Savage Hearts

The vampire replied softly, "Usually just the one, in a hostile situation. In stage performances it can be possible to influence a crowd, but it's more of a mood changer than thought suggestion." David looked up and down the hallway before continuing, fully aware that every camera they passed followed each of their steps.

"This Lescanzi guy has tried to have me caught or killed before, but I know he's also done work for other vampires. Possibly to the same end. All-around shady guy with a sick sense of humor, enjoys hunting and torturing myths like us. Even if we get out of here...he knows your face now Morgan, and he'll hunt you until he catches you." David paused again, thinking for a moment.

"He fancies those with power though, and is easily bribed and flattered by women. If it comes down to it...you might have a chance at flirting your way out of here. Maybe I can pay him off. But I've honestly no clue what he wants with us..."

At the end of the hallway, a door opened, and out stepped a burly man. Balding and bloating, he nonetheless strutted arrogantly into the hall and stood. He waited rather patiently for the pair to make their way toward him, as a fresh group of soldier escorts began to file in far behind them. The pair was caught between silver ammo and a chrome dome...
 
Hunt her? Bloody wonderful.

Morgan growled under her breath at the very thought of having to flirt with the bastard who'd had her captured - even if she was just collateral damage - and she gave David a look, a fierce expression that despite herself had a strange sense of loyalty to it. "Much as I find myself asking whether I am insane for choosing this; I won't leave you here." She looked away, slightly disgusted with herself and shook her head almost as dog who has an itch might. "Besides, we probably have a better chance of getting out together..."

Her words trailed off as the large man stepped and Morgan immediately bristled, her form shifting somewhere between human and wolf in the blink of an eye. Her fangs were bared and claws out, ears back against her head threateningly as a dangerous growl rumbled through her chest. She hadn't lost intelligence, though. Those men would see her dead before she could reach even one of them and though Morgan didn't want to be here, she also didn't want to be dead.

She found herself enraged and fearful all at once as she took a step back and her ears caught the sound of guns cocking behind her as well. Morgan turned with a snarl, facing one way while the vampire faced the other, her silver-blue eyes narrowed, body stiff. They were surrounded. The werewolfess glanced at David then from behind her black hair and her voice was a hiss between her fangs.

"Any brilliant ideas?"
 
Even sensing the near-static ripple of the woman's slight metamorphasis, the vampire stood still. Taking mental inventory, he heard the stomping of boots and metalic clicks of guns at the ready. The air reaked of fear and fight, and if he had a pulse it would likely quicken. As it was, he hadn't fed enough for his veins to flow and so he remained still.

"Diplomacy?" was his uncertain answer to the wolf, and he faced the stocky man still smirking in the hall. "What brings you out of your sewer grate this time?" David addressed Lescanzi, who continued to smile and fein offense.

"Awh, come now Mr. Stafford. Is that any way to greet an old friend?" At that the vampire audibly snorted.

"I believe we have vastly different definitions of the term. What do you want with us?" The man's audacity had always worn the vampire's patience. Even so David let him talk.

"You know as well as I do that your wolven neighbors have more qualms with your estate than your elders at this point. I am merely a...networking resource, if you will. And the mercenary you two took down earlier was worth your capture. A loss (I thought) on my part, but really a brick in the foundation of my experimental ventures." When the vampire didn't reply he cut to the chase. "They sold you out David. The dogs paid me to see you dead." The creep chuckled at his own pun, and went on to admit his intent. "But you know me, sir. Can't let such a verile specimine go to waste." The disgust was apparent on David's face, mixed with lingering confusion. The troup of officers was much closer to them now, though awaiting orders.

"I suppose there's no paying you off this time then?" David had plenty of funds, had even set enough aside that if this lowlife cropped up again he might be able to appeal to his greed once more...but something was different. "Tell me Lescanzi, why capture her too? She was just -"

"- in the wrong place at the wrong time? Afraid not, chap. Her head has a price as well. One her father will surely be alerted of shortly." At this, the vampire mumbled to the were-woman.

