses left in my box.

Wolfie turned to look at me. "Do you need a minute? Or do you want me to stay?"

I breathed a shaky breath to find my voice. "If I take a minute? Will you be okay on your own?" I looked up at him.

"Take all the time you need," is the only answer he gave before he kissed me on the forehead and went to comfort another grieving family from his pack.

I looked at Desi, then at the two roses in my box.

I ditched the box and pulled out the pink and white one that were left. The only pink and white ones in the boxes.

I stared at them, then at Desi.

Then I turned around and went straight to Captain @sshole's station.

Or as he's better know as, Captain Talley.

I looked at his picture, he wasn't smiling, he only did that when babies cried, but he looked proud.

Dare I say, happy.

Proud to be in uniform.

Happy to risk his life so other people didn't have to.

I looked around to see if anyone was around. Not many people were still there because Wolfie and I's visitation to every station took quite some time.

But that's why I was comfortable saying out loud, "Anyone like that deserves my respect."

Obviously there was no response. It threw me for a loop though, to speak to the man who never shuts up, with a complement too, and get no snide remark or arrogant comeback in return.

But he's dead now, so I guess it makes sense.

"We sure did but heads a lot didn't we?" I told him.

"I always felt like you hated me. And you probably felt the same. . ."

"I can't imagine either of us were too far from the truth," I snorted.

'... It's kinda crazy we both probably just wanted what was best for each other... What was best for the house."

"You wanted to keep me on my toes and give the house the best leader it could have... And I wanted to convince you to adopt a personality that wouldn't make people wanna punch you in the face so often."

Silence.

I kept making the mistake of waiting for a response.

It just made the silence cut a little deeper.

"So!" I said abruptly. "In honor of keeping the tradition of annoying the crap out of you alive, I saved the only pink rose for you. Because hate isn't the opposite of love, indifference is, and I know you hate pink." Sot set the pink rose down beside the only other flower there.

Then I picked it back up.

"Of course maybe now would be a good time to make amends, Y'know? Because you never liked me in life, maybe I could give you the white rose just to make up for it now? I'm sure Desi wouldn't mind the pink rose. Her favorite color was blue but she was just so young and innocent, I thought white would be perfect. But

if you want white I'm sure she

wouldn't mind pink -"

"Maria dear."

"Ah!" Someone startled me out of my rambling. "Mrs. Zummers," I gasped in surprise and embarrassment.

There was a brief silence as Desi's mother analyzed the situation.

"Is that for him, Dear?" She asked me gently.

I held up both roses and had the same dilemma all over again in my head.

"I think you should give him the pink one. Add some color to his station," she advised, filling me with so much relief.

I looked at the lonely yellow daffodil and nodded. "That would brighten it up a bit, wouldn't it?" and I threw the rose on the table and immediately took a huge step away so I couldn't second guess the decision.

She smiled at me and looked down at the single flower left in my hand.

I spun it around and played with it between my fingers.

We both know who this is intended for.

Her smile becomes sad as she reaches her hand out for me. I take it with hesitation. I'm not even family, I feel like I'm intruding.

But she wordlessly and smoothly leads me over to her daughter's table.

I look down at her picture and the tears start.

As I placed down the white rose next to the small pile that wasn't nearly large enough to do her beautiful personality justice, I said, "I'm so sorry."

"Who are you talking to, dear?" Her mother asked me.

I don't know.

You?

Desi?

Both of you.

I hiccuped, "I-I —"

"Shhh," she hugged me and I couldn't stop myself from hugging her back and sobbing into her. "It's not your fault."

I let out a sob. "Yes it is. If I didn't let her go -—"

"She would have done it anyway, Maria."

I paused, not knowing how to respond, just shaking my head is all I could think of.

"Yes, dear. I know she was timid and peaceful, but she also believed what she believed very strongly. She believed in helping people in need, and no one was going to stop her from doing it."

I started sobbing louder.

This is so backwards. I'm having a breakdown in front of a woman who just lost her daughter.

"Maria, honey. All she wanted in life was to be like you -"

"Oh goddess," I wailed. No no no no. She should never have wanted to be like me.

"Would you say she accomplished that?" Her mother wiped some tears from my face as some of her own fell.

I nodded as more tears replaced them. "And so much more."

"Then she'll be okay, and we'll be okay too, Dear."¶¶¶¶¶¶