Panic! At the Den

[Renn Frisk]

Skidding along the highway, there was a brief moment of light; he was aware of being air born. Fire burned in his chest, and all went black as he felt his head hit the concrete on a bounce.

Indistinct voices from miles away came rushing closer; worried tones called his name. Bright light shone in his eyes, but he couldn't even discern the identity of one shadow to the next. his arm rose of its own volition, trying to reach out to the shadows, then to the burning in his chest. The world around him spun, and Renn felt himself being lifted off the ground.

Four different voices called out to him as he began to move. He'd been dragged into a car. It smelled of Pack; smelled of Home. Memories came back to him; he could hear his Sire cry out in pained growls while he could do nothing for her. Where was she now? What had happened? Incoherent thoughts tried to form the words for what he'd witnessed, he had to let them know: Pablo had to be stopped. Instead, the others quieted him, but he could feel it all around him, their fear and uncertainty.

Darkness encompassed him, and hours felt like minutes. Though he didn't see the car turn off the E18 and onto the side roads, some part of him felt his Mistress moving quickly away.

Light washed over him like a sea of hands, gently caressing his face. Opening his eyes, Renn was blinded once more. He was aware of having more space, but it hurt to move. White, fluorescent light clouded his view, and more shadows approached. A woman's voice called out to him, but it wasn't Her voice. She reached out, assessing the gaping wound in his chest, and he grabbed her wrist firmly. It was Evelyn, the Werewolf Alena had left in charge of the Den in their absence. Focusing his thoughts and energy, Renn tried to recall as vividly as possible everything that had happened before the wildfire ignited in his chest. Alena's cries, Pablo's voice-so callous, Lucan roaring in defiance only to have the windshield painted in his brain matter. He'd tried to pull the car over safely in time to help, only to hear another shot ring out, hitting him. All this, Renn sent to Evelyn's mind. "Queen in danger," was all her could muster before the she-wolf silenced him.

[Renn Frisk]

"Does it hurt when I do this?" The young Lycan put pressure near Renn's collarbone, and he recoiled slightly, groaning his discomfort. The medic took some notes, recording his reaction and looked over to Evelyn. Nodding briefly, the Lycan doctor took her leave, leaving Renn alone with Evelyn and the four Werewolves in the last sedan of the train; the Werewolves who'd picked him up off the side of the highway.

Sitting on the edge of an examination table on the first level basement, his chest and head bandaged, Renn listened to the accounts of what had happened as seen by his rescuers. While they had a lot to say, it seemed none of them had actually seen much of anything until Renn was thrown from his vehicle.

Drumming his thumb and forefinger against his thigh, he waited impatiently for the other Werewolves in the room to stop talking. After a few moments and still no silence, he cleared his throat loudly. "Our Queen is still alive. As long as that remains the case, our course of action is obvious." Looking to the four Lycans who'd departed for Oslo in the morning with him, Renn sized them up. Two of them were young, holding less than two decades of Werewolf experience under their belts individually. Yet the other two counted almost a thousand years experience together. Addressing the two older Werewolves, Renn spoke, "Send out two teams to track and confirm her destination. I suspect they will still be making for the Lycan Den in Oslo. Go with them, I want to hear from you personally. Do not make any moves that would jeopardize Queen Alena's life. Complete discretion is of the utmost importance." Listing off 9 names of Werewolves he wanted to be in the groups, Renn dismissed the four Werewolves after he was sure they understood him completely.

Turning his gaze to Evelyn, Renn spoke privately to her, "This was carried out by Pablo's paw. I want his team hunted down and brought before me immediately and individually." Renn rattled off a list of names of Pablo's closest associates, including Okello, Pete and Adele, among others.

"Most of these Lycans, I can bring before you before the day is over. However," Looking down at the list she'd written as Renn spoke, Evelyn looked concerned, "The girl, Adele, is still missing as of 11:00, and Peter has gone back to Rome in search of her. Beyond the team Pablo worked with on his missions, those two were probably the closest with the young L--- Pablo."