"Anything you forgot to mention? Who are you exactly?"
 
The dogs? Did he mean HER people or some vampire scum?

Morgan found it hard to really focus right now on the words Lescanzi was saying. Good lord, could none of them talk in plain English and tell her what the hell was going on?! So far all she'd caught was that somehow this was not as simple as it looked, having an alternative motive, and that David had been sold out by someone and she'd not been collateral damage as she'd first suspected. THAT part surprised the werewolfess and her silver-blue eyes narrowed further as she glanced over her shoulder at Lescanzi. She growled at the man, wanting nothing more than to tear out his throat and watch the blood bubble up, listen to him choking on it as the life bled from his eyes. It was a satisfying thought, but one she knew she wouldn't get the opportunity to act on - at least not now.

At David's question, she smirked. Fear still simmered in her veins, but battle fury did as well and her claws itched to find supple human flesh...if only she could get around those bullets. They were the only thing keep her stationary as her blood roared through her, ready to fight. Diplomacy was certainly NOT going to get them out of this.

"I am Morgan Alpha's-Daughter of the Howler Pack. Morgan Howler, just like I told you." If he'd been under a rock for too long to recognize the significance of that name, it wasn't her fault.

Morgan addressed her next words to Lescanzi, turning to face him, straightening like the proud creature she was, silver-blue eyes spitting fire. "What are you going to do with us? And answer me plainly you piece of s***. That's the least you can do before you do moon-knows what to me."
 
As much as David knew about the werewolves, he hadn't kept close track of names. Indeed, he'd hardly seen them in his part of the woods until recently and thought they did well to blend amomgst humans. But alpha he certainly understood, and the title brought a sick glimmer to Lescanzi's beady eyes as he signalled his men at ease. His retort was snarled and very obviously meant to get a reaction.

"To breed you Morgan. Like the b**** you are." While David realized this human was pushing buttons and was used to such insulting phrases from him, he became rather fed up with their captor's sass and turned to count the men behind them. Disarmed by instruction meant they'd lose their jobs if they were to harm their superior's "subjects," but any man would raise his weapon against an assailant.

Meeting eyes with the nearest soldier though, the vampire realized they were less than human...latex-covered robotics or some cyber-human AI. Either way, much more predictable and in some ways easier to fight. At the very least, they needed input in order to act - and it appeared the group followed signal from the point man. So as long as they could silence Lescanzi fast enough...

The vampire remained still, tense in observation of the female beside him. By the time the human psychopath was blabbing about the possible bastard offspring of a vampire and werewolf hybrid, David was bracing himself for bloodshed.
 
Morgan stayed frozen as she listened to the man speak, but that only lasted long enough for her rage to reach its boiling point before she leaped, uncaring of the consequences. Who cared if she died? It would be better than being raped and tortured and having her spirit broken. She'd rather die, just like Lescanzi was about to because Morgan was anything but slow. No, when she struck, it was with a speed that was astonishing and a cunning that most didn't notice at first, thinking her out of control. Her body shifted even as she soared through the air and it wasn't a woman who crashed into the creep, it was a nearly three hundred pound black wolf with fangs as long as the man's fingers.

She missed his neck only by a hair and her next bite landed on his arm as it came up to shield his face and Morgan felt the gratifying crunch of bone breaking as blood filled her mouth and a scream filled her ears. She let go, slashing again at the bloated human who'd DARED to capture her, hurt her, insult her...and then Morgan felt herself being grabbed by her scruff, torn away from the man as she let out a savage snarl, enraged as she turned on the person who'd interrupted her blood craze.

Her silver-blue eyes met ones of gold, the eyes of a male werewolf shifted into his war-form, half human and half wolf, clearly stronger than her as he kept a hold on her fur. Morgan felt shock dampen her anger and then she didn't feel anything at all as said werewolf injected her with a needle and her world slowly went black.

