Teethmarks and Wolf Pelts

I honestly didn't arrive at Felix's house until about quarter to seven. I may be part animal now, but I'm still a girl. I had showered as quickly as possible, but my haste decreased as I decided I had to look good for Felix. I spent nearly an hour on my hair and outfit, though I put on minimal make-up. I'm beginning to see that, oddly enough, being two natured has really cleared out my pores and so far I haven't had a single breakout. My skin is virtually flawless.

When I do arrive, Felix pulls open the door. It's almost as if he's been sitting by it since he called me, just waiting for me to show up. His brown hair is ruffled and pushed back, revealing more of his forehead than I had ever seen before. His beautiful eyes were rimmed with red, showing that he hadn't slept well the night before. I think back to my dream, and though I had welcomed the sleep I had gotten, my dream has left me questioning not only myself, but even more on Lewis.

I stepped into the house, taking a look around. I hadn't been in here since the day Lewis attacked me, but the place already seems familiar enough to me. There's the large couch in the middle of the room and the matching chairs on either side. I calmly walk over to the couch and take a seat, folding my hands into my lap. Felix joins me. "Where's your mom?"

"At work, the hospital called her in. Look, we have a problem," he says.

"You told me that this morning," I say quizzically. "What's going on?"

"Well, someone's coming over and they might be able to explain it better. They said they'd be here in like twenty minutes. Until then, I have to ask you about something."

"About what?"

"The Reynard came by my house, told me a girl'd been to see him. A werewolf girl who'd been recently turned," he looks over at me, eyebrows raised. I'm not sure why but I suddenly feel as if he's mad I had gone to see Damon, who I assume is what he is referring too. So, just to be sure, I dance around the subject.

"What's a Reynard?" I ask with a slight laugh. He shakes his head, his explanation coming out fast and within his sigh.

"A reynard is a male fox. Since foxes usually don't do the whole pack thing like wolves do, they don't have an Alpha. Instead, they nominate one male fox to sort of be a leader when they need him, or someone who's been recently turned can go too. They just emphasize the term when talking about the leader."

"Oh, so Damon is the Reynard?"

"So you did see him?"

"Well, yes, I had too. Lewis ordered it," I tell him. He closes his eyes- and hard. He squeezes them shut. His hand comes up and he starts vigorously rubbing at his closed eyes.

Felix groans, "It's worse than I thought." He pauses and opens his eyes. "When I got back, Mason filled me in on what's been happening while we were gone. Two more werefoxes had been murdered by Hunters. The first two were very cleanly killed- aconite bullets. The last, the most recent..."

"What about it?" I ask, leaning toward the boy in anticipation.

"He was ravaged. An aconite dagger plunged into him, and the killers literally tore him open. Lyle-something was his name," he says glumly. My eyes widen. The Hunters may have killed Lyle, Damon had said, but it was Lewis, your leader, who was behind it. He ordered the attack! "The Reynard screamed about Lewis... About Lewis being behind the attack."

"He said the same thing to me," I say, adding mentally; "And Connor implied it in my dream as well."

"And not even twenty minutes later, after the Reynard warned us away from his territory, my phone rang. It was a Phoenix number..."

"Who was it?" I ask, but just like clock-work, there's a firm, rough knock on the front door. They knock twice more. Felix flicks his head to the door as if to say, See for yourself. I quickly get to my feet and open the door. To my surprise, Trisha bounds straight into the living room and stops right in front of Felix. Confused, I close the door and return to my seat. Trisha stays standing.

"Trisha, what are you doing here?" I ask. Felix looks down glumly. My gaze shifts between both of them. There's something they know that I don't- something deep and scary. A secret that might definitely impact important parts of not just my life, but his as well. Trisha's eyes are set in a stony gaze but her teeth fumble with her bottom lip. "What's going on here?"

"I found some information about the Hunter I killed," she says. "The one who killed Connor."

My heart suddenly flutters and then takes a harsh drop. Why should I even care? Sure, I miss Connor and it's not like I wouldn't want revenge, but his killer is dead. Ripped to shreds by the woman standing right in front of me. What information could she possibly have. Felix senses the confusion in my body and turns to face me, speaking softly too me, "See, this is the same guy who's killed two of the three dead werefoxes, as well as Connor."

"And that's very odd, even for Hunters," Trisha explains to me. I furrow my brow in further confusion. "See, when a Hunter discovers a two natured... The snuff out the whole pack. Kill them all. This Hunter, he didn't find a pack at all. He was getting anonymous tips on who was two natured and he set out to kill them. He's from your area."

"What does this have to do with Connor?" I ask, just wishing the two of them would just come clean already and tell me what the hell is going on.

"When Hunters go out on a hunt, and if they belong to a headquarters like I used too, and he did, they have to keep records of when they go out, when they come back, and whether or not they kill anything. Also, if they get tips from the Internet or on the phone, those get documented as well. I was able to find the first two records of the phone call -no audio, sadly- but the number was completely phased out. No way to track it."

