To say things were tumultuous over the last week and a half would be an understatement. The kitsune civil war had come to an end with Tatsu and Shizen victorious, while the Moreland and Tepes family had reached a sort of tenuous peace.
Caleb Moreland had kept his word. No vampires were killed on his excursion into the vampire realm. Sure, he had done some damage but it was nothing lasting. At worse, Wyatt Tepes found himself with a temporary stutter. The same though could not be said of Caleb Moreland.
After a fight with his prized pupil, Caleb found himself confined to intensive care. To defend the dhamphir princess Nyx, Aaron Harris had impaled his father figure with a massive icicle, shattering the hunters ribs and collapsing his right lung. It was only the quick actions of the Tepes family and Chase Moreland that kept Caleb from dying. Still, there were consequences.
Upon hearing of Caleb's injuries, the church flew into a rage placing a bounty on Aaron's head. For three days they hunted the young kintaro, until Caleb regained consciousness. Upon awakening, Caleb asked the church to call off the ransom. Aaron would not die because of him. After all, he had acted out of love.
Although the church did abide by Caleb's wishes, there were still some rogue elements that wanted to punish the young hunter. The chances of finding Aaron Harris were slim, no one had heard from him since he vanished over a week ago. As Chase now sat in his brother's hospital room, he could do little except ponder the choices he had made. Choices that led to his brothers injury and his best friend now on the run. Hearing his phone ring, Chase now reached for it in order to answer.
"Hello?"
"Chase."
"Aaron!" Chase exclaimed, leaping to his feet. "Dude, where are you?!"
"How's Caleb?"
Chase paused, glancing between his phone and his sleeping brother. Aaron's voice was little more than a whisper, the kintaro sounded as if he hadn't slept in days.
"He's going to be okay," Chase sighed. "He's going to be in intensive care for a while, but he'll make a full recovery."
Inside a vacant room, Aaron sighed in relief. Since the fight, the kintaro had found himself running, hating himself for what he had done to both Caleb and Nyx.
"I'm glad." He sighed.
"Things are a bit crazy though," Chase continued. "Connor took over as head of the family. He's been meeting with the church about what's going on. That's not the only thing though."
"What else happened?"
"The Tepes family," Chase said. "They apologized, mostly thanks to Duke."
"What?!" Aaron exclaimed.
"Yeah it was a big thing,," Chase said quickly. "S.P.E.A.R ended up getting involved. Duke spilled the beans on everything. How Caleb only showed up looking for us. How Wyatt was fucking with Caleb when he showed up. How Caleb kept his word about not killing vampires. Hell, Caleb was the only one who didn't walk away."
A heavy sigh over the line made Chase wince. "Sorry." He apologized.
"No it's fine," Aaron replied weakly. "I had that coming." A silence now lingered between the friends, Chase thinking Aaron had hung up before he spoke.
"How's Nyx?"
"Dude she's devastated," Chase sighed. "When you freaked out on her, she took it to heart. She's worried about you though... and she still loves you. She gets it. You came to her protection...even if it was the hardest thing you ever had to do. She wants to see you."
"I can't right now," Aaron said softly. "I..I don't deserve it. I need to...figure some things out first."
"If you're worried about Caleb don't be," Chase said quickly. "He's not mad. I don't even think he's disappointed. He's worried about you. Hell, even Gloria is, which was a shock. I thought she was gonna freak out. Almost did when Caleb was touch and go. Almost had a fight between the Catalyst's family and Harris family. If mom hadn't been there, we just might have."
"Sorry."
"Things are okay now though," Chase added. "Crazier still Aaron, your moms and my mom want to meet Andromeda and Nyx."
"Seriously," Aaron gasped. "How come?"
"They realize how important they are to us," Chase shrugged. "My mom was a bit apprehensive, but seeing as I fought in a freaking gladiator arena, she's willing to make an exception. She's coming over with her aunt Sasha and uncle Duke later this week."
"And Nyx?" Aaron asked.
"She's got an invite to see your family too," Chase said. "Whenever she wants. I hear your siblings are excited to finally meet her."
"I'm glad to hear, " Aaron said softly and for the first time in over a week ago smile cracked across his vulpine face. "When you see her, tell I'm sorry and...that I love her."
"Tell her yourself. Why don't you come visit Caleb right now," Chase asked. "I know everyone would love to see you. We're all just worried. We want you to be safe at home."
Aaron sighed, his shoulders slumping as he now stared out the window. "Get some sleep Chase you look tired," Aaron stated. "And change your shirt, it has a stain on the back."
Chase's eyes went wide as the line now went dead. Quickly checking his shirt, he could see a bleach stain. Aaron was out there, watching. As he now stared out the hospital window, he could see people milling about, going about their business as Aaron seamlessly blended in. When the kintaro would return was anybody's guess.
******************************
"Do you have an appointment?" Malissa sighed as she dimly gazed at the elderly man and girl standing before her. The man shook his head no, the 10 year old girl with lilac hair now stepping forward.
"We're old acquaintance of...Mr. Casseus." she said.
"Just have a seat with your granddaughter sir," Malissa sighed. "I'll let him know that...what were your names again?"