The male werewolf, who'd appeared shortly after the fight had started, looking at Lescanzi who was on the floor and then at David who was once again held at gunpoint but the soldiers who had obviously been programmed in the event something like this happened. "What do you want done with them?" The werewolf, obviously loyal to the creep of a man in some way or another looked down at Morgan, still in her giant wolf form, half dangling from his hand and grinned. "And can I have her?"
 
Lescanzi's screams were satisfying and David could tell his pupils had dilated, everything attaining excess contrast. In the ensuing tunnel vision and tousle, by the time his teeth sunk into the man's flesh, it was a mouthful of leg and blood.

When the male wolf entered the scene, the vampire skitched a good fifty feet away. Somewhat disappearing from being so consumed with blood, moving quickly in the awe and fear of the wolven forms. He then stood to regain some composure. He spat and wiped his mouth with his hand and his hand with one of the robo-guards. It didn't blink. He wondered...but so many flavors, so many smells and tastes overloaded his mind.

Lescanzi writhed on the ground, flinching and trembling with blood loss and fury. "What in blazes do you want with her, you mangy curr?!"
Ever the egotist, the fat lump merely propped himself on the wall. Signalling the soldiers again he yelled, "Infirmary!" A few of them broke off to comply, leaving half a dozen still there at the ready.

"F*** sake, it was a joke. I meant gene splicing, this is a laboratory! Torture is for informants! Stupid c***, stupid vampires. All the same, bloody-freakin-animals..." Lescanzi continued complaining and muttering curses, some not entirely coherent. For better or worse he was conscious.

David was blinking and trying to focus. He couldn't hold a thought...something about computers? but there were none there. Wolf! Man! Morgan...he shook his head and tried to make sense of the bloodied hallway.
 
The male werewolf chuckled, clearly unconcerned about the man he worked for as he looked between David and Morgan, his gold eyes lingering over the werewolfess' form. "She's got spirit. They're more fun that way. The last female you let me have was too tamed." He spoke coldly, emotionless and finally dropped Morgan, letting her body curl in a heap on the floor, still unconscious.

He moved to the vampire then and in one swift motion had struck David hard enough to knock him over and making his head ring even if the hit hadn't broken his skull. He growled down at the vampire, disgust in his eyes. "Damn blood-sucker." His gold eyes looked back at Lescanzi then as the robo-guards took a hold of the vampire and raised him off the floor, holding him securely, guns still at the ready.

"Again, what do you want done with them? You could send 'em overseas. Weren't you planning on movin' business there in a few weeks anyway? Some time at Hawthorne Facility wouldn't hurt 'em....much."
 
The vampire could only snear as his consciousness wavered. This was bad, so bad, but why was he looking so snide? His thoughts slithered and dropped while his mind pulsed and popped, and eventually, blanked out...

"Ah what the hell. I'm gonna be usin' vacation days to recover from this anyway!" He procured a pillbottle and popped one of its lucidities, easing his pain and dulling his mind during his wait on the floor. "Just don't lay a paw on her until my team gets their samples. She's not exactly an average specimine, and I won't spend the money for your transfer if you taint her!"

He had stopped grumbling but was looking around with glazed eyes, breathing slower and appearing to relax a little. Overall Lescanzi handled his wounds rather well, and patiently. He already had a few scars, and would likely gain more. But he wasn't done with his theories, not yet, and the incoming gurney and scurring nurses would assure his survival.
 
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Morgan woke in a cage and in the dark. Her vision spun with the drug that was only slowly fading from her system, but her hearing worked well enough and it told her she was in something that hummed and roared rather loudly. Subtle vibrations under her paws told her that she was moving and her nose told her she wasn't alone; someone was near her...many someone's, but oddly enough, her senses were trying to find only one scent. A cold, granite type of scent, but still more familiar than anything else in this place.

Fear, the smell of fear was strong and blood, dried. Sickness, despair.

