In{Times}Of{Danger}::+::Eleven(Solid Grounds)

The car slowed, coming to a rolling stop as the engine cut off. An instant later, Jasper was climbing out of the driver's seat, coming around to my side of the car. Questioningly, I stared out at the clearing where the road ended. This was an all-too famillier place, and I recalled with clarity the last time he had brought me here- the day he'd told me what I was becoming. The door opened and slowly, reluctantly, I climbed out, forcing my mind to look over the differences between then and now.
My hair was different- it's short crop falling lazily into my eyes, a mess of chocolate and copper, mussed from wind and the snow that still fell in a light rain into the clearing, a white blanket clear to cover the world- another difference; there was no green world of fading summer beauty, but a dying world of first winter. And I understood what the hell was going on with me, that was a bonus. I also did not think I was going to be raped or murdered. Yet another positive. But another thing that was fact for this time was we were here for yet another unknown reason- to me, at least. Everything was so similar and different that the two mixed extremes were creating a whirlpool of thoughts and paranoid emotions to emanate in my mind. Jasper stayed near me, his eyes searching into the woods as I looked to him for answers. He had yet to tell me why we were out in the clearing, and slowly aggrivation was easing away to anxiety as he remained silent, his eyes fixed on the woods, his body taught and ready beside my own- almost as if he were expecting a grand battle.
The trees remained quiet and still, the snow falling in graceful swirls about the two of us as we remained, poised together near the car, listening for what I did not know. The wind had ceased it's battery for the time and the snow seemed light as millions of feathers as it settled itself onto us in a thin satin. Slowly, though, I came to recognize changing shapes. At first they remained in the distance, flitting between trees here and there, almost too quickly to be noticed but for the flurries of snow they quaked behind them.
And then suddenly there was a great beastly snarl- one that sent me back to the day I had been attacked with perfect clarity- and suddenly the twin of the thing that had attacked me swung from the trees, barreling toward Jasper and I. I froze, my eyes wide as I watched the teeth and claws and mountains of muscle shoot toward us; but Jasper threw me aside, sending me skidding away from him as he launched in the opposite direction, the beast going for him.
They continued this for what seemed like hours, Jasper flitting away just in time to avoid a fatal swipe from the knife-like claws, but in reality, it was mere seconds before another of the same beasts jumped from the bushes across from me. It was huge- almost as big as a large Bangal tiger I had once seen at a zoo when I was little; though it had the face and body of a wolf. It's fur was dusted with gold, eyes of clear black stared about, it's gracefully preditorial form planted firmly by the bushes as it Let out a low, menacing growl that made me step back, my head lowering a fraction as I felt a fear of the threat that one sound carried with it. Just like that, though, the cat-and-mouse game between Jasper and the other wolf ceased and the wolf backed off, his head hung low and his tail down, his clear gray eyes moody as he stalked away. Jasper stood, carefully stepping back toward me, his eyes trained on the gold wolf, who watched with a certain amount of interest.
The bushes off to the sides began to rustle, and I felt myself preparing for a fight, ready to dash for cover if needed, as I caught sight of the sources. A Girl with long, burnt red hair and happy green eyes stepped forward, followed closely by a slightly smaller girl with dark brown hair and brown eyes on the right, Just next to the wolf who'd attacked stepped forward a small boy- he had to be no more than eleven, and had short, cropped brown hair and grinning blue eyes. Next came two more boys who looked like they had to be twins- each had deep, chocolate brown hair, not too different from my own, and serious gray eyes. As I was distracted by the newcomers, the two wolves slipped away into the bushes.
For a moment, I could only stare at everyone with a mix of frustration and fear as they continued to step forward until they formed a sort of line, one next to the other with a gap in between the two girls. Just as I was about to loose all patience, the silence overwhelming, the bushes woke once more, and a boy who looked like he was 19 or 20 stepped forward. He had a mess of black hair and bold, dark eyes. Accompanying him was another boy- one who looked about eighteen with spiky brown hair and blue eyes; this second looked similar to the small boy. They both came forward, filling the empty space in the group before Jasper and me.
I could only imagine what one would have seen if you had randomly come upon the scene at that moment. Perhaps your first thought would be a showdown or lovers run off being caught. We did seem to have a distinct distance between us, though, and Jasper stepped a little farther from me, eying them with intensity for a few more moments of silence. I was relieved when the dark haired boy- who was obviously the leader- finally spoke.
"I would like to apologize for my companion's lack of control. The stench drives some of us mad..." His voice carried a tone of demur relaxation to it, while still managing the controlling and confident visage. It wasn't a voice one would easily ignore, to say the least. And yet again, I found myself stunned, and suspended in disbelief.
In this same clearing. In this same fashion. With the same person. And Suddenly, I knew that it was all really real.
I KNOW! HOLY SHIV, Right!?
They were all Wolves... The one who had first attacked Jasper was now revealed to be named James. The small boy was named Andrew, and was, in fact, his brother. The two similar-looking boys were also related- twins, in fact- Named Daniel and Derek. The girls introduced themselves, circling about me as if inspecting my every aspect, seemingly fascinated. The girl who had first stepped out with the red hair was named Cassie, and had a superior air, raising her nose at my presence at first before retreating a distance away to stand by James and watch on. Her companion, the dark-haired girl with the haunting brown eyes, was revealed as Jessie, and stayed close, smiling up at me for a moment before the leader growled, low in his chest, and she shied away, smiling demurely at me before slipping back to his side.
