"What happened to Acharya?" Ansuya asked.

"We got separated, we were looking for a way to get to them, but Malik seems to be in a much more dire situation." The Matriarch responded.

"Aceso, do you read? Aceso, can you reach Malik?" Ansuya asked.

It took long moments for the radio to respond, Malik was starting to lose patience with these Shape shifters from the City under the Mountain and just when he figured that he was on his own, the radio came alive.

"Yes, I'm here, sorry we had to deal with some minor issues. We're on our way Malik, just hold on," Aceso replied.

Malik nodded and dropped the radio. So, he was to wait. He only hoped that the walls around him could hold out that long.

* * * * *

Javier was beyond bored and frustrated. The girl was still playing with her adopted parent, one of the three grey wolves. Michelle was just as bored as he was, but she kept a silent vigil on the exit to the basement.

An explosion rocked the building above them and the girl screamed at the loud noise.

Javier looked up, scanning around the basement parking lot. There was no outward sign of damage to the building itself, so he figured they were still safe enough down here, away from the fighting.

"What is going on up there?" Michelle asked to no one in particular, as she scanned the ceiling of the parking garage.

"I don't know, but I can guess that those guys up there are having fun in any case," Javier replied.

Something was going on up there, people were fighting, dying, and killing, and he was here, down in the basement, with a feral orphan child who couldn't be left with anyone else. He wanted to punch something.

Pain suddenly ripped through his arm as gunfire sounded from behind and to the right of him. Without needing any more encouragement, he dove behind one of the few cars around him and yelled for his people to take cover. He grabbed at his arm. The bullet had shot clean through, it didn't hit any tendons or anything, which was good, but he was bleeding pretty badly.

"Hysminai, I could use a little help over here!" Javier yelled out over the shots being fired.

The male brown and black striped werewolf, bolted from his place of cover and got shot several times for his troubles. He grunted and tripped to the ground, but was able to drag himself back to his own cover. Javier saw that he had taken several rounds in his chest and legs. It would take him a while to heal even though he himself was a healer.

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Javier kicked himself for even asking for help, his wound was serious but not life threatening. Damn it, Hysminai! Why weren't you more careful?

The three greys were in a protective formation around the girl who was covering her ears and crying at the loud noises.

Javier looked over at Michelle who was scanning their surroundings looking for a way to flank the vamps. Javier nodded and getting her attention shot her some hand signs to show that he knew what she was doing and that he would cause a distraction to break her and Soter free from their position.

But before he could move, one of the grey's bolted straight at the group of vampires. He sprinted on all fours, dodging around cars, jerking from side to side. Javier signed for Michelle to go but before she could move, the grey was dropped to the floor of the basement, about twenty meters from the vampires. The vamps poured rounds into the body, ripping muscle from bone and tearing away his fur. They were mutilating him with their gunfire.

Michelle bolted off to her left to flank the vamps and as she moved an inhuman scream rang out in the basement. It was horrible and guttural and sounded like an injured cornered animal. The emotions that filled Javier's heart at hearing that sound brought sudden tears to his eyes, the loss, the hurt, the pain was something that he couldn't fully understand. It was pure and white hot in its expression.

The yowl silenced the gunfire and Javier watched the vampires, who seemed to be stunned by the scream of pain. Then a flash of orange and black shot past Javier towards the vampires.

The thing was big, fast, strong, and angry. The beast that had come from nowhere roared. The sound was guttural, inhuman, base driven, and it completely paralyzed the vampires. They were unable to raise their weapons at the streaking orange and black beast.

It attacked with a vicious fury that could only be described as wild. The beast's orange, black, and white fur was soon covered and dripping red with the blood of the vampires that it ripped through.

Within moments, the fight was over.

Javier watched as his mind sluggishly worked through what he was seeing and made thought connections coherent to his shocked mind.

The beast was a full-grown tigress. Her face and claws were coated with the blood of the vamps that she had killed in moments. He didn't see any wounds of her own on her. Her gold eyes had a slight green tint to them, which almost glowed in the dim light of the parking garage. She walked with deadly grace as her shoulder blades pumped up above her back with every step. She moved over to the dead Shape shifter, who had reverted back to his native wolf form.

The tigress nuzzled the dead wolf. When there was no response, she sat back on her haunches and yowled. The yowl was even more hurt filled than the first time it had rang out through the garage. Javier's heart went out to the poor creature. But it was Michelle who was standing next to the tigress, offering her claw to the hurt animal. The animal didn't have any external wounds, but the hurt that she felt was expressed in her yowl.

The two grey brothers came up with Michelle and nuzzled the tigress. The tigress swiped at one of the greys, driving him and his brother away. The tigress softly head-butted Michelle's side though and Michelle comforted the animal as best she could.

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