Daymond
Daymond bit his lip to stifle the grandma joke he desperately wanted to make at the expense of Antione’s driving. He understood his oldest brother was trying to be careful due to the fog and two of their moms freaking out. But this was to save their dad, and moving at a snail’s pace when no one else was around was annoying.
But that wasn’t the worst part. “We left our milkshakes.”
Antione chuckled. “We did. It’s not our fault they don’t have to go cups. I’ll buy you something to eat once things calm down.”
“Does that offer go for the rest of us?” Camille asked, winking at Daymond to keep things at ease.
“I can pay for you, Camille. It’s not fair to ask Antione to pay for all of us when he doesn’t have a job,” Bernard said, causing Antione to snort indignantly.
“Who says I don’t have a job? You don’t know what I do when you’re not around.”
“Does that mean you can buy us food?” Daymond and Camille asked at the same time.
“Who’s car is this?” Bernard said a second later.
Antione winced and tried to change the subject. “My mom’s… kind of. Do we want to transform once we get there, or see if we can find them using our human senses?”
Daymond grinned, seeing an opportunity to learn more about his oldest brother and tease him at the same time. “What do you mean “kind of?” Is this a rental? Did she steal it?”
“No, and no. My mom doesn’t like to drive, but my uncle insisted she get a car in case of an emergency.”
“Doesn’t this count?” Bernard asked, looking at Daymond with a knowing smirk, but the youngest boy shook his head.
I’m just trying to keep things moving forward. Silence is the number one stress factor here. We need to keep being positive, or else we’ll never figure things out. He was tempted to say so and almost did when Antione muttered. “I don’t know.”
“Because of your mom?” Camille wondered.
Antione nodded. “She’s… I don’t know how to describe it. She’s normally laid-back in an old-fashioned kind of way. But ever since Robert showed up, she’s been on edge.”
Bernard frowned. “Yeah, my mom’s been the same way, actually. She keeps saying that she’s happy I’m getting along with you guys and that it’s good that Dad is back in our lives, but…”
“I wish my mom was like that,” Camille whispered, looking out the window and hugging herself. “I don’t think she cares about Dad at all. She left him standing in the rain for hours when I first met him. She refused to even look at him.”
Daymond winced in sympathy. He knew enough about Camille’s mother to know that was her being chill. Even though they knew each other, his mother didn’t want anything to do with Camille’s. Maybe it’s time for a change in topic. “My mom said she doesn’t mind me staying as long as I tell her if we’re doing a sleepover. Which I said we are. So, who’s house am I crashing at?”
Antione snorted and took the final turn. They could see the top of the treeline through the fog as if it was defying the formless white mass in its attempts to erase it. The thought made Daymond smile, and it grew when Bernard sighed. “I could ask my mom, but maybe Longnose will let us stay in the swamp with his pack for the night? I mean, vampires are kind of known for being the most active once the sun goes down. And there’s safety in numbers.”
“We’ll see when we get there,” Antione said, parking the car and stretching as everyone climbed out. “No one answered me before. Are we going in as is, or do we turn furry?”
“Let’s stay like this. I didn’t bring any spare clothes,” Camille replied, already walking into the woods without a care in the world. He quickly caught up to her, close enough to brush their shoulders together but not quite touching.
He didn’t mind following Camille’s lead. His sister usually had a good head on her shoulders and wasn’t afraid to get physical when she had to. But there was something about following Antione that felt… different.
“I hate being the youngest,” he muttered, but Camille heard him.
“It’s not so bad.”
“Says the only girl.”
“I won’t be when we find Longnose’s pack, and besides, my gender doesn’t stop me from kicking your butt.”
Daymond grinned, loving the challenge and eager to get his brothers to join in. “You can’t beat me without using your speed. But I can take on all of you just fine.”
Bernard chuckled, elbowing Antione and mock-whispering. “It sounds like he’s picking a fight.”
Antione grinned back, looking at Daymond over Bernard’s shoulder. “It does. I’ll remember he said that later.”
Daymond’s inner wolf wagged his tail with glee. “You don’t need to remember. I’ll write it down. That way, you guys can’t say I didn’t warn you ahead of time.”
Camille paused, sniffing the air, prompting the others to do the same. Daymond wanted to howl. That’s them. That’s Longnose’s scent, for sure, but why are they so close to the treeline? They usually stick to places where humans rarely go. He looked at Antione, relieved to see that he wasn’t the only one thinking it, as his oldest brother tried to play it off with a forced smile.
“I guess we won’t need to look for much longer. Let’s keep going. Maybe we’ll find some squirrels to share with them on the way.”
“I do miss our gourmet squirrel,” Bernard said as Camille nodded.
“Of course you do. I make the best gourmet squirrel in Louisiana. Next time we come out here. I’ll bring my spices. The first thing I’m going to do once I get a job is to buy one of those camper stoves. We’ll prepare food for Longnose’s pack and hang out every weekend!”
“I think I want to live out here,” Daymond confessed. “That way, I can avoid the nine-to-five cog system most people deal with.”
