Hiding Out

[Tigers]

Zora Yeats & Roxanna Volkova

The girls made their way to the common area, taking the left branch of the main tunnel away from the sleeping quarters. The girls walked in relative silence, Roxanna never being a big talker and when she did it most often left her feeling awkward because of her mouth. Zora was the quietest amongst their group, but she had grown in leaps and bounds. She was growing into quiet the beautiful young woman, Helen would hardly recognize her.

Eden was still a bit of a mystery, they had been forced to bond over their circumstances, not that it was a terrible thing; it had given the girls an opportunity to meet someone that hadn’t really known. Roxanna couldn’t help but give some slight covert glances over at Eden; she’d noticed the girl had developed quiet the attachment to her aunt Sasha.

“Hey Eden, what’s up with the hero worship of my aunt lately?”

“Roxanna!” Zora chastised.

“Sorry, wasn’t trying to be rude Eden, I think it’s kind of cool. I was just curious as to why. You’ve never really gone into how you ended up with us?” Rox added with shrug of her shoulders.

“Not that I think any of us ever really asked. I think we all just kind of accepted this was who we ended up with.”

[Tigers]

​Karina Kazlar

​There was sound logic in what Bruno had said. They were without another doctor if they lost Chase, and without Emily here if anything happened to Chase’s ability to synthesis her cousin’s blood for the vampires, they would indeed be limited tactically. She cracked a rare and brief smile when they had agreed to her accompanying them on the trip, not that she wouldn’t have followed them anyway, but she was glad that she hadn’t needed to be covert about it.

When Oksana interrupted, Karina laughed in amusement.

Oksana had not had the life Karina had, but she had grown up knowing the Volkov’s and in that she had more wisdom in subtlety than Chase and Bruno combined. It amused Karina every time the immortals were shown up by the humans. As Karina was learning, there were always unknowns, and even training or long life did not mean that everyone had large perceptions of the world around them. Even the immortals could only see from their perspectives at times, it was refreshing to see humans from this side for a change. Oksana after all was well versed in protecting immortals and in that she knew more than all of them.

“Babushka.” Karina replied to Oksana.

Karina would make sure nothing happened to her while they were out, but she found the older human’s spirit refreshing.

When Okasana finished speaking, Chase finally addressed her about the money. Karina smiled.

“I don’t know yet.” She replied honestly.

“Maybe a new book of places or something with ballet. I want to be able to show Dawn when I see her again.”

When Chase was finished, Karina took her seat at the table. Her mind was on her own family as she sat down to eat, wondering when they would hear from or see them again. She would not be shocked if her father had been out looking for her all this time, safety permitting of course.

[Tigers]

​Sasha Volkova & Phyrre Kazlar

Phyrre had no sooner gone bounding down the hall when the hybrid picked up the same scent that the young fae had. Only Sasha would have known Millie’s pine scent from anywhere, and this wasn’t it. It was more of an earthy tone, and to the hybrid’s surprise it smelled like the ocean, that brine scent. It was a new smell, earth, sea and salt, and it wasn’t entirely unpleasant.

“We have company and Phyrre is headed straight for them.” Sasha replied before leaving Evan.

There was no need to send up alarms just yet and while Sasha went to catch up to Phyrre, Evan would get the appropriate immortals ready, just in case it was an attack.
Phyrre looked at the children with amusement and laughed at their antics. She’d momentarily forgotten that they did not answer her if something needed fixed. But with no apparent injuries, the question was easily forgotten in exchange for watching the boys argue.

“OHANA!” Phyrre squealed.

Someone had been watching Lilo & Stitch and picked up on the names sounding very familiar from the cartoon. She looked again, looking for some of the characters to suddenly show up. To her disappointment, nothing happened. When she looked back at Mokihana, it was a different voice that answered her.

“That won’t be necessary. Her aunt is right here.” Sasha replied with her thick Russian accent as she stepped out of the shadows.

“I am Sasha Volkova, you’ve met Phyrre I see.”

She had been sizing up the group from the moment she could see them, and with her vision having changed, she saw them quite a ways down the hall. There was nothing that Sasha’s senses could tell her that would send up alarms, but caution was something the hybrid no longer took for granted.