Ignoring her slip of tongue, Renn nodded absently; he seemed to recall hearing that those two were still indisposed before leaving this morning. "I will be very interested to hear what they have to say when they return. I will send some of my own men out to ensure their safe and swift return to the Den."

Evelyn nodded toward Renn, but lingered, as if waiting to hear if he had anything further to add.

"Go." Renn ordered, "Bring me Pablo's Pack, and do not any of them leave before I have spoken with each of them." By the time he was finished speaking with the members of Pablo's pack, he hoped to have received word concerning Alena's whereabouts. Then he would be able to make a more educated move toward bringing his Sire home safe.

[Okello]

"I knew it would not bode well, but I could not foresee this." Okello said solemnly, though he spoke to himself, his sister Amara was present in the room, sitting in one of the study's large ornament chairs. She was crying silently, her ears red with tears. Slowly Okello moved from his position by the window, crouching by his sister's side to wipe a tear from her eyes. "The others will be here soon. We must be strong for them." The news had not sat well with any of them, his sister had taken it particularly harsh. She was enamored with their sire. It was obvious for some time now. Ever since Pablo and he had deemed her old enough to be a lycan, the girl had insisted it be Pablo who sired her, not Okello her own flesh and blood. He wished he could provide his sister some words of comfort, but there was nothing he could say that carried true weight. The fact was they may never see the young man who'd saved both their lives ever again. It was worse than that though, their sire was a traitor. The pack would hunt him to the ends of the earth till he was dead.



Amara forced a weak smile and nodded. "I know." It was the most she'd spoken since they'd received the news. His sister was strong, they'd endured worse than this and lived, in time she would be fine. He returned to his position by the window, staring out of it, lost in thought. None of them believed the news, they had not wanted to, but even if that were not the case how could they? Pablo's loyalty and love for the Pack Mother was boundless, it was no secret. His sire would never harm Alena, but as much as he wished to deny it, there were too many reputable witnesses to claim otherwise. The door clicked open, two pair of footsteps entered the room. The twins, as always arriving in tandem. He did not turn to greet them yet. Okello gritted his teeth. He suspected, Pablo's time with the vampires played some role in his betrayal. Still he could not fathom how they could convince him to do such a thing. He knew how the lycan felt towards the bloodsuckers, but the young man was not himself when they had spoken before his departure. The door opened once again. Rachel, was here, another member of Pablo's inner circle. He recognized the young woman by the floral scent of her shampoo. He did not turn to face her either. They were still waiting for three more, then they would commence the meeting. Even if Pablo had betrayed Alena, Okello would not view his sire poorly. At this time he would not admit this aloud, but his loyalty f was to Pablo first, not Alena. If the young man did turn on the Queen, Okello knew where he stood. Unfortunately, the squad was now his responsibility. He could not leave them to aid his sire. Not yet, not unless they came to a consensus. The door opened once more. They had much to discuss.

[Renn Frisk]

"Ma'am." Bowing to Evelyn, the large, young Werewolf delivered his news. "The rooms of those in question have been searched. They all seem to be gathered in one of the studies. May I suggest we enter with numbers?"

Nodding her acknowledgment of the younger Lycan, the Den's Steward listened patiently to what he had to say. It didn't surprise the young woman that Pablo's team were meeting. "No. I will take a more peaceful approach. Let me handle this alone. I will not ostracize Pack without probable cause. This doesn't look good for them, but I would give them a chance to hear them out. If they were not involved, they've nothing to hide, nothing to fear."

"As you say." The young Werewolf bowed reluctantly and turned to leave his mistress to her task.

Evelyn knew right where they would be. Scaling the stairs to the third floor, the young woman took her time getting to the study. Renn had listed off about 8 names for her to find and collect. She didn't believe they would try to resist while they remained in the Den; although that was perhaps an oversight on her behalf.

Standing just outside the door to the study, Evelyn poised herself, checking her composure mentally before grabbing the handle and knocking briskly before entering the room. She could feel their presence from outside the door.

