Shadow of Anubis

The summer's heat is stifling and hangs in the air like a poison. Yet the birds pay it no mind. Some thirty yards away, birds are singing in the nearby tree line. Their songs echo in the large, open sea of tree stumps. Two men are standing in the deforested outskirts of James Madison National Forest in Norfolk, Virginia. Both of their shirts are nondescript, basic, but for a single color. Sweat causes them to cling heavily to their muscular lean frames. Simon Magus, an older muscular Egyptian, dark brown eyes stare out at the horizon of desolate deforestation and old rusting logging equipment. A breeze ruffles his short, cropped hair. "You sure it’s here," he asks?

"That what the prophet tells us," replies Azaria with half-hearted shrug, an Egyptian man half his age. Unlike Simon, his cheeks are fuller and curve down into a jaw which is more blunted.

Simon gazes out trying to see what the prophet sees.

Azaria didn't tell him the entire situation. Instead, he waits for him to enquire further. When the pack leader says nothing, he continues speaking. "There is a wrinkle in the tapestry. There’s a small tribe of wargs living in the forest."

"How’s that a problem." It wasn’t a question. Simon sees a dividing line between his pack which represents their ancient ancestors and their wayward kin. "Drive them off. If they won't leave, kill them. This is too important to waste on mutt wargs."

Azaria side-eyes him. "You can’t be serious. We should talk to them or convert them."

"They have lost the patronage of their god, lost their chosen form, and become the degenerate beast of these lands. Mere simple wolves."

"They may have lost their true form, but seriously, shouldn’t we try? They are distant werekin."

"You see these lands? You see how these people live. This place wasn’t always a national park. Logging used to be this town’s main source of income before it dried up. Only after the forest has been destroyed do people protect what remains. What beast would dwell in such a space? Much less assume the shapes of what dwells within it."

Azaria feels an Antipathy towards the idea, like bile rising in his throat. He has been taught to respect his elders. Simon has been his leader for decades. But it didn’t sit well with him.

"Bring the caravan around and set up camp. I saw a park ranger station a few miles back. You can find a map of the forest there."

Azaria gave an understanding nod, half-bows, and turns on his heels.

Jacob sits on a picnic table in the abandoned campgrounds that serves as their home in the Wolf Woods, also known as James Madison National Forest. The recreational area, which consists of a gazebo and several picnic tables, is surrounded on one side by cabins and the other side by trailers. Their father and pack alpha lives up the dirt road in the old camp counselor’s cabin.

He is wearing his father's old 70's black leather motorcycle jacket and threadbare bell-bottom jeans. There is a notebook in his hand. On the first page there is a finished drawing of a woman with a small downturned nose, almond eyes, delicate features with soft cheek bones, and plumb lips. Leaves crunch off to his right.

"Isn't that Eddard daughter?" His brother Russell says walking up to him. Jacob doesn't bother hiding the picture. "She is totally out of your league. Plus, her brother Edward is psychopath." His brother takes a seat beside him.

"It doesn't matter if she is out of my league." Jacob says defensively. "Father wants me to find a mate in the pack." He folds up the picture and tucks it inside his jacket. His brother slaps him.

"You're a damn good artist."

Meanwhile Edward is attending a meeting in the parlor at their colonial plantation-style home. The son of Eddard Raven, he shares many of his father's features, including a square jaw on a long narrow face and a wry smile. He is wearing high-backed, wide collar, white silk shirt and black dress pants. His sister is nowhere to be seen.

"Where is she," Eddard says resting a hand on a furrowed brow.

"As always, she is avoiding responsibility." Edward isn't sure who spoke. He looks around. "You're the best member of the family. The only one who cares."

"Edward," Eddard says. Edward looks at him startled. "You with me. Where the hell did you go."

"He hates you. He distrusts you. He jealous of you. Your days are ahead of you and his are behind him." Edward looks at his father and his brother William. No one spoke but he swears he heard someone speak. "I'll go get her." He steps into the foyer and heads up the closest stairs which is the left staircase, which connects to the right staircase by the mezzanine. He heads for her room.

"Always her keeper."

"Why are you hiding in your room," Edwards says, barging into room. "Yet again, you missed another one of our father's meetings in the parlor."

Drusilla, the blond-haired adopted daughter of the Raven family, does her best to use the bed cover to hide her black lacy outfit from her adopted brother. Her thick meaty morsal lying in the bed next to her looks on in confusion. From the look of it, the man has a Farmer’s tan. Blood is slowly leaking from the bite mark on the man’s neck. Their courtship has been interrupted by Edward's unwanted and untimely appearance.

"Look Edward, Eddard let her make mockery out of our family. She is galivanting around shirking in your duty. You need to punish her." A ghostly voice whispers. Her sister has no reaction to voice and only responds to her brother.

His sister has no reaction to the voice and only responds to her brother by saying, "That's assuming I care. I'm quite happy enjoying my unnatural life."

The young farmer looks on uncomfortable. This isn’t what he signed up for. He is about to ask if he should leave but Edward continues to rant.

"Yes, yes, galivanting across this valley. Our," Edward says, stressing their familiar relationship. He leans against the white wooden door frame. "You're not concern with our station in vampiric society. I don't know why he doesn't take these lands from house Black. Why he tolerates Russ, and his wolf boys on our land."

"What your problem with Russ," Drusilla asks. She considers Russ, despite his age, to be good-looking, as well as his son Jacob. "What do you care so much."

"Your just like our father." Edward says with a sneer. "I needed you on my side. He listens to you."

"Why don't you try being half the man he is." Drusilla says, attentionally trying to strike a nerve.