“Please, forgive me if I sound rude, but life for our kind has not been very profitable lately, not even among our own kind. Is there something that brings you here to us, we have families to protect, as I see you would understand.”

Phyrre not completely understanding what was going on jumped up into her Aunt Sasha’s arms.

“Phyrre fix?”

“Cuddle?” She added hopefully.

Sasha smiled shook her head in amusement, she could see why mothers didn’t go totally gray; because they had children that helped them stay young through their innocence and laughter. She hugged the young fae close to her.

“How can we help?” Sasha amended.

[Monkey Kitty]

Yakutsk, Russia
Four Years Earlier

Asif tried the lock on the back door of the museum, and found it already broken. The building - which boasted of being the only museum in the world dedicated solely to permafrost - was closed for the night. Someone had already broken in, though, and Asif hoped he was correct in his guess about who it was.

The Zaidi family had not been there when their home was attacked and their community was scattered to the winds. They had been... of all things... on vacation. It had seemed safe enough. As mostly Lycans and one Fae, they were indistinguishable from humans by appearance, and a few months of relative calm had lulled them into a false sense of security. Asif and Samira had been eager to see the permafrost museum, and Lina had wanted to go to the ballet, so they made the trip to Yakutsk - an innocent family holiday. They'd had so much fun...

Then it all went wrong.

They were on the way back to their hotel after the ballet when the news came. Lina was laughing at a joke Charu had made, and as the light of a streetlamp caught her, Asif noticed she looked particularly lovely dressed up for their night at the theater - then Asif's sensitive Lycan nose picked up two familiar scents. A friend. And blood. Lots of blood.

The priest would have collapsed at Asif's feet had Asif not caught him by the shoulders and supported him. "Marek!" Asif said, shock evident in his voice as he tried to process the abrupt turn of events. "What happened?"

He told him. There had been an attack. Their people forced to flee, to split up. The hastily constructed plan. Five years. It seemed like a terribly long time. Asif's head reeled. What about the rest of his friends? Were they safe? Were they alive?

Father Marek was barely on his feet after numerous injuries. Apparently the sight of his clerical collar had not given the mob any thought of sparing him. Asif growled under his breath as he hastily ripped apart his suit jacket to bind the other man's wounds.

It was too dangerous to go back to the hotel. That was obvious without a need for discussion. Within hours, though, the humans found them anyway. Not surprising, as they'd made sure the community was well aware of their itinerary - in case of emergency. It seemed ironic now.

Asif was the only fighter in the group. With him were a woman in a wheelchair, a wounded Catholic priest, three teenagers, and an infant. Protecting them would be up to him. He held the human assailants off as the others fled. And desperate as he was, he managed to finish off their many attackers... though more would come.

When the dust had settled, they couldn't find Samira and Charu. In the confusion of the site of combat and all the strong overlapping smells, no one could quite pick up their scent. Asif had an idea, though. He knew where Samira would go, where she would hide until they could find her, and that she would have taken Charu with her.

That was what brought Asif back to the permafrost museum in the dead of night, long after closing, his theater-going clothes soaked with blood that was (mostly) not his own. During the day - back when things were normal and the world still made sense - Samira had such a good time here, her eyes shining as she moved from display to display, soaking up knowledge like a sponge.

He didn't dare call their names. As he prowled almost silently through the darkened museum, he stared into every corner, sniffed for any hint of a scent...

Then from across the long viewing hall, under a table display of rock strata, he caught a glimpse of light reflecting off dark hair and shining eyes. An instant later they noticed him too, and ran out to throw their arms around him.

"Uncle Asif!" Samira whispered. Though there was relief in her voice, her words were so soft as to be barely audible, even standing right next to him. "Are they okay? Aunt Lina and...?"

"They are," Asif assured her. "Waiting for us. We'll join back up with them. Then we can leave. Go somewhere safe."

He didn't know exactly where that would be yet. But they would be together. They would find a place to bide their time, and someday their community would be united again.

Asif, of all people, could believe that. He knew quite a lot about waiting patiently...

[Anne Elizabeth Baldwin]

Hild-brand, Mokihana, and family

“OHANA!” Phyrre squealed.

