TAKEN

Unwecome Visitors

LONDON, ENGLAND

The quiet alleyway was deserted, save for a stray cat who seemed intent on catching an empty sweet wrapper which was drifted lazily in the wind. It had almost caught its brightly coloured prey, when a shout ripped through the air like a shot, startling the cat and leading to the wrappers daring escape.

"I'm coming to get you!" A young man hurtled around the bend of the alley. He was fairly tall, with a mop of dark hair and a wicked grin. He glanced around for a moment with sharp eyes, before running off the way he came. "Can't hide forever Cass'!

At the end of the alley, near where the cat's sweet wrapper had drifted, a young girl hid behind some bins, sniggering behind her hand."Not a chance, Fabian Drew" she whispered, before sneaking up the alley and heading in the direction the boy had arrived from, her red hair swinging as she moved.

The two had been playing for several hours now. What had started as a game of speed had become one of stealth now they were both getting tired, though neither would admit it. Cass' herself wasn't a massive fan of street tag, but knew better than to refuse Fabian. He would call her a chicken for weeks.  The game was simple. An area of London, usually the outskirts, was marked on a map. You could hide anywhere in the section, but not inside any buildings. They game ended when the person who was 'it' caught the rest of the players, or when the set time ran out. It was a great way to test their animal instincts in an urban environment. Not many wolf shifters live in cities which means less competition, however  the less than ideal environment lead to the development of games to keep everything running as it should. No packs stayed in largely human areas, so the lone solve  worked together  to create a system that worked.

This time seemed to be lasting forever, though her watch said it had only been three hours.  Her legs ached and her top was stuck to her skin by a light layer or sweat.  Pushing a few strands of hair out of her eyes she scanned the darkening streets for Fabian, who was 'it' this time.  She'd had enough of the game and wanted to go back before she had to be carried. Fabian was unusually hood at picking up her scent, so it seemed logical to wait and be captured.

The longer she had to wait the more uneasy she became. It was unlike him not to try and take advantage of her pause to try and surprise her.  Cass's eyes darted nervously about.  The air felt colder than it had previously, the wind whistling a little faste. Cass' made the conscious decision to start moving and look for Fabian, both to speed up the time but they went back to the den and to get out of this particular alleyway.  She made to head back the way she came and retrace her steps when a she heard a slight shuffling sound, like fabric moving.

A shadowed hand lunged out of the darkness and grabbed her face. Instinctively, Cass' grabbed the hand, using her weight to throw him over her shoulder. When he was down, she grabbed his neck with her left hand, pinning him up against the bricked alley wall.  She used her free hand to twist the assailants arm into an uncomfortable angle and applied pressure.

She spared no thought for passers by. Those who frequented this particular area of London knew not to investigate strange sounds. Even  a fool who did would quickly realise who she was and leave in a rush. Which brought up the question of who would attack her? Over the years the collective of lone wolves who stayed in London built a reputation, even among the humans. They were believed to be some sort of gang or cult. Fabian had loved it when he heard and had started calling them 'The Lions', for reasons he'd never explained to anyone else. The reputation meant that few would approach one of the more recognisable members, which included Cass'.

The man pinned against the wall was in his twenties, with short brown hair that sat uniformally on his head. His skin was flushed red where it was slammed into the brick wall. He seemed almost pliant in Cass's hold, not even trying to break her crib on his arm even though it must have been becoming remarkably painful. Instead he said breathing fairly calmly and obviously. Almost as if he was cornered by a angry dog instead of a wolf shifter. He shifted slightly against the wall and then spoke in a long drawl. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you, I just want to talk."  He spoke calmly and soothingly as he tried to come across both trustworthy and authoritative. "I shouldn't have grabbed you, but you did a great job of pinning me. Why don't you let me go now so we can talk?" Still continuing with a soft tone the man tried to twist. Unfortunately for him Cass' had not released his arm or neck causing his shoulder to almost pop out of joint.

"Princess, please" Cass' froze. It can't be him, she thought. Not now, please, not now. Only one person in her entire life had called her princess.  The person who she despised and hated almost as much as her father.  A figure from her nightmares and now she had him pinned against a brick wall. How had he found her?

The man took her silence for shock.  "I know this must be hard Princess, but I promise it's me. Just let me turn around." Numbly Cass' did as she said asked, not really registering the fact she'd allowed him out of her control until it was too late. The man stretched his arm and raised his head to look her directly in the eyes. His blue against her green. He smiled in a self depreciating sort of way.

"I thought for a second you were going to kill me before I could talk to you." He took a step closer and in doing so blocked Cass's only way of escape. "Do you remember me, Princess? We've known each other a long time, haven't we? I'm Darren and..."

Cass tuned out to his passifying words. Her brain was whirring while she tried to think of a way out of the situation she was currently in. She couldn't outrun him at this distance since he'd grab her before she got very far. Fighting was an option but with no formal training to her name she couldn't guarantee she'd win. That left only one option.

She burst into tears. Starting with a lip tremble and soon becoming great heaving mess. He seemed taken aback but quickly wrapped his arms around her, seeming to dismiss her shiver of disgust to a particularly violent sob.  "Shhh...shhhh...you're safe now." He said. All thoughts of explanation gone. "I'm just glad you remember Princess. I was so worried that your time alone would have damaged you in some-" he quickly trailed off, coming to the conclusion that talking about such things might upset her more. "Let's just get you somewhere safe, yeah? There are meant to be all sorts of street gangs in the area." Cass' didn't make  a sound but he obviously wasn't waiting for her to and began to walk in the direction of the main city.

Just as he did so, a door at the end of the alley opened up. The smell of liquor and smoke drifted through the doorway with the light from the bar, until it became blocked by several figures stepping out.

To an outsider they looked pretty intimidating.  They all were wearing leather jackets and scruffy jeans with questionable stains on.  Most were 6" and over, with hard  eyes and hands resting on hidden weaponry. Luckily for Cass', these were no ordinary thugs. They were her friends. Her family. At the head of the group was Fabian, looking slightly sweaty from the game but still formidable. His eyes caught Cass's and she smiled a little, tying to reassure him.
Darren pulled Cass' behind him, which earned either bemused looks or glares from the guys in front of him. Now the danger level had dropped, Cass' could see the humour in the situation. A smirk twisted her lips as he ducked out from behind Darren and took her place with the guys.  Darren looked confused and made to grab the girl whom he now believed to be more traumatised than he'd initially thought. The move only pulled growls from the group of men, so he retreated quickly. Instead he tried to reason with Cass'. "Princess, why don't you come over here? I'm sure these men are very...nice, but I need to get you home now. Do you understand?"

Cass' looked at him with eyes still wet from earlier theatrics. "But I am home," she said in a confused voice.

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