Wyrd Girls: Bad Moon Rising

"Alright, here's the plan," Jake said confidently.

They had all piled into the Moonrunners' old van and left Glimmerbrook just as the sun rose. Jake seemed to know the way, guiding them along the twisting mountain roads with determined confidence. Demarco could smell a change in him, a scent of strength that she associated with Rory. The scent of a pack leader.

Returning to Moonwood Mill, Demarco had been ready to charge in at his side. Instead, Jake had first gone to the Jacksons' trailer, checking on the family of normals who lived on the edge of town, before heading toward the town center.

"Kurt says the Collective elders are being held in the Cabin," Jake continued. "The Wildfangs are guarding the trails and not letting anyone cross the river. So, Gwen, if you can find Faust and keep him occupied, Demarco and I will challenge the Wildfangs. Cassie works on breaking the spell they're under and Etta, you get to the Cabin and free the elders. Any questions?"

"Yes," Demarco said. While the wolf in her was strangely eager to follow Jake into the jaws of her own pack, the woman in her recognized that his call for questions wasn't just rhetorical. "First, why don't Gwen and Cassie just turn the Wildfangs into frogs or something and then break the spell?"

"Because," Cassie replied, "trying to unravel Faust's Compulsion, through their own native shifting magic, will be hard enough without adding another Transformation on top of that. It would be like... I don't know...

"Trying to paint someone else's toenails," Gwen offered, "through a hole in their socks, while they're still wearing shoes."

"That happened once," Cassie said defensively. "They were open-toed and Ashley is a brilliant make-up artist... and that was only because you made me late."

"OooooK," Demarco said.

"Anyway," she continued, turning to Jake. "So, are you not worried that we're outnumbered two to one? I mean, I can take Kiril or Bianca in a straight fight, but I doubt I could handle them both at once..."

"I'm sure Kiril's made that suggestion," Etta snarked.

"... and I know I can't take either Lou or Rory in a fight," Demarco continued, piously ignoring her friend's comment.

"We don't have to beat them," Jake said. "We just have to keep them focused on us, so Cassie can work on breaking the Compulsion."

"And don't die," Etta added.

"And don't die," Jake agreed.

"Great," Demarco winced.

"I can help with the 'not dying' part," Gwen put in, holding up a bottle of shimmering violet liquid. "This potion will keep body and spirit together, even if the body is mortally wounded. Drink this and, until the sun rises again, you won't die."

Glancing at Etta, Demarco saw her friend's eyes wide with awe.

"It's quite safe," Gwen added. "We've used it ourselves."

"What the hell," Demarco said, taking the bottle and, in a self-mocking toast, added, "To health."

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"Kiril and Bianca?" Jake asked, looking at the two werewolves blocking their path.

"Yeah," Demarco snarled. "Kiril said he wasn't under Faust's spell..."

"He isn't," Gwen agreed. "Neither of them are."

"We still need to get past them," Cassie said.

"Or through them," Demarco growled.

"I can take Gwen and Cassie through the tunnels," Etta said. "You can..."

"We'll catch up," Jake smiled fiercely, responding to the scent of Demarco's anger.

"You ready for this?" Jake asked.

"Looking forward to kicking Kiril's ass, again," Demarco grinned, pulling her shirt up. "You know," she added, "since becoming a werewolf, I'm recognizing a real plus to not actually needing to wear a bra."

"Oh, yeah. That drives Beth crazy," Jake grinned. "Especially since the baby."

"Oh wow, right," Demarco chuckled before turning a fierce smile toward her treacherous packmates. "OK, let's do this!"

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Etta tried to ignore the clenching in her gut as howling rang out behind her. After more than two years living among werewolves, she thought she'd grown used to the sound.

In the privacy of her own mind, she could admit that it wasn't the primal fear of an ancient predator that caught her breath in her throat. It was fear for Demarco. Even trusting that Gwen's alchemy would keep her friend alive, she knew that didn't mean Demarco couldn't get hurt.

Leading Gwen and Cassie away, she tried to tune out the snarling, violent sound of the fight behind her.

"The entrance to the tunnels is down here," Etta said, knowing she was just trying to distract herself. "One of them anyway."

"Well, I'm glad I brought me 'walking through drainage ditches' boots," Cassie said. "Unlike some people."

"These sandals are very sturdy," Gwen replied serenely.

"The tunnels run all under the town," Etta continued. "We should be able to get closer to the Cabin without being spotted... but you both could just Translocate, couldn't you?"

"We could," Cassie nodded, "but with the other Wildfangs guarding the paths, we might pop up face-to-face with a couple of angry, enspelled werewolves. Dark, smelly drainage ditch tunnels actually sound like the better choice to me."

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Demarco howled, challenging Kiril to get up again and continue the fight. The scent of her rival's blood filled her nose, the taste of it strong as it dripped from her fangs. The fury of the Wolf filled her, demanding Kiril's submission.

The black wolf groaned as he struggled to rise.

Demarco heard Bianca's whimper, as she struggled against Jake's grip. She caught no blood scent from the white she-wolf, but the scent of her fear was strong.

Kiril made a final defiant snarl, even as he bared his neck in defeat and raced away.

Demarco took the moment to breathe, as Rory had taught her. A Wildfang swims in the ocean of Fury, she reminded herself. She does not drown in it. Breathe and ride the tides. Do not be pulled under by them.

She watched as Jake, growling, released his grip on Bianca, who quickly followed her mate in retreat. As she had scented, there was no blood on the white she-wolf. She could smell Jake's blood from the few scratches he'd taken, far less than her own, but Bianca was unmarked. The difference, Demarco thought, between the way the Wildfangs and the Collective fought.