Mokihana smiled. "Yes, we are 'Ohana," she said, gesturing to her husband, neice, nephews, and herself.

"Yes, we are," Leinani agreed.

The two boys nodded, smiling encouragingly. Only Hild-brand looked puzzled, before slapping his head and saying, "Oh, of course. Yes, we're a family."

Then Sasha showed up, and Mokihana, Hild-brand, and the children listened attentively. When she asked who they were and what they were up to, Hild-brand stepped forward.

"I'm Hild-brand, a gnome from a nearby gnomish clan. Some of our tunnelers found one of your tunnels recently. I and my wife were chosen to investigate."

"We brought our niece and nephews along," Mokihana added, "We don't mean harm or anything; we just need to investigate anything this close to husband's clan's territory."

[Tigers]

​Sasha Volkova & Phyrre Kazlar


A gnome, what had it been that Millie had told her about these particular types of fae? What she wouldn’t do to have Millie here right now, for more reasons than just this. Sasha thought about all the information that they had shared before realizing she’d been awkwardly silent and hadn’t responded to Hild-brand or Mokihana.

“Please forgive my rudeness. I tend to be a bit protective of our family.”

Suspicious, not too welcoming these days, there were many things to describe the hybrid now, but she relied on her instinct to tell her about their company. And that instinct was telling her there wasn’t anything maliciousness about them, more curiosity and their own need for caution.

“We do apologize, I was not aware we had dug into one of your tunnels, I hope that we have not caused any damage.”

Sasha paused for a moment, a thought of something she was sure Millie had told her about gnomes nagging at her.

“Gnomes, you are reputed to be quite the tunnel builders. Perhaps you can spare a moment and join me and my mate to discuss a possible alliance?”

It was the first time in four years that Sasha had readily offered such a quick pairing between her family and another. And she likely would not do it again anytime soon, but she felt nothing at all dangerous from them or a need to be cautious. Evan would weigh in on this, as well as the fae standing before them and whomever they reported to, but it was a developing idea that could benefit them all. Picking up on a definite possibility for something good, and lots of cuddles, Phyrre interjected her own thoughts on the matter!

“Ohana! Phyrre loves family, Phyrre loves to cuddle!”

Despite herself, Sasha laughed.

“That you do.”

Sasha made a note in her mind to speak to Zora about working with Phyrre on her speech, so the little fae would not always be speaking about herself in the third person. Then again, it could just be her species and how they communicate. In this moment, Sasha was missing Millie, Sylivia, Katherine and Angelique a great deal.

[Optimus Prime]

Chase Bardou & Bruno Sinclair



Bruno​ watched Karina's face and it seemed to the Vampire that the young Hybrid understood his stance on leaving Chase behind. Bruno truly felt it was important that they kept the only doctor in their group safe. While his own wife knew basic first aid, and could help Chase when needed, Jasmine did not have the knowledge or experience that the Lycan did. Plus, Chase kept making the inoculation shots that prevented the vampires in their group for being solely nocturnal. And they needed them, especially since Emily was not with their group to start it all over from scratch. Bruno returned the smile Karina gave. Over the last four years, he knew it was rare to see her smile.

Oksana cared deeply about the group of immortals she was with, even if she was quite stubborn and vocal. Chase, Bruno, and their families had no obligation to her before this happened. She had barely known them. The community had grown so large before the attack. They had been pleasant acquaintances. Rachel, who had been helping out at the school as a teacher, had given a class assignment for each student to pick an event in Russia's history and write about it. Oksana had volunteered to help any of the kids who wanted with their papers. After all, she had been alive a long time and had seen and lived through many things. She had been helping Ruthie with her assignment. They had been together when the humans attacked their old home. When Bruno and Jasmine had came to get their daughter to safety, they had taken Oksana with them. The elderly woman had been with them ever since.

She laughed with Karina and gave her a smile that a loving grandmother would give a beloved child.

"Dorogoy."

'Darling.' That's what Oksana thought of Karina and all the other children. They were all darlings to her. She might be old, but she had no problem doing her part in helping keep their group safe until everyone could be reunited.

Chase returned Karina's smile. Two in one day, they must be doing something right.