"And your point is?" I'm starting to get very frustrated by all of this. I'm learning nothing and my anger is clearly showing all over my face.

"I found the one before he went out and killed Connor. The number wasn't blocked at all," Trisha takes in a deep breath. "I called it."

"Well?" I ask, eyes wide. I had begun leaning forward during the last few seconds of her story. If there was some sort of hit out on my friend, then of course I want to know. At first I thought maybe the Hunter had been hunting him the whole time -and he must have, chased him all the way to Phoenix- but someone called and gave this fucker the information he needed to kill my best friend. Of course, who could have known where Connor would have been? Only Tristan, Lance, Bree, Trisha, Elijah, Felix, and I had known where he had gone. Who else could have had that information?

Suddenly, I gasp, already putting it together.

Trisha held out her phone sadly, a number boldly displayed upon the screen. I quickly pulled my own phone out, tapping in the numbers. Before I even pushed send, I know whose number this is, but even as the call is directly diverted to voice mail, I can't help but keep listening, hoping that it isn't true. Unfortunately, the boy's voice is loud and clear.

"Hey, you've reached Lewis. I'm not here right now, but.."

I drop the phone in total anguish. I had wished so hard for it not to be true, and even then I couldn't help but know that Damon had been right. And now... Now there's no denying it. Lewis has been hiring Hunters, having them kill off the werefoxes, and more importantly, Connor. But, why would he do that to his own kind? Why to someone in his own pack? I ask myself, but I already know the answer.

He'll do anything to become the biggest, baddest, most feared creature around! Damon has shouted at me. He's right and it makes me physically sick to my stomach. My hand flies up to cover my mouth.

He's mad.

Felix's arms wrap themselves around my shoulders, pulling me near. He smells fondly of cilantro, a scent so odd but fixating. His arms are strong and protective and in this moment, they are much more secure than I ever thought Lewis's were. At that thought, I feel even sicker. I'd kissed Lewis! I'd kissed the man who had my best friend murdered!

Power hungry.

"What are we going to do, Felix?" I manage to ask, my voice barely audible at all. I feel his chest moving against my back as he breathes deeply. It's a nice feeling; slow, steady, and so sure and constant. Like I can always count on it.

"We can't call him out. He'd kill us all, Hunters or not. And we can't go to the bigger city pack. They'd be killed as well," he says.

"And I shouldn't even be here," Trisha adds, "But I had to tell you this in person. I actually have to get back on the road, head back to Tristan before he finds out where I am. Pack law dictates that since you found what you were looking for, our business is down. I'm not allowed to intervene. But I did. You had to know." She looks down. "But it's all I can do to help."

I nod glumly, letting my eyes stray to the ground. Felix stays wrapped around me and I thank God for that. Twenty minutes or pass and I just sit there, nothing running through my head at all. I'm empty, useless. When I finally look up, Trisha has long since gone, leaving Felix and I alone. Seeing that I'm stable enough to talk again, he pulls away from me.

"We have to tell Elijah at least. Have to," Felix says fast. I hadn't noticed it before, but Felix does seem to be close to the other boy. I had suspected him to be more of Lewis's friend, but looking back, he truly was Elijah's friend. Even in Phoenix, they had done most of their business while together. "He follows Lewis blindly."

"Okay," I say, my voice emotionless and hollow.

"Connor's visitation is tomorrow, right? All pack members are required to go to that. If I'm right, Lewis already suspects we know. I think he sent you to the werefoxes on purpose, Priss. I don't think he expected you to even come back at all. He knows that we at least suspect something."

This is true, I think to myself. After all, if Lewis really expected me to be alive, he would have answered his phone, right? I mean, he did tell me he loves me. You do anything for those you love. And, apparently, you do anything to hurt those who don't feel the same.

Felix continues talking, "Even if he does think we know what he's been up too, he'll show up to the visitation out of respect. We'll out him to the pack there, then he can't do anything about. He'll try and fight us, but we'll out number him twenty-something to one."

"We can't just do that in the funeral home, especially not with all those people around."

"Well of course not," he explains, "Two natured have their own ceremony before hand. That's the way it's always been. We can call him out then."

I look away for a moment, trying not to focus on Felix. Eventually my gaze wanders back to him, my eyes meeting his tired, red ones. I feel so sorry for him, but at the same time all I want him to do is hold me and tell me everything will be okay again. Instead, I have to be a strong, respectable she-wolf and help take down the man who set up Connor's murder. "You're sure we can do this."

"Frankly?" Felix starts. "To be honest, I'm not sure we can. But we sure as hell have to try."



The next day I arrive at the funeral home around six in the morning, dressed in my second nicest dress, saving the best one for tomorrow at the funeral. My hair is pulled back into a tight bun with my bangs curled and parted down the middle and pressed against my scalp by bobby-pins. In my hair is a decorative headband adorned with beautiful peacock feathers. My dress is strapless and comes down to about mid-thigh. it's a loose fitting, light blue sundress with ruffles from the middle down to the hem. The dress is not only beautiful, but easy to move in. Under it, of course, is my spandex shorts and tight sports bra, just in case I need to Change.

