We Rise From the Smoke

Chapter 1: 4-Years Ago

Nick and I crawled through the bushes in the forest, close to Div's little house in a tree. I could tell that there was an elk about 2 yards away from us, hiding behind a row of trees from my enhanced hearing, the leaves crackling under it's hoofs.

"Move up." Nick ordered, and my eyes glowed yellow, and I grinned.

"With pleasure."

"Liam," Nick grabbed me before I could get any farther away, "don't get cocky."

"I won't, I promise."  But sometimes I knew I was lying to him, but this time I wasn't, and he could tell by my heart rate. Werewolves have that kind of thing. Our five senses our heightened. Stronger, faster, no increase of intelligence, that's our job to complete. Better hearing, better everything. 

I crouched, moving stealthily through the trees until I was a few feet from the elk.

It's ears perked up, and moved it's head in my direction, and I froze, barely breathing. It stayed like that for a whole minute before going back to eating some grass that was popping out of the ground. I gritted my teeth, my canines turning into fangs, and my nails into claws. Then, I leaped from the bushes, tackling the animal before it had the chance to process what had just happened, and before I knew it, I had slashed its throat open. "Got it." I called, and after a moment heard leaves crackling under foot and Nick step out of the bushes.

"Twenty down," He smirked, "aaand. . .at least ten more and we could feed everyone each with one elk."

By the way. . .Nick and I over the past year since we heard the large amount of werewolves all around San Francisco decided to make the pack bigger, letting twenty-eight more in, making a total of thirty. Yes, I know how to do math correctly. 2+28=30.

"We should probably get back with this thing before anything else decides to devour it while we're having a nice conversation, Nick." I said, grabbing the elk by one of its antlers. He nodded, and we started the trudge back to our place.

Ever since we've gotten more Werewolves, Div's house wasn't big enough for all the beta's, including the basement, which is now off limits to only me, Nick, Newt, her and Void, since he knows how to control the Nogitsune a bit. Still learning. So we've decided to allow the pack members to make their own houses with whoever they wish. "Keep your dirty little hands," I shouted, "to your dirty little selves!" I had heard a quote like that before, but I'm remembering little things. We tossed the elk into the kitchen area, where three werewolves had their claws out, and started to skin it and take the venison and other meats that looked good enough to eat.

We have jobs here. The scouts, who of course, scout the city and areas where we haven't been to see if there are anymore omega's. Cooks, of course skin and cook the animals we bring in and use the furs as blankets, carpet, drapes, etcetera. Then there is the Leaders, who is Nick and Newt, who go out and recruit any werewolves or vampires since Div feels alone. Standing out but still awesome at what she does, says Newt when we're at a table eating steak we got from a deli in the city. Yes, we eat other things other than elk and rabbits. We eat Subway, and Jimmy Johns, and possibly Buffalo Wild Wings if we ever get the chance to do so.

I, myself am the leader of the Scouts, and goes out when there is either a friendly or hostile pack nearby. Majority of the time their friendly, and all the packs around here but us are about 5 to 15 werewolves. Div is the leader of the cooks. 

As the food was being cooked over a fire, I walked over and sat next to Nick at a table, where he drank some kind of juice. "Want some?" He asked.

"What is it?"

"No idea. But it tastes good."

I grabbed a glass from the middle of the table, and Nick poured me a glass, and I took a sip of it. It tasted like black and red raspberries, topping that off with lime aftertaste. To me, it didn't taste so bad, but I could see a beta retching over by our town's edge. Poor dude. "Doesn't taste that bad, actually." I said, taking another sip.

"Yeah, true even though it's made from crushed poison berries."

I immediately spit out the juice. "Calm down," He said, "werewolves can heal from poison, remember?"

"Whenever you say 'poison', and I've taken a huge drink of it already, warn me so I don't end up like the poor dude by the edge of our borders." I turned back to the edge, and saw the dude leaning against a wall, his face pale and he looked like crap.

Newt and Void walked over, both holding sodas. "'Sup, guys?" Void said, sitting next to me.

"Try this." I told him, handing out a glass of elk blood I got from a cook that I ordered.

"What is it?" He asked, taking it and looking inside.

"Think of it as a blood latte or something."

"Give this to Div, dude."

"Why?" I complained. "Because she's a vampire and you're a Nogitsune?"

The skin around his eyes went dark, and he glared. "Don't go there."

"Going nowhere."

After that, Void had legit taken the drink and tried handing it to Div, who took it, set it down and RKO'd Void into some logs. I cringed as he groaned out, and rolled away. Div took the drink and I don't know what she did next, but I saw dark liquid go into the flame.

"Nick," I asked.

"Hm?"

"should I go into the city and look for any whereabouts of my parents?"

Nick groaned, as if sounding more annoyed than anytime else I've asked. "Why are you still looking for them?" He asked, matter-of-factly. "It's been over a year since you've woken up in that pond, and you've come up with nothing!"

"Yeah," I retorted, "and it'll keep being like that unless I continue to keep looking."

"Like a one-in-a-million chance, Liam. But go ahead. I'm not stopping you from doing anything. You're old enough now to be able to make your own choices."

"You are making me sound like a five-year old. And I'm 16."

"Exactly."

I didn't want to continue the conversation, so I chugged the drink, and ran out into the forest towards the city lights, and the last time I'd ever see them so beautiful in the dark for a very, very long time. At least a decade, maybe two. I've lost count.