"I'm sure whatever you find will be great and that your sister will love it."

He hoped that in another year that Karina would be reunited with Dawn, Darya, and her parents. While everyone was heading in to eat, Bruno took the list from Rachel and put it in his pocket. He gave his fellow Vampire a smile and said quietly back.

"Of course. We'll make sure she has a good one."

As best of one an immortal child could have in these dangerous times. Jasmine was quite right in her belief that the old Russian woman would have complained if the stew had far too much meat. Instead, she thought it was perfect. She told Jasmine with a smile.

"Jasmine, this is ideal'no."

Piao and Toby agreed. It was a typical meal for the group until Piao said.

"Daddy? Do you smell a cat?"

The young Lycan sniffed the air and smelled something definitely feline outside their home. Two of them. Chase frowned.

"Yeah-"

Odd, they didn't have a cat in the house and no strays had made a home around them. Toby confirmed he smelled it as well. Before they could even guess what it was, they all heard the crash and a yowl. Then came the banging at the front door. Bruno and Chase jumped to their feet.

"The first sound came near the woodpile."

Chase said, which was near the kitchen window. Bruno nodded his head in agreement and reached in a cabinet. Inside the cabinet was a gun safe, it had a combination on it to keep the younger kids out of it. All the adults, Toby, and Karina knew the combination, though. Bruno checked a gun and handed guns out to Chase, Rachel, and Jasmine. He hoped they wouldn't have to use them. But it was better to be safe then sorry.

"Kids, you keep eating. Chase, you and Rachel see who is at the front door. Jas and I will check out what happened by the woodpile. Oksana, Toby, Karina, you all know what to do."

Bruno said and both Toby and Oksana nodded their heads. Their mission was always to keep the younger immortals safe. Even if it might having to move them. The priority was always the kids. Chase agreed with Bruno's plan as he checked his own gun.

Bruno slipped out the back door with his wife and Chase lead the way to the front door. He kept his gun in his waistband, behind his back. He cautiously opened the door and was surprised to see the female bobcat at their door.

"Hello?"

He said, looking over at his wife to not draw her gun.

[Sojourn]

Rachel Bardou & Jasmine Sinclair



"Thank you, Bruno."

Rachel told him with a smile. She wanted to make her daughter's birthday special. After everything Ming had went through in her past, she definitely deserved good birthdays. All the kids did. Jasmine smiled at Oksana when she completed her cooking.

"Spasibo."

'Thank you.' Jasmine and Bruno were pretty fluent in Russian. They had lived for a time in Russia with Nathan. It had made the community's move to Northern Russia easier already knowing the language. The meal was pretty ordinary for their group until they all heard the yowling. When their husbands jumped their feet, so did their wives.

"Mom? Are we under attack?"

Ming asked Rachel in worry as she watched Bruno get out the guns. Rachel checked her gun and put in her waistband. She squeezed her daughter's shoulder.

"I hope not. Just...help keep an eye on your brothers."

Ming nodded her head. Ruthie and Callie reached under the table to hold hands. After everything that had happened, it was natural to be scared. Jasmine checked her own gun and trusted that Oksana, Toby, and Karina would keep the younger kids safe if something happened to them. Rachel followed Chase and didn't draw out her gun. Instead, she was curious who the female bobcat was.

Jasmine and Bruno headed out the back door and went to investigate the noise. They moved quickly and efficiently. Bruno had been a professional boxer in his human life. And both had been taught fighting skills in Nathan's Coven. One had to know how to fight to be useful to their former Master and stay alive. Those skills had proved useful in their new lives away from him. They reached the woodpile and saw the injured bobcat under it. Jasmine holstered her gun.

"Bruno, he's hurt."

She told her husband and had him help her get the wood off of him.

[Sojourn]

Eden McComb



Eden walked with Zora and Roxanna to the common area. Of the two, Eden was more like Zora. She was quieter in nature, but not as quiet as the Lycan. Roxanna was more blunt. She actually reminded Eden of Toby. Toby would say whatever was on his mind too. She missed him a lot. Her cheeks turned a little red when Roxanna quizzed her about her hero worship of Sasha.