Morgan growled, trying to stand to her full height. She was hindered not even half-way up and broke into a snarl that was part angered and part panicked. Instinct took over swiftly and the black wolf raged, struggling against her confinement. It wasn't until sharp pain finally made it through her fur and her nose touched a bar, sending fire through her skin that she stilled again, panting harshly in the dark. Silver. The bars were silver and the pain of them brought her intelligent mind back as Morgan started to be able to see what was around her.

The belly of a plane. She was in a plane with cages all around, werewolves, vampires, a unicorn, griffins, an elf and other types of mythicals inside them.

Morgan found her silver-blue eyes searching for one form, though, and as she calmed, she shrank until she was back to her human form. Her clothes were ripped and tattered, but covered enough for now and she got as close to the bars as she dared, pushing her tangled black hair behind her shoulder.

"David?" she whispered, not daring to get any louder.
 
The vampire felt groggy and sore, but overall intact. Eyes benefitting from the darkness, he glanced around carefully from behind a barred door. More cages held creatures of all sorts and as he stretched rather stiff neck muscles, David heard the panicked sounds of an animal battling its bonds. Quiet followed it and a moment later, whispers of his name reached his cell.

"Morgan?" He strained. "How are you holding up?" They probably wrapped her in silver again, likely had every cage made of the pricey stuff.
 
"I'm about ready to kill someone, but other than that..." Morgan trailed off, not even actually sure how she was. She did know that she felt the strangest relief knowing the vampire was alive and still with her. She blamed it on him being the only familiar thing around and while she didn't like that she was even attached to him that way, she could accept that reasoning...sort of. The were-woman sighed, crossing her legs under her as she was finally able to sit up. The cage was much too small for her wolf form, but in her human form she wasn't all that big and the cage wasn't so constricting.

Still, she stayed away from the silver bars and was grudgingly grateful there was no silver around her neck this time. Perhaps that had been one of the perks of being in her wolf form when she'd been drugged unconscious; she would have simply slipped out of any collar they put on her wolf form once she shrank down to her human one.

Morgan took a deep, calming breath, not feeling that way at all, but anxious to at least fake herself into believing she was fine. "You okay?"
 
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"Well enough I suppose...ugh, but my gut is churning from that lardo's blood. Yuck!" Wincing at the flavor, David's tongue stuck out as his hand touched his stomach. "And I am entirely unsure of how to get out of this mess." Even so, he tried to come up with something of the words he could recall from that lab.

"Is there political unrest amongst your people?" Lescanzi was scum, and the vampire did well to verify the facts of any situation, grim or otherwise. While he had studied many cultures and myths, he just never found a pack willing to share anything about their change, let alone with a vampire. And while he swam through the fog of his mind, he remembered what started all of this in the first place. The hate between their people, one that never made sense to David who had embraced his immortality with a vigor to learn and time to spare. So the bickering of politics and traditions of hate toward one another...just baffled him, when so many other things could be accomplished.
 
Morgan find herself snorting at his first comment, now able to pinpoint where he was in the dark and her sharp eyes just seeing his tongue come out. It reminded her of a child but was strangely funny in this situation. Or maybe that was the stress and fear talking. It was kind of hard to tell at this point, but the were-woman decided she didn't much care at the moment. Amusement was better than terror at this point and she could easily feel both if she wanted to. Better to choose the one that kept her thinking in a sane manner, yes?

Unrest?

Now Morgan did let out a short, sharp laugh and she tilted her head back, getting rid of the hair in her face for a moment, her fingers tracing the burns on her wrist absentmindedly as she answered. "Vampire, my people are constantly fighting amongst themselves. We're wolves, predators. It's what we do. Dominance and territory are the usual reasons for two warring packs, however, most wars don't last long."

She frowned as she thought more deeply about his question, however, and even though he was a vampire and her inclination was to not tell him anything at all...well, they WERE in this together at the moment and if they had any chance of getting out of this it would be by helping each other.

"Though, there has been some serious squabbling with the vampire overlords and the packs in my city. And a new wolf pack has journeyed in. They said they were only passing through, but the tension has only escalated with their presences and they've been here for three months." She hadn't much thought about it as being important before now, but now Morgan had to wonder if all this was connected somehow.
 