Bernard lightly rapped his knuckles on Daymond’s head while chuckling. “Since when do you talk like that? And I hate to break it to you. But you’re still going to have to get a job at some point. Not everyone in Longnose’s pack stays in the woods all the time.”
“But I could!” Daymond insisted, rubbing his head more to make the others laugh than because he was in pain. Bernard had barely touched him, but it didn’t hurt to play on things occasionally. “I can help gather squirrels and other animals for Camille to cook. We could even make gumbo. Maybe I’ll catch some alligators around here, too. We’ll make a killing while doing our part to keep everyone safe from the local wildlife!”
Bernard laughed, wrapping his arm around the younger boy’s shoulders, and shook his head. “You mean the ones that have been living here since before we were born?”
“Yeah.” What else would I mean?
“I don’t think we’ll be able to make a dent in the wildlife population. If that were possible, this swamp would be empty already.”
Daymond pouted, not quite willing to end the game despite the scent trail getting stronger with every second. “You just don’t want to try. You like the nine-to-five stuff. I’ll bet you work at a bookstore or a gas station.”
Bernard shrugged. “I’m trying, but I also have my heart set on delivering newspapers. I love the smell of fresh ink on thick paper. It’s almost as good as chlorine.”
Daymond stared at him incredulously. “You think chlorine smells nice?”
“Yeah. Doesn’t everyone?”
“I’ve never liked it, but to each his own, young wolves.” Everyone stopped moving as a tall man with a scar running down his face leered at them through the fog. Daymond didn’t need to turn around to know that several figures had already cut off their escape. This was one of Longnose’s favorite tricks.
Antione stepped forward, shaking Longnose’s hand with a rueful grin. “Sorry for all the racket. We were trying to find you.”
Longnose chuckled. “And so you have… But now isn’t a good time. You and the others should be back in town with your father…” Longnose paused and asked. “Where is he, by the way? Don’t tell me you all decided to run away from home?”
Dayman saw Camille flinch and pulled her into a one-armed hug. Bernard shifted closer to them, even as Longnose stared at them in concern. Antione sighed as Bernard pulled out the envelope and stepped back so his younger brother could hand it to Longnose. “Actually, something happened to him… He’s been kidnapped by vampires and…”
Longnose took the note and went pale, looking at Antione with pity… and fear. “This is… not good. Not good at all. Vampires aren’t my favorite foe. Most of them act like they own the world, and the rest of us merely exist for their entertainment.”
“Is that what they’re doing now? Using Dad and Antione in some kind of game?” Camille asked, worry for her brother and father momentarily overwhelming her problems with her mom. It made Daymond smile. He knew she hadn’t forgotten. But Camille always put her family above herself. Always.
Longnose attempted to wrap an arm around Antione, but the boy was already covering his nose and backing further away. “Sorry. I’m sorry. But for some reason, I can smell this really disgusting stench whenever the letter is out of the envelope. Can you put it back, please?”
The Alpha nodded, quickly shoving them into his pocket before turning to Camille. “That’s… also unusual. But we shall see. I’m far from being an expert on our notorious rivals, but I do know some people with… better connections. Let’s head back to our camp for now. This fog isn’t natural. I don’t want to see what it’s hiding.”
Daymond frowned. “I thought Jean-Claude was dead?”
“He is. But Jean-Claude wasn’t the only one capable of controlling the weather. Our world is far more complicated than that. But we’ll get to it in time. For now, we shall try to figure out what our new neighbors are planning while enjoying a nice meal.”
Antione
Longnose gently guided Antione away from the group a few minutes after they reached the camp. This will save me time trying to get him alone. I trust Longnose. He’s never lied to me. But the look on Longnose’s face worried him. The older Alpha was usually calm and in control. The only time that wasn’t the case was during the fight against Jean-Claude and his pack.
Longnose had almost died, and now they had a worse threat to deal with? He followed Longnose to a fallen log and sat beside him, listening to bugs sing, undisturbed by the fog surrounding them. “Antione… has your father told you about vampires at all?”
“No. We were supposed to be focusing on the whole werewolf thing.” Supposed to, anyway. “All I really know is what Jean-Claude told me.”
“And what was that?”
“That they exist.”
Longnose chuckled ruefully and nodded. “That they do. Vampires are vain, cunning, and cruel. They like to play games, but not all of them treat others like blood sacks… I’m afraid this is what they’re doing now… We might be in over our heads this time.”
“Because they didn’t say where I’m supposed to meet them?”
“No. Vampire justice is usually swift as a lightning bolt; normally, they would have killed Robert if he had killed one of their own. I don’t understand why they’re waiting or what they want with you. Do you know?”
Antione shook his head. “I’m pretty sure I’d remember meeting a vampire.”
“And I’m certain that you wouldn’t. Vampires don’t usually do things that attract human attention. It’s one of the few rules we all must live by, especially here.” Longnose squeezed Antione’s shoulder and promised. “I will help you and yours, my friend. We will get to the bottom of this and save your father.”
Antione nodded. “Thank you.”
It wasn’t enough to show his gratitude. Nothing ever would be enough. But he was also the only one Antione trusted to take care of his siblings if something happened to him. So, when Longnose led the way back to camp, he followed without looking back.