"It's okay, Zora. I just didn't realize how obvious it was."Eden said, with an embarrassed laugh. She pushed some of her long black hair behind her ear.

"Sasha saved me. When the humans attacked us, I was going for a walk. By myself."

It had been a huge accomplishment for her to go for a walk by herself. She had used to be so scared. After what had happened, she didn't like going many places by herself. But therapy sessions with Millie and knowing she was safe had helped. She had just starting to accept something bad wouldn't happen to her. That she didn't need AJ, or Ivy, or Toby to take her every where. That she could go places alone and be safe. That Nathan wasn't going to jump out of the shadows and attack her again. The humans had proved her wrong.

"I didn't know what to do when it started. There was so much noise...So much confusion. I felt lost. I just wanted to find my family and my boyfriend. Find my cat. But I had no idea where to go. Or how to find them. I just starting running and....A human had a gun pointed at me. I was frozen when I saw him. I didn't know what to do."

Eden felt weak admitting that. She was a Vampire, far stronger then one human but...She hadn't felt strong. She was still a kid and still healing from what had happened. She had been scared that day. She said with a small smile.

"Sasha...It felt like she was a guardian angel. I didn't even know where she came from but suddenly she was there. She saved me. Told me to follow her and I did. I barely knew her, just in passing, but...I felt I could trust her. She saved me. She didn't have to but she did."

Eden looked down as she continued.

"I'm not brave. Not like her. I wish I was...When I was turned..."

She found herself rubbing her neck, where her scar was from when Nathan Betancourt had turned her. Her eternal reminder of him and what he had done to her and AJ. Even though he was dead, she still saw him in her nightmares. She and her uncle had been on vacation. A summer in Europe. It had been so fun. Until the night they made the mistake of helping an injured Nathan. He had turned them both. Forcing her uncle to help run his brothel and forcing her into his bed.

"....My uncle and I made the mistake of helping a Vampire named Nathan Betancourt. We were human, we didn't even know any of this was real. We thought it was just stories. Movies. Stuff people said to make others afraid."

The months being forced in his Coven had been a nightmare. She wasn't sure why she was telling them all this, but once she started, it just came out.

"He turned us. Forced us to be in his Coven. To work for him...He....He forced me to do a lot things for him...Things I didn't like or want....But I did them so he wouldn't kill my uncle. My mom is dead and I never had a dad. Uncle AJ is the only family I have....I did what he wanted until the community saved us from him."

She sighed and looked up at Zora and Roxanna.

"I guess I kinda hero worship Sasha because I wish I could be brave. Like she is."

Maybe if she was braver she'd still be with her family and Toby.

[Monkey Kitty]

Asif's first instinct was to seek out a Pack, and Lina had agreed. They had been happy in their community; they had thrived there. Before that, back when he was on his own, Asif had found solace in the old Pack that had sheltered in the Budapest subway years ago. There was safety in numbers, and a group was a source of strength - especially for Lycans, who seemed to seek those bonds out like their lupine animal brethren did.

It didn't pan out. Certainly they met groups of immortals from time to time - Lycans, mostly, drawn by the scent of their fellow werewolves. The family soon parted ways with them, though. Many were wary of having Lina in the group, seeing her as a liability because she couldn't move quickly. Asif thought that was silly; she was very intelligent, and surely there was more need for that than for yet more brawn, but the strangers rarely saw it that way. Others didn't want a Vampire in their midst, or were superstitiously afraid to have a priest around. Some didn't want the presence of a small child holding them back. And even worse, a few expressed nefarious intentions toward the pretty teenage girls, and had to be hastily and firmly set straight.

No group compared to the community they had lost. Nothing came close. There weren't even any pale imitations. All the immortals they met were in survival mode, and while Asif could easily have earned a place among them, he didn't want that. He was staying with his family, no matter what. They were the most important thing.

So they stayed together, and managed to stay just out of reach of the humans. Asif and Lina did their best to provide the most normal life possible for their daughter and nieces, though that was hard under the circumstances. All the online classes and homeschool books in the world couldn't make Asif stop fretting that the older two girls should be studying at a university now, following their dreams rather than skulking around in the shadows trying not to be murdered.

This life was the best they had, though, and at least they were together. That would have to be enough to sustain them.