"Makes sense." David found her answer pretty straightforward, though the end of it was concerning.

"Let me think, just a moment." He poured through memories and the history of his race that he knew, hoping to find some link that might pull this together. The last time he had met with elders, their plans seemed to steep in manipulation, and David did what he could to avoid being involved. In doing so however, he feared he had been lead astray of vital details. Was it possible that his kind was using one pack to eliminate another? Was this really just a turf war? And why did it matter this century anyway? Even as he thought it, he knew there had never really been peace where vampires and werewolves shared boundaries.

"Hatred really knows no bounds..." He almost trailed off before continuing. "Do you think it's possible...did they sell us out?" How else could they have been roped into this, with all of the general distaste and uncentered dislike, it seemed unlikely that anything else could have involved them. An alpha female didn't just get caught up into things, did she? Something must have lured her that day, or pushed her out...but a ringing in David's head stopped his thoughts.

"Who was that male wolf, do you know?"
 
Morgan let him speak, listening attentively and she would have answered his first question right away, but his second one about the male werewolf made her blood boil all over again. She snarled, nails biting into her palms as she tightened her fists, fangs flashing white in the dim light of the belly of the plane. "No, but if I ever see the traitorous bastard again we're going to have quite the....chat." He voice vibrated with a lower growl and the were-woman had to force herself to get control over her wild side again, running clawed hand back through her black hair as she took a deep breath, attempting to focus on something else.

David's former question seemed as good a distraction as anything else.

"After what I've seen in the last month, yeah, I think it's completely possible that some unholy alliance between those who'd like you dead and the werewolves that are invading on my pack's territory could have been made. It makes sense. If my father thinks that the vampires have taken me or killed me, he WILL call the other werewolves, the two other packs in our city and further out. He's that protective of our family, that rash. You don't mess with his kids."

Her silver eyes looked over at David again, narrowing slightly. "And if the wolves declare foul play with the vampires, it will give your elders, your people, scattered as they are, a reason to fight. There will be war....like there was in the olden days."
 
Vampire and werewolf alike would shudder at the mention of the old war; whether from memory or story, both races had deep-seeded emotions wrapped up in that bit of their history. A personal terror dwelled within David and was sparked by her mentioning, causing him to slump against his barred cell. He began to feel strangely weak in the face of such an idea, that those who were meant to lead either species would intentionally reinstitute such matters for their people. The idea that what they were up against was another war, at what might as well be his front steps, when he had fought against its tradition his whole second life.

"Morgan...I'll be honest. In the face of this, I feel somewhat compelled to unburden myself. Plus you really deserve some insight to what we're up against. As long as I've waited for death, I cannot align myself with such selfish violence. I'm sure you won't believe half of it, and I don't blame you.
"Ironically enough I was a rather bloodthirsty human as far as being a cutthroat businessman goes, but once I had been changed and experienced a more unbridled need to kill - and realized my potentially eternal life - my mentality sort of grew past that. While definitely of a selfish nature, I took to learning all I could. Quite a few of my own disapproved, especially once I began spouting off about the good I thought we could do for humanity. They just laughed." David chuckled bitterly at the thought, the memory.

"'We are what humanity needs to be protected from. Us and all the beasts of the land,' they said. 'Only we have lived long enough to see true nature.' Real egotistical God-like stuff, the sort I just didn't buy into.
"Anyway, I eventually found stories of sabotage from both sides leading up to the war, including some implications of manipulation. No one event could really be pinpointed, they just always hated each other...like it's some necessity of nature. But other than that, there's no sound logic justifying it. We are both just as fantastically horrible in the eyes of humanity, and a war would be so dangerous to our existence. Their knowledge of things like us...there's just so many more of them! It couldn't go unnoticed, and they would be drug into it." Another pause on his part let him finish.

"So...if we manage to survive this...what do you think are the odds you can talk some sense into your people?"
 
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