In all honesty, I'm grateful to be at the funeral home. After Felix and I made our plans yesterday, I had gone home and waited the rest of the day out. I sat around and watched TV, ate lunch, and even tried reading a book. It got even worse once my mom came home. It had been so hard not to tell her what was going on, what I would be doing at the visitation. But, now I'm here, and glad for it. I had come nearly an hour earlier than the time set for us two natures, which was eight. The ceremony for the humans, though two natured can attend if they wish, would be at ten.

I walk up the aisle, passing each pew and feeling sicker and sicker as I pass each one. The funeral home is large and plain, pictures of black and white scenes -flowers, raindrops, and the like- and a song book in every pew. Toward the end of the room, there are three long steps leading up to a raised platform. Upon the platform, sets a very large, wide pedestal and on top of that is a beautiful coffin made of cherry wood. It is polished and gleams in the light. I cover my mouth slightly and try not to cry as I realize that the casket is open. I can see Connor's pale white face and his curly brown hair. His eyes are shut. He looks as if he's only sleeping.

"I wish you'd wake up," I choke out to myself quietly. My knees begin to wobble, so I take a seat in the third pew from the front, sitting close to the edge. Felix will be here anytime and then we'll wait here until the pack files in. I only wait about ten minutes before Felix actually arrives. He walks in looking as nice and classy as I've ever seen any boy in this town look. He's wearing black slacks and nice polished shoes. His white button up is tucked into his waistline and held in place by a sleek black belt. His brown hair has been wet down and combed over to the left side. I smile at him. He doesn't look half bad all dressed up.

"You clean up nice," I say as he walks toward me. My eyes narrow as he walks right past me. I immediately stand and follow. He sighs.

"You look nice, but we have trouble. He's outsmarted us."

"What do you mean?"

"I talked to the director on the way in. He's a werecat, so he's the one who sets up the special times for us two natured to visit our dead. He said two people had already been to see Connor; a young girl -you- and a blond boy."

My eyes widen and they flick over to the casket. Was Lewis really here before we were? I ask myself. I suddenly feel angry, and Ember inside me roars in outrage as well. Felix and I rush up the steps and peer down at my friend. He looks like an angel, frozen in his sleeping youth. His arms are at his sides and he looks very official. His lips are a pale pink now, rather than the luscious red they used to be. I briefly wonder if it could be like Sleeping Beauty- kiss him and he'd awaken.

Felix, instead, is more interested in other parts of Connor's body. I look at him, curiosity all over my face. "If Lewis came here before us, he had to of had a reason. And I seriously doubt it was the great artwork here," he says. "Here, help me lift this other half."

Felix and I unlatch the second half of the coffin and lift it until it's lined up with the top half. I gaze down at Connor's body again, now fully revealed. He's dressed in a beautiful black tux with a navy blue handkerchief in his breast pocket. He looks spiffy, even for being a corpse. However, just as I'm about to tell the boy next to me that there is nothing left to see, I spy something on Connor's right cuff link. It's dark, almost black, but it's definitely fresh and new. Frantically, I grab for his wrist while Felix watches. I pull back his sleeve, revealing the most sickening thing since I saw Felix Change for the first time.

A long, rough, rigid cut stretches up the length of his arm from wrist to elbow. The cut is deep and black, thick, dead blood has been slowly pouring from the wound. I drop the wrist as Felix checks the other. It's the same case. What seems to be worse is that his arms are extremely light, as if there is hardly any blood in them at all. I peer over the edge of the coffin at the still exposed wrist and see that I'm correct. His cuts are very deep, as if someone had been trying to scrape out every last drop of blood they could. I look away as Felix pulls his sleeve down and puts the lower half of the coffin's case back down.

The cuts keep appearing in the back of eyes, every time I blink. The more I see them, however, I can see that they aren't just cuts; they're claw marks. And not just any claws, but the claws of a wolf. Suddenly, a growl emits from my throat and I'm sure it came from both Ember and myself. My hands tighten into fists and I dig my nails into my palm. Felix is gritting his teeth, trying to hold back his anger, but I'm not. I'm letting it consume me.

I'm done trying to calm down.

I'm done being the little girl who just stays still.

I'm going to fight this. I grit my teeth one last time, swallow every last bit of doubt I have and growl, my voice in a harsh, rough, dangerous whisper. "This ends now." I kick off my heels, right there on the platform. I then take off down the aisle, past the director's office, and through the front doors. I start running across the gravel, the sharp rocks cutting my bare feet. Breathing heavily, I draw in a big breath through my nose, catching the all to familiar scent of pine. My head turns west, toward a small little patch of forest, and like a bat out of hell, I sprint toward it, Felix's foot steps following behind me.