I had yet to be introduced to him by name, but now we stood, facing one another across the space in the clearing, his friends gazing on in intent interest as he glanced at me- head to toe- for a few moments; I remained rooted next to Jasper, His overwhelming scent now more pronounced than ever in the imposing presence of these people. It was quickly becoming apparent that not even one of them was happy to see Jasper, or even slightly welcoming. In fact, they all had the air of being on edge, as though they expected him to attack if they allowed their guards to drop even one millimeter.
And I was still so confused, caught in the middle. Who were these people to Jasper? Had we come to meet them here? What was all of this about? and Why had the dark man apologized for James attacking Jasper in such a cryptic way? What had he meant by 'the smell drives some of us mad...'? And he hadn't even said SMELL. No, he had been Specific, the word like a punch. Stench...
Jasper stepped back, and the others stayed still, the man still inspecting me as my companion tapped my shoulder, scooting me forward slightly- away from himself. I glanced at him, careful to hide my dismay when I saw that he looked concentratedly stern and would not meet my eyes. He watched a nearby tree, his pale face turned away from me so that his blond hair ruffled over his countenance in the wind. It took me a while for the shock to sink in, and in that time, Jasper flitted further away from me, suddenly standing beside the car. I had barely seen him move.
My thoughts made no sense. In the presence of these people, nothing was making sense, and Jasper was quiet for once, not eager to tell me something new about myself. The man who had yet to introduce himself stepped slowly forward, his eyes flitting between me and Jasper before he finally strode over to me, his dark eyes bore down on me. I felt like sinking away, but I steadied myself, glaring as I met his eyes in return, forcing my confusion away. If he was trying to intimidate me, it would not work.
Then, the others came forward, encircling us, a few of them watching Jasper wearily as they grouped, and the rest watching me intently. The shock of a low growl from the man before me sent me back a step, my eyes widening as I heard the threat there. I felt myself lower my head, some latent piece of me willing to obey this stranger, and another, more known part of me trying to will myself to run to Jasper.
"I am Asher, The Alpha of this Pack." His voice was even more intimidating in closer range, and I found myself meeting his eyes once again, surprised, I felt my own brows furrowing in a mirror confusion of his own troubled countenance. "Welcome, Little Sister." And then the others began to dance about, laughing and shouting in glee as I stood in shock. It took me a long while, between hugs and 'welcome home's to notice.
In the tumult of the celebration, the car had pulled away silently. Jasper had gone.
OMFRIGGINGAWD I"M HYPER!
The Sting of the whiskey flowed through him, warming him as much as his marble-like skin could be. Outside, the snow still fell in little drifts, flurrying in the breeze and painting the sill of the window with white. The room was empty but for a cloth-covered couch standing, solitary in the center before an unlit fireplace. The old wood sat in the grate, still unburnt after all these years.
On the third gulp, he finally detected the rust-like taste. The blood was still warm, turning the golden liquid to a deep amber in his glass. He had come so close to being revealed in the clearing, he was no fool. If he hadn't have been able to calm the wolves, his fate would have been no different then the other's.
But She did not understand. He could thank whatever semblance of hell of heaven that had lent him that one gift- or perhaps it was no gift, but a simple warning chance, lent by mistake to the wrong man. For the time, at least, she did not know. But she would know; she would know soon that he had deceived her. She would hate him, want to kill him just as her brethren did. She was becoming what he hunted, what hunted him in return. She was slowly sinking into the dark abyss that was his world. The world he had come here to eliminate from the town.
But he had failed his plot. He may have killed the four of the minor pack in the area, but he had not even thought of the possibility two packs coexisting at such a close range. And now the others were weary and on alert. He had wasted time here. Too much time. And in exchange, he had added an innocent to their ranks.
Another gulp of the whiskey, another punch, draining the glass. He glanced down at it, glaring fiercely as he filled it once more from the decanter in his hand, the amber mix falling like music into the crystal, forming a sea before it calmed it's waves, resting peacefully in his steady hand. Careful, as not to disturb the contents, he lifted the glass to the white light offered by the snow's reflection, watching the world through blood-tainted gold. 0
Kat. She had been a complication he had not counted on; and his interest- obsession, really- with her and her new life had to end. He must distance himself from her, he knew that now. She would grow to despise and hunt him, just as the others did. In time, they might even have to meet in fight; and He could not afford to let her win- to let memories of her blind him to her new powers.
"This unholy world has to end." He murmured, throwing back his glass, sending the alcohol punching through him once more before his hand clenched, crushing the precious crystal between his fingers. He carefully closed his fingers around all the little pieces, as slowly they crunched into his skin.
A small knock at his door had him turning, raising his gaze as a small girl- her pale skin a mirror of his own- poked her head through the door. Her blond bobs of hair fell on her shoulders, held back only partially by the deep blue of the ribbon he had given her himself, her wide, golden eyes watching him carefully. "Sorry to disturb you, but Mistress Alice has arrived. Shall I show her to the drawing room?" Her voice was like a bell, and her words made Jasper smile gently.
Carefully, he opened his hand to reveal the powdered remnants of the glass. Turning his hand slowly, watching the pixie-dust powder glint as it dropped in time with the snow to the elegant rug, he answered. "Yes, please, Maria." Jasper murmured gently, his gold-tinged eyes glancing toward the door as the young vampire flitted out, a sigh escaping his lips. "Yes, Alice, I knew you'd come..." His voice was a quiet murmur as he stepped through the dust, past the couch, and out the door, leaving behind his musings and his whiskey dreams.

Does anyone know what's going on~!?
I do~ -dances around overjoyed- OMYGAWD!!!!! YAAAAY~
Now go read the results!!!
And that is the chapter that has made me loose my mind with excitement. I'm soooo glad you guysfinally got to see this, but wait till the next one... You'll freak OUT. :O