Gathering Allies

"I can't take these vamps anymore. They are all over and attacking us and others. Even their own kind. We'll have to leave the area, Fan's group is." One of the men said angrily.

"Why, this is our home, we shouldn't have to leave. We should make it better. These humans don't even step up to take care of their own town. We should just assert ourselves into power, they don't need to know what we are." Another commented this was also upset with what was going on in their home.

"And when we don't age? What then?"

"There are ways around that and you know it." The woman who spoke said, her eyes a warm amber meeting the dark brown ones staring at her.

"Belis, we can't stay if we want to live. You know this, the vamps in Otego's group have been going for our young. They are growing in power against us. I don't want to leave but we have no choice. This is for our safety." The group of werewolves were talking in circles and tension was high. None of them realized that a figure showed in the shadows of the room.

"I could take care of them for you." The seven people that were standing or sitting jumped at the sudden voice in the back of the room. Most moved back away facing the unknown intruder. You were done if your back was to the enemy. They hadn't even heard him come up.

"Who are you?" the alpha asked scenting the air. He was a larger man, well-muscled, and with light brown hair with dark brown eyes that pierced you. Xerxes was glad to see that this man was a fighter, and he put his people first. Good, they weren't as rotten as others. Xerxes and Zani might have something to work with here.

"Someone who was pushed from their home a long time ago." He looked at them, Zani's tail moved against his neck, and several of them were eyeing Zani like an odd growth. None of them had seen a creature like him before. His small size did not let them register what he was.

"Is there something we can help you with?" The main man asked, the others were poised to attack but wouldn't unless he said. They were also turned toward exits as well just in case it was better to flee, until a moment ago Xerxes had been masking his presence. That was one thing he loved about werewolves they were so perceptive of when they were the lesser in a fight. No needless bloodshed, most of the time, when they were rational.

"More what you can do for yourselves, and by proxy others," Xerxes said, and in Xerxes' mind, he heard Zani. Their private conversation.

'They aren't a very trusting lot.' Zani stated mentally.

'Neither are we.'

'True.'

"Meaning what?" The alpha asked aloud to Xerxes. Clearly, he didn't realize that Zani was also an intelligent being yet.

"That personally I've grown tired of watching the humans taking over this world and pushing us to the brink of extinction. They catch us, put us in cages, and laugh. While on the outside world, they disease it and corrode the wilds. Plus there are those of the supernatural world that make it harder on us than it needs to be. I've been looking for groups that would want to stand up to this."

"You talk a big game. That is a lot to do, and there are so many humans. We don't care for them, neither do we feed from them, but they do take our land as if it is theirs." This from the woman with the amber eyes.

"I'm not proposing war, at least not openly. I'm talking about thinning them out. There are many ways of killing people that one would never link to a nonhuman entity. I hear you talking about leaving this town, why should you? It is your home." That was something that always got the groups he went to, after all, who really wanted to leave their home?

"It isn't the humans that are our main concern at the moment. They are secondary to the vampires that attack us. Our numbers are low due to being attacked by a group of deranged wolves whose minds didn't survive intact. With our sudden weakness they will exploit it, how do we know you are to do the same?"

"You don't I guess, but there are only two of me." They were staring at him. "As I said, I'll take care of them for you. I heard you talking about going into power with the human world, that is part of the war I mean. Think about it, humans rely on their politics to control them. If we insert ourselves into their politics, their governments then we start to take back control."

'You're scheme gets more complicated by the minute. Why don't we just eat them all?' Zani asked wishfully. Knowing it really wasn't that simple.

'Because there are, billions, of them. How many of us again?' Zani made an annoyed sound.

"I used to be a senator until I was left for dead. I know human politics well." This was from a light-haired male who had a very business look about him. "It's a very hard game to play."

"But we're already ahead with you," Xerxes said. "There are others turned out there that know the same things."

"Tell us stranger what your name is, and just what are you?"

"Forgive my rudeness," Xerxes said with a smile. "I'm Xerxes, and this is Zani."

"What is he?" Piped up a rather young-looking werewolf. She stood by the one with amber eyes.

'I'm a dragon.' Zani stated proudly, his deep voice in their heads. There was complete silence in the room. Their looks said that they weren't sure they believed that. Plus his sudden talking shocked them, always seemed to. When neither made a sound like they were joking the other spoke.

"Are you serious? He's so… small." Xerxes smiled and felt a bit of laughter. Zani just narrowed his eyes.

'If I was my real size this room would no longer exist.' Zani sounded rather put off with them for a moment. Always size, everyone was obsessed with size.

"And you are?" The one in charge said, or rather the alpha.

"I'm a dragon as well, just not the same as he is." They looked skeptical. There was movement from the back of the group and a man who looked older stepped forward. Werewolves were considered immortal to humans, but they did have an expiration date if you would. It ran for nearly two thousand years. Xerxes knew this only because he had met one that was dying, and he was near that age.