"Dr. Katherine Eastly and Dr. Neil Chapman," Katherine said, a small frown forming on her delicate face. "And I'm not his granddaughter!"
"Fine whatever," Malissa sighed. "Just take a seat. I'll tell him when his meeting is over."
An exasperated sigh escaped Katherine's lips as she rolled her eyes. Stomping back towards the waiting the area, the 10 year-old hopped onto the couch next Dr. Chapman. The tiny scientist grumbling in annoyance as she noted her feet didn't quite touch the ground.
"Well?" Chapman asked.
"She told me to take a seat," Eastly grumbled. "And called me your granddaughter! Ugh, I hate being stuck like this."
"Sorry," Chapman said, forcing a smile. "Didn't realize I looked that old now. I remember when people thought I was your dad. Imagine if they knew you were a month older than me?"
Eastly sulked, letting out an exasperated sigh before glancing at her old friend. Despite being well into his sixties, Neil was still quite handsome. After spending the last 17 years in the kitsune realm, Neil Chapman had developed a rather fit physique. Despite Chapman sporting a rather nasty burn scar on the side of his face, he did appear quite distinguished with his brown and grey hair neatly combed. Still, it did trouble Eastly that her old friend was growing older as she remained stuck in permanent childhood.
"I'm sorry Neil," she sighed. "It's just...hard sometimes. Mentally I feel like I should be getting ready to retire. Physically though....I look like I should still have parental locks on the TV."
"Care to trade?" Neil joked.
Eastly stifled a laugh inspite of herself. Neil always had a way of brightening her mood. Still, she worried what the future held. She was seemingly stuck as an eternal child. What would happen as the years passed? What would happen to Neil in another ten or fifteen years? If something happened to him, would she be left alone?
After an hour of waiting, Malissa called out to the pair. Casseus had a moment to spare, especially after hearing who was visiting.
"Finally." Eastly whispered on exasperation. Quickly walking into the expansive office, Eastly and Chapman beheld Casseus and a woman who appeared to be in her mid to late thirties.
"Dr. Eastly, Dr. Chapman, what a pleasant surprise," Casseus grinned, the handsome executive sporting a million dollar smile. "I'd like you to meet my wife Melissa. Melissa dear, this is Dr. Katherine Eastly and Dr. Neil Chapman. Two old associates of mine."
"Charmed." Melissa smirked, extending her hand in welcome. Eastly and Chapman now shook the woman's hand before sitting down across from Casseus.
"So what do I owe the pleasure?" he asked.
"We came to talk Casseus," Eastly said. "We have some information you might be interested in from the kitsune realm."
"If it's in regards to your dear friend Hinata, I'm already aware." Casseus replied, much to the doctor's surprise. "Judging by your expressions, you thought I was ignorant of what is occurring outside the mortal realm. That is your first mistake. I make it a priority to know what is occurring everywhere and pay good money to stay informed. It's how I know Hinata is currently being held within the kitsune capital as well as the unfortunate accident involving Caleb Moreland."
"I see," Chapman replied. "Then you probably know why we're here?"
"You want my help freeing your friend Hinata," Casseus answered. "I'll save you the effort. The answer is no. My organization has far too much to risk in assaulting the kitsune capital."
"That's not why we're here," Eastly replied. "And while we would like your help, we have something different in mind. Something we think would interest you."
Casseus raised an eyebrow as Eastly now reached into her bag. Carefully, the Lolita scientist now produced a flash drive, which she held out for Casseus. "During Hinata’s campaign we made it a priority to record digital footage of everything," Eastly stated. "It allowed us to gather statistical analytics of the kitsune's battle tactics. It was how Hinata was able to move so quickly during her conquest. It also recored something very interesting at the end."
Casseus watched curiously as Eastly handed the drive to Melissa, the woman carefully studying it. "Play it and fast forward to the end," Eastly smirked. "I think you'll find something you'll like."
Glancing at Casseus, Melissa noticed her husband nod before plugging it into the laptop. Quickly moving through the footage, Melissa paused as she and Casseus gazed at the screen.
The footage playing before then now showed Hinata engaged in battle with a teenage boy. Somehow this boy was able to keep pace with Hinata, useing a sword that reeked of magic. As the battle neared it's crescendo, Casseus gasped as the boy transformed, merging with a seemingly normal wolf to become a hybrid werewolf.
"Is that...?"
"Yes," Chapman stated. "That boy is Mason Harris. Not only did the boy find a mystical weapon, he also figured out a spell to merge with a mystical wolf. Becoming a hybrid who was able to go toe to toe with a celestial kitsune. Can you imagine if he knew how to control it?"
Casseus was nearly salivating as he gazed upon the image of Mason Harris. The raw power this boy possessed was amazing. If that power was possessed by someone who knew how to wield it...they would be unstoppable.
"This is QUITE impressive," Casseus whispered. "Even with rudimentary skills, this boy put on quite a performance."
"Indeed he did," Eastly answered. "And I'm well aware of your...how should I put this? Interest in the Harris family genes."
"What do you want?"
"A partnership Casseus, " Eastly replied. "You help us with Hinata. We help you with Mason. What do you say?"
A wide maniacal grin now spread across Casseus face. Another chance to examine the Harris family genes, this was a deal Casseus couldn't pass up.