That's