"I want to see." This older wolf said with a sturdy voice and clear blue eyes that met Xerxes' green ones. He moved forward and smiled. He'd been hidden in the back of the group a moment ago.

"I thought that your kind was long gone from this earth. The last one I saw was nine hundred years ago." He said looking at Zani.

"I am the last. I have looked long and hard. I know that I am the last of my kind. After me there will be no more, my kind is extinct." The old man just looked at ease with his presence and seemed to not find him a real threat at all.

"Not so long as you live." He said and looked at the rest as he moved to sit. "He's right you know, these humans grow too comfortable, too drunk on their power and they will drive us to extinction. It's time we police them, and I have heard other groups over the years talk of such things. Yet their numbers are too great for us, we must keep a low profile and build up slowly."

"Yori, it still doesn't help our problem now." the woman said, or rather Belis.

"What is your name?" Xerxes asked the male he knew was in charge.

"Kirosho." He said and Xerxes gave a nod.

"I'll get rid of the group you are having problems with if you decide to step up and do as I ask. It will take time, we must move slowly at first thinning them out, putting ourselves in power. I don't do this for the control, I do it because my home is dying. The wild shrinks and the rivers are stained." They seemed to think a moment. But really who wouldn't take such an offer of help when handed it?

"Alright, you have me interested. What would you like us to do, where would you like us to start?" After all, what choice did they really have? They were going to have to flee, and here this man showed up offering them their home in exchange for a bit of work against humans. It sounded like a deal to him.

"Here, this city is small but gain control of it, and through that, you can move upwards to another position in a bigger human village." Xerxes had a good feeling about this, it was time for a change and this world was going to shift in power, he'd see it before the end. Humans had taken everything from him, so now he was going to do the same to them.

"We will see what we can do."

"You will do it or I have no reason to go after this other group." Yori was smiling.

"We'll do it. I'll make sure, humans killed my mate. I'll happily push to take over and control their world." Yori said.

"Good, humans have taken a lot from us and other species," Xerxes said. He looked up for a moment and sighed. "It would appear that your vampire counterparts have come to visit instead."

They looked up as well, but there was no sound, and that was what alerted them most. Not even the sound of a mouse scurrying in the walls. Though there was no smell that they could detect.

"How do we know you didn't already offer them this and have tricked us?"

"Belis shut up," Kirosho said and she dropped her gaze. Zani dropped from Xerxes shoulder and in a second was the size of a tiger. The group kind of looked at him unsure and worried again.

'You aren't that great tasting.' He said and a few looked relieved, Xerxes just smiled and laughed a bit.

"Are you fond of this building?" He asked.

"Not really, it was just convenient."

"Good, we prefer fire to anything else," Xerxes said moving and making a motion, windows blew out and the small group looked at him.

"You're going to burn it down?"

"I think that now would be a good time for you to leave," Xerxes warned.

'This group is very strong with those that they have killed.' Zani said indicating the vampires coming, they were well-fed. Still, they came to dispose of this small group of werewolves for more power all around.

"Vango you are first, scout and signal." A tall beefy-looking man nodded and went out the window, dropping the two stories with ease. He looked and scented but there was nothing on this side. From here he could see up top where the enemy had gone in and down below.

He made a short sound and then Belis dropped down looking and after her, Courtney dropped crouching low and shifting. As the youngest, she was better off fleeing than staying and fighting. Yori came next and they moved off into the tree line. Tiko and Pash were next, then Kirosho followed landing and looking up.

He dashed into the tree line and they had all changed. A group of wolves now took the normal animal for as they were not fighting but running. It was a bit cowardly but they would have mostly been killed. Kirosho turned and looked up at the building. The dragons were still in there.

"I will stay and see what it is these two can do. If they are able to take this group." His grunts and growls were a language to them. The other six looked at the large brown and black wolf and then sat down behind him.

"We want to be sure that he speaks the truth as well," Pash said, another female in the group. In Xerxes' presence, it was easy to believe in his strength they hadn't even questioned it. Wolves always sensed who was alpha and who was an omega. Who was fit to lead, so now they would see if their judgment panned out. They were desperate to find a place in this world, his offer was giving them that.

There were sounds in the building, and then a huge explosion. Flames shot out of every window on the second floor and on the east side half the side blew out, raining debris everywhere. The small pack crouched low, their ears going flat at the sound and intensity of it. They had to run and dart back into the trees to escape the raining debris and heat.

"We should go back, he couldn't survive that. Or at least not be in good shape." Courtney said alarmed and turned to dart back. Kirosho was after her cutting her off.

"Go with Yori I will see. Tiko, come with me. Belis take them straight to the den site we will meet there." She gave a nod and darted off taking the rest with her. He and Tiko dashed back through the trees, smoke was starting to fill part of it, but the woods wasn't on fire. They weren't sure if they were running back to help two dragons who were fine or two creatures that might now be dead.