Closing the door behind her, the woman looked calmly around the study. Everyone seemed to be accounted for. There was no smile on her face, but she tried to keep her features soft. Resting her gaze on Okello, Evelyn spoke to those present. "Your immediate presence and compliance has been requested in light of certain events."

Pacing in one of the rooms on the first level basement, Renn waited to hear back from either Evelyn or the Lycans he sent to look in on their Queen's status.

[Okello]

Shortly the finally two members of their inner circle arrived; Quinn, the group's appointed pretty boy, a title deservedly earned for his emerald green eyes and short curly brown hair, and then final Caden, the quietest and most seldom spoken of the group. Okello was least familiar with him, but Caden had their sire's trust, and though he did not speak often to the others, that was not usually the case with Pablo in particular. He turned to face the group, nodding at them individually but providing no more of a greeting than that. They say one another on a nearly daily basis, formalities weren't necessary. "Good, now that we're all here we may begin."



"How about Allie?" Samir, one of the twins asked. He sat by his other half's feet. Khaleel was occupied reading one of the study's many books. It was common knowledge among them, that the twins were constantly mentally linked. Everything was shared among them, and it seemed to Okello at times, they were two bodies sharing one mind.



"I did not tell her the news. It seemed unwise, she may ... overeat." Okello explanation drew a number of nods from the group, until Rachel chimed in, "And we wouldn't Quinn to feel uncomfortable." Amara giggled as well as many of the others, save for Quinn himself who blushed furiously.



"It's not funny." Quinn said adamantly, clearly flustered. "She tried to - She pounced right on top of me. You should have seen the look in her eyes, I thought I was not long for this world."



Amara giggled again. "Can you blame her? It was mating season, and you're so handsome, Quinn."



"As far as I'm concerned, you led her on. You should not have accepted her invitation." Khaleel turned away from his book, momentarily to speak. He was grinning.



"I thought she only wanted to go hunting. Allie is not always clear."



"Would you knowing, have made a difference?"



"Well I wouldn't have hit her in the face. She won't stop hissing around me."



"Enough chatter." Okello cut in sternly, a hint of anger behind his voice. He would have loved nothing more than to join in on the banter, but there were more pressing matters at hand. It was clear to him, his peers only wished to distract themselves from their predicament. "I've come to a decision. We're to stay here, until more information can be gathered."



The twins sighed exasperated. Amara shot his brother a glare, but Quinn and Rachel nodded respectfully. "Why do you get to decide?" Caden said from the corner of the room. They turned their heads collectively to the usually timid man. "Shouldn't we have a vote?"



"This is not a democracy." Okello maintained the sternness in his voice. Caden was the last one he expected to speak up against him. "Pablo left me in charge. You may not respect my decision, but you should respect his." It was not an easy choice to make. He knew it would not sit well among the group. They were all fiercely loyal to their sire. The twins, like him and his sister owed their very livelihoods to their sire, the others were all close, long time friends. He invited them all, knowing they believed Pablo would not betray Alena. Such an act seemed impossible from their sire. "The rest of the pack, does not look lightly upon us. If we were to leave, it would only confirm our guilt. They would hunt us like dogs and -" He went silent. Footsteps were approaching the room. There was a stillness in the room, and us they all turned their heads to the opening door, watching as Evelyn stepped in. "Understood." Okello said, glancing towards the group they all slowly rose to the feet, falling in line behind Evelyn. Inwardly he sighed, it was a relief to be done with their meeting. He knew though, it was only a temporary break. They deserved a more thorough explanation, and he had to assure none would act on their own accord.

[Renn Frisk]

Leading the small pack through the mansion, passing Werewolves tried subtly to watch without getting noticed. Evelyn could feel their glances though she didn't bother to return to them as they walked down the corridors, making their way to the first level of the basement. Opening the door to the basement, the Den's Steward held it open for Pablo's team, letting them pass her, "Enter the first room on the left."

