Title: Wolf Pack
Chapter Title: The Fear
Author: Baby Blues
E-mail: purely_blissful@hotmail.com
Rated: NC-17
Disclaimer: Not mine, but the story is.
Summary: A few months later, the weary pack, leaderless, confused, and lost, find them selves in Sunnydale, where Giles' cousin, Ethan, has been living alone for some years now. Not only that, but the family fears that Spike may take the place of Giles as the most dominant and strongest male of the pack.
Dedication: To Nick, my favorite person in the whole wide world. I love you, sucka! (Have you made peace with Justin yet? Lol)
Excerpt:
~Xander: He's not fit to be leader! He's a rebellious waste who will bring us all to our damnation.
~Spike: Hey now! Don't get me started with you, boy!
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The werewolf pack was now separated, living in their individual homes in a town called Sunnydale, California. It was a small place two hours away from LA. It had acres of woods to run in, a plus for the times when it came to change beneath the moon.
It was a frightening experience, especially when they were so used to going down the hall and knocking on their sister's bedroom door or their friend's study room.
It had been so easy and simple when they were all living together under the same roof. The safety and the security they all felt with being together. They were peaceful, and life was more like a sense freedom other than a restriction in which most human beings lived by.
But now . . . the pack was just falling apart. No one knew what to do. Hopelessness and fear had reached them all, gripping their hearts at such a tight constraint that they dreaded what to do next and what step to take. They had lived such a sheltered life away from the village with just their pack and without outsiders that it was just so hard.
Back in Pennsylvania, they had their home and the woods to run wild and free in. For a hundred years, their pack had lived there, away from other werewolf packs and average human beings that they had gotten so used to the protection their secluded lives offered. But along with that safety came the carelessness of the outside world . . . and now, here they were, living in it.
"We need a new leader," Alex said at their first meeting place at Ethan Rayne's home at the edge of town.
Everyone eyed each other for a moment before regarding and sizing them up, contemplating who would take place as their next leader. Too thin, too old, too young, too weak, too small . . . and then their eyes landed on Spike, who sat languidly on a chair by the fire, staring at it with his intense blue eyes.
"He's the finest wolf we have," Joyce said softly. The others nodded in agreement. Spike would make a good leader, if he could just fix or get rid of his habit of breaking the rules and being incompetent.
"No," Xander cringed.
Buffy continued to stare at Spike. The two of them, along with Xander, Willow, Cordelia, Kendra, Oz, and Faith, had grown up together and had always gotten along. But because of the tragic circumstances, they had drifted carelessly apart, like so many others in the pack.
They all held their emotions in check, keeping themselves as far away from the others as possible, afraid that it would all just burst and cause more panic than what they were used to. After all, sadness led to fear, fear was followed by panic, panic led to anger, and anger became their deaths. And not one of them wanted to die. It was something driven in all beings . . . the will to survive, and they all knew they had to survive, and if they showed panic now . . . they knew what was to happen after that.
"He's all we have, Xander," Alex told his son, "And we need a new leader now . . . or else we can kiss our lives goodbye."
The others nodded their agreement, not really knowing what else to do. They were desperate for a new leader, even if it was Spike. He would be a good protector, if not an organizer. That would probably and hopefully come from his mate.
"He's not fit to be the leader!" Xander stood up, trying to make a point, "He's a rebellious waste who will bring us all to our damnation."
Spike stood up and glared at the younger man. "Hey now! Don't get me started with you, boy!" he yelled at Xander as the two males stared daggers at each other.
The pack went into an uproar, whispering and arguing what to do and what choices to make. They had never been in this position before. They always had a leader or a leader who was next to follow. Giles had still been strong and healthy for him to make a decision in who should be their next leader.
They had never been in a situation to decide on their own before. They helped with the choices, but they never actually made it.
Buffy sat back in her seat and looked out of the window, staring up at the dark sky, wishing the Goddess Moon, the mother of all werewolves, was out that night so they could all just run through the woods; free to howl, to chase, and nip each other with playful jaws.
"Now, now," Ethan said and the pack quieted down. "We can't fight over this. That's not the best solution we have."
"Then what the hell are we going to do?" Xander asked him.
"We'll call for the Blood Moon," Wesley, the oldest member of pack said in his raspy yet strong voice. "A battle shall take place on the last night of the following moon cycle. The last wolf standing will become our leader."
A collective gasp and whispers spread through the pack. "That means anyone can join in, even strangers . . . lone wolves that have nothing to do with us," Cordelia said, her brown eyes wide.
"It's the way it has to be, child," Wesley said hoarsely, his withered blue eyes gleaming darkly.
"It's too dangerous," Willow pleaded sadly, hoping anyone can make a better suggestion. No stranger has taken the place as leader of their pack before. All their leaders had been someone they knew and trusted . . . this would put a new rift between all of them.
Not only that, but they had never had such a battle before. Sure they were one the strongest family lines, their ancestors one of the oldest and most powerful werewolves to walk the ancient earth, the ability was naturally in their blood and spirit. And they sparred and hunted in their wolf forms to harness that power, but this battle was to the death . . . and neither of them had killed anyone before.
"It has to be this way," Wesley said, shooting his granddaughter a warning glance. Willow back down in respect to the older man.
"This battle will cost most of our men," Kendra said, hugging Xander closer to her on her seat on the couch.
"This battle is our future," Cordelia said, her eyes full of hurt as she studied her ex-boyfriend with one of her friends. Her and Xander were together most of their pre-teen years, but they broke up when they hit sixteen . . . and now he was with Kendra. Although Cordelia had no more claims on him, her heart was still in pieces because of it. After all, he had moved on, but she hasn't.
Wesley nodded his agreement with what Cordy had stated. "A new leader for a new beginning. The Moon has called it . . . "
Continued to Chapter 3: The Beginning
Back to Chapter 1: The Accident