Edward's anger flares in an instant and in that same instant, he strikes her across the cheek with no regard to her safety or his restraint.

The young man stands up and moves to shove Edward back.

"Don't," Drusilla says trying to warn the young man. She puts a hand on his chest.

"That's not cool ma..." The man tries to say but the words are stolen from him when Edward tears out his throat. His last words are gurgling cries.

Drusilla jade eyes darken with an ancient fury, and she hits Edward hard enough to send him flying out of her room, smashing through the banister, and falling over the mezzanine. Edwards rises from foyer up and over the mezzanine, baring his teeth. In response, she bares her own fangs and unleashes her vampiric powers. The air become frigid, and a northern breeze blows from nowhere. It's Eddard that ends the battle in a second. Eddard is the eldest vampire of the Raven family. With a single move that defies human eyesight, he sends his son plummeting down toward the foyer and landing with a crash. "What the fuck do you think you're doing," Eddard Screams. Their father isn't mad, merely annoyed. They both have seen their father angry. It's not something they wish to repeat.

"Nothing," Edward says kowtowing to his father.

Eddard looks into Drusilla room and sees the corpse on the floor. His eyes became like a vice grip on his son. "You killed her prey. I told you to respect your sister. You continue to defy me. I will not warn you again. Now dispose of that and clean the mess you made of my floor."

Edward climbs up the stairs this time, heads towards her room, and grabs the still warm corpse. On the way out, grumbling, he shoulders checks his sister. Drusilla ignores him. She changes into a wispy, white silky dress and storms out.

Eddard calls to her before leaving. "Where are you going?"

"Out," Drusilla says not having an answer.

Her father doesn't try to stop her, merely tells her, "Sorry, try to calm down."

Drusilla lets the moonlight be her guide. It leads her down a particular narrow strip of road. A breeze gently ruffles her dress. There are no streetlights. Between her ashen skin and wispy dress, she looks like phantom haunting the road.

Drusilla feels a cold, predatory stare emanating from the darkness. The wind carries the smell of sandalwood and dogwood. Drusilla looks around and catches eyeshine. Jacob steps behind her, barely noticeable in the near absolute darkness. But Drusilla could see the wolf boy no problem, hear his feet crunch on loose asphalt, smell the mongrel on him.

Jacob's smell made her blood boil. It didn’t hurt that Jacob has his father’s height. He stands over six feet. Jacob also has his father’s strong body. Wolves are always muscular. Their metabolism almost completely prevents gaining any kind of permanent weight. Despite appearing strong and powerful, it’s all easy on eyes without substance. Drusilla could effortlessly rip him in half. Lucky for the young pup that’s not her attention.

“What are you doing in the Wolf Woods?” Jacob asks, coming up behind her. His initial tone is pleasant if not little too eager. Did he want to meet her.

“We share this valley.” Drusilla says over her shoulder. “Or did you forget?”

“This is our valley,” Jacob reminds her. His tone still pleasant but now a twinge of annoyance is creeping in.

Drusilla turns around to face him. She did want to have a confrontation with the pup, so she gives him a toothy grin. "Yes, your valley." Drusilla saunters up, swaying her curvy hips, and brings her hand up to caress his face. Jacob grabs her by the wrist. Drusilla playfully nips at him, gnashing her teeth. He pulls a picture out of his leather jacket, hands it to her, and quickly backs away. She realizes he isn’t afraid of her but instead is treating her like a normal girl who is approached in the middle of the night by large and potentially menacing stranger. A normal guy could have potential nefarious life altering attentions. She on the other hand is the real potentially menacing stranger at night. Still him treating her like human being and not like a vampire did more than make her smile. There is a warmth growing in her stomach and she is catching his gaze.

Drusilla unfolds the paper. She has to stifle a slight gasp. It’s hand-drawn pictures of her done with beautiful detail and delicate pencil strokes. She folds back up the piece of paper, stuff it in her bra, steps closer, and angles herself against him.

"I’m sorry if it comes off creepy." Jacobs says looking down at the ground. "I don’t have much interest in happy trees. I think your more beautiful than any of the surrounding nature." The last line in cheesy but it tugs at the corner of her mouth.

Drusilla kisses him on the cheek. "Don’t be so embarrassed. You have some real skill. Maybe I’ll put those skills to use." Her eyes chase the lines of his jaw to his full lips. "So, you draw pictures for all the girls?" His cheeks become ruddy like a forest fire. It's all the answer she needs. "You have a girlfriend?"

Despite the brightness in his cheeks, Jacob manages to stammer, "My father wants me to date within the pack. I prefer to look outside the pack. But there aren’t many wargs in Norfolk. Father frowns on dating humans."

She leans in and nips his neck drawing blood. Hunger creeps up her spine. Her jade eyes glow brightly. “How about vampires?” She asks.

"I don’t think my father has considered it."

She pulls out her phone and gives him her number. "I got to get back." She hesitates. "You live around here?"

Jacob nods back over his shoulder. "The abandon campgrounds. My cabin is on the far right. It's the last one."

"I would recommend coming over, but thing could be complicated. See you around, wolf."

If Jacob had blinked, he would have missed her leaving. She is down the road from him and gaining distance.

Twenty minutes later Drusilla is on her way back to her home on the far side of town. Drusilla hopes that her brothers aren’t home. They would surely smell the wolf musk on her. For a moment as she walks along the private road to her house, clearing the tree-alleyway, she thinks her hopes are coming true. But then she heard the sharp, pompous voice of Edward. Drusilla almost made it inside.