The first room on the left was a generic library, filled wall to wall of books. While there was a great diversity of books present, some quite old, this library was merely there to satisfy the younger Lycan's curiosity. Any books of importance concerning Werewolf history, or other such topics were kept much further down in the basement. The room was currently empty of other Lycans. A handful of upholstered chairs occupied the area.

Standing in the doorway to this room, Evelyn looked in at the group of young Lycans. "Okello. With me please. I will return shortly for you each, individually. Make yourselves comfortable."

Leading Okello further into the basement, Evelyn took him around a corner and down that hall. This was probably the farthest most of the Lycans in the Den had ever been in the basement, as most of the doors further down had complex locks to them. Stopping toward the end of the hall, the young woman opened a door, holding it open for Okello.

Inside, Renn stood in one of the far corners, wearing loose dress slacks, his chest bandaged. The faintest traces of blood soaked through his dressings, though they had just recently been changed. Turning to face the Werewolves as the door opened, Renn looked away from the painting on the stark white wall he'd been examining. The room gave the appearance of a private study; one that was clearly not generally used by the rest of the Lycan populace. The desk near the back of the room was kept neat and clear of loose papers. The computer on desktop was on, although the the monitor was turned off and away from those walking in the door. Two chairs sat in front of the desk, with a larger chair behind the desk. A few other fixtures littered the room, though there was nothing else of particular note in the study.

Without smiling, Renn greeted Okello with clipped words. "Sit." Unlike Evelyn who seemed able to distance herself from the matter at hand, giving at least a certain amount of respect to her packmates, Renn was far too invested in what had happened.

"Leave us." Glancing at Evelyn for the slightest of moments, Renn dismissed her bluntly, coming around to the front of the desk.

Hesitating momentarily, Evelyn looked as if she wanted to say something. Instead, she turned, closing the door behind her.

[Okello]

Okello and the rest of the crew fell in line, following closely behind Evelynn. The young lycan glanced back at what was now his squad. They were each attempting to put on a straight face, an effort to hide the worry they felt. None of them were as successful as they liked. They each appeared too young to be stern. Even when most of them were technically adults they had the youthful looks of teenagers. Such was not the case with Okello himself. Unlike the rest of them he was already adult upon being sired, though he was only at most but a few years older than the others he bore the features of a grown man. He nodded reassuringly, but even he had some doubts. Everybody in the mansion was staring, and they were being led down, into the basements. Deeper than he had ever been. His sire claimed there was nothing too important down there, but Okello doubted that was the case. He knew at the least the prison cells occupied part of the basement, and that alone was cause for concern. Luckily they were not led to the prison, at least not yet, instead Evelynn led his crew into a library. One by one they were ushered inside, again Okello exchanged a glanced at each of them. It seemed their safety was guaranteed at least for now.



The crew, their well being, was now his responsibility. Leading a squad was something he'd never thought he'd do, or even wanted to begin with. Their was too much pressure, the safety of his friends could have very well hinged on the following moments. One wrong word and they'd be thrown in a cell or worse. Life was less stressful with Pablo in charge, almost easy. His sire worked well under pressure, wasn't afraid to make difficult decisions, and took everything into consideration. Yes, it was very easy to devout one self to someone such as him. As he rounded a corner with Evelynn he could feel a presence reach for his mind. Where are they taking you? It was the curious voice of his sister, though he felt the presence of some of the other members of his pack as well. Deeper. He was silent for a moment, walking besides Evelynn as they made way down the hallway. As the elder lycaness opened the door, he steeped within. Into a room, alone, with Renn. He scanned the room, familiarizing himself with his surroundings, there was not much of a note.

Frisky Renn? I thought he was in a coma. The voice of a twin reached into his mind.



He nearly smiled at the nickname they had given the Den's groundskeeper, but was now not the time for smiles, or too be distracted by his friends. He could feel tension in the room. Renn's gaze felt almost hateful, and the lack of pleasantries, and the tone in his voice spoke for the kind of mood he was in. Yes, with Frisky Renn, and he does not seem pleased. I request a moment of silence. Okello put on a stern face, sitting as Renn obeyed. There was nothing to be worried about. They were all innocent, as long as they spoke truthfully they would be fine. He glanced over his shoulder at Evelynn, noticing the look on her face before she left the room. Was that concern? He turned back to face Renn. "I am glad to see you are recovering well."

[Adele Holst]

Leaving Pablo alone in that cave took more strength than the young woman though she had left. Pulling the coats tighter around her as she trudged through the snow, Adele shivered. Slow tears bubbled up only long enough for the blonde to bring up a gloved hand to clumsily soak them up. The sun would not be up for a couple more hours, and though part of her wanted nothing more than to crawl back to that cave and curl up near her friend, she knew Damien would be waiting for her; and she knew there were more important matters to take care of than sleep right now.
Coughing bitterly in the cold, the young woman's ribs seized and pain shot through her body, bringing Adele to her knees. Her body was still healing from the torment her father had put her through just a night ago. Sitting in the snow, she brought gloved hands up to her head; what was she going to tell Damien? If it was possible to say of anyone, Damien perhaps loved the Lycan Queen more than Pablo. He would not take news of her capture well. Mustering strength once again from the depths of her being, Adele got up and made her way down through the mountains.
------
The day had been spent getting to Stockholm. Damien, as she expected, had been furious at the news, and it was all Adele could do to keep him from flying off to Oslo alone. It had taken over an hour to calm Perrin's son, and constant reassurances after that as they made their way back to the Werewolf Den in Sweden. As they neared the Den's grounds, the young woman could feel the life brimming within the mansion up ahead. Damien walked off ahead while Adele stood just inside the gate to the Den's grounds, looking before her at the building she'd called home for the better part of 6 years, holding her ribs in her arms.
The sun was just beginning to go down, casting a grey light into the cloudy sky. Rabid butterflies nipped at Adele's insides, and thoughts of Szandor surfaced in her mind before she could bury them deep within the confines of her memory. He'd know what to do. Reluctantly, she started walking toward the building. A car passed her along the driveway and seemed to slow as it neared, but did not stop. Thinking nothing of it, Adele walked the distance to the Den slowly. The damp cold made her bones ache intensely.
Approaching the Den, the double doors opened for her from inside. Adele slowed her stride as a group of five Werewolves came out of the doorway, surrounding her. This didn't feel right. Her gut was telling her to book it, but as she turned to run, a strong force from behind grabbed her, taking her to the ground. Grunting in pain as the young woman hit the concrete, Adele tried to squirm free, flailing violently at her assailant. "Get off me!"
The Lycan pinning Adele to the ground grabbed her arms, locking them firmly behind her back and putting weight on her torso, digging her face into the cold ground. "Adele. Come with us and do not resist." The man's accent was thick and sounded like he'd come from Southern Europe.
Struggling a little, the blonde growled. She couldn't get free of the Lycan like this, but even if she shifted up, there were four others waiting for her, and a whole Den that would quickly find out what was going on. Whimpering as her face was driven into the concrete, Adele stopped fighting and nodded slightly. She felt the Werewolf's weight increase on her briefly, causing her to cringe, and suddenly she was on her feet, getting frog-marched through the Den with an entourage of Lycans.

[Renn Frisk]

Studying Okello as the young Lycan took a seat in one of the chairs, Renn tapped his forefinger idly on the side of the desk he was leaning on. By the subtle way Okello's gaze seemed to ever so slightly glaze over, staring into nothing though he tried to keep focused, the Den's Groundskeeper knew someone was trying to speak mentally with him. It was more than just the physical clues that led Renn to know a certain amount of communication was going on; he could feel the soft energies in the room, the hints of consciousness belonging to someone other than Okello, and other than himself, prying. The corner of Renn's lip twitched, almost unnoticeably. "Inform your pack that radio silence will be observed in this room."

Pushing himself off the desk, Renn stood straight, looking down at Okello from his position. "I will dispense with the pleasantries. Pablo, a long trusted ally to this Den since his inception, has committed grievous treason against our Queen, Alena Wulf." The Lycan paused, watching Okello's reaction. "I'm sure by now the whole Den and neighboring packs know of what has transpired. As you and your pack have worked closely with Pablo for many years now, you can understand the concern I, We, have toward your future involvement in The Pack." Cocking his head to the left, Renn watched Okello with cold grey eyes, "What did Pablo tell you of his plans concerning our Mother?"

Evelyn kept watch just outside the study Renn and Okello occupied, standing at attention. Due to the insulation and padding of the basement, she did not hear the doors to the Den open, or the young Lycan woman being ushered forcefully inside until the door to the basement was opened suddenly. A blunt voice entered her mind, that of one of her pups, My lady, we have Adele with us now. What shall we do with her? The group of Werewolves turned the corridor coming in to Evelyn's view, still holding the blonde woman in an arm bar. The Lycan girl looked like she'd been through Hell; what little skin showed through was sickly pale, dark circles loomed under her golden eyes and the grimace across her mouth seemed to mirror the look the Lycan holding her was giving. The Den's Steward straightened her blouse as the pack approached with Adele in tow. "That's quite enough." She waved, and the Lycan holding the young Heiress released his grip. Evelyn pulled Adele in close to her, wrapping one arm around the girl's shoulders, while gripping her arm with her other hand. The Werewolf who'd been restraining the golden-eyed girl opened the door to the study, and Evelyn stepped in with the girl, letting the door close behind her. "Pardon my interruption, but Adele has been located. I thought you would wish to speak with her right away."

[Okello]

Okello cracked a weak smile. That was rather unexpected, it was unknown to him that a lycan could detect telepathy that was not intended for one's self. He knew Renn to be older than he, perhaps that was why Renn was capable of the feat or maybe it simply required concentration, or practice. The knowledge and ability may prove to be useful in the future. "I have already requested such of them." The young lycan said plainly. He doubted the other members of his pack would agree so readily. Mainly the twins. That, could prove to be a problem. He would have a word with them before their turn to speak with Renn.



Okello kept his gaze fixated on Renn as the older lycan stood, looming above him. It was clear to Okello that this was an attempt at intimidation. In their human form there was little Renn could to to frighten him, if the circumstances were different he would have scoffed at the notion, but it was clear Renn at the moment was not to be taken lightly. There was still hostility in his voice, and noticeably very little pleasantries to begin with. His stern expression remained unchanged as Renn spoke. "I was made aware of the accusations against my sire." The lycan paused, he could have worded that better. At this point they were well beyond accusations, Renn had witnessed the betrayal himself. He was literally caught in the crossfire. Still he could not fathom Pablo betraying Alena. His sire had confided with him on many occasions. He cared for Alena more than most realized. Sometimes it seemed to borderline enamoration. "I have had trouble coming to terms with them. Pablo has never spoken ill of our Queen to me, the times he mentioned her it has been with admiration, he loves Alena, like a mother." Satisfied with his answer he said no more. It was the truth, if Renn thought otherwise he was simply seeking for someone to direct his anger towards



As the door behind him opened, Okello glanced over his shoulder. For a sliver of a second he was glad to see Adele. The coming days would be trying, she would be good to have by their side, but as he noticed she was being restrained, and as the visible bruised on her skin became apparent he felt anger flash within him. Was this how they were to be treated? He would not let harm come to a single one of them. They were pack, it was his duty to care for the others. "Unhand her!" He snapped standing, clenching a fist he turned his back to Renn. There were few lycans more passive than Adele, this was entirely unnecessary. He had trouble believing she would not come here on her own inclination. As Evelyn let Adele free, he relaxed his visibly, his shoulders slumping. "Did they do this to you?" He said, slowly reaching a hand out to her, but never actually touching Adele. Like him, she was not quite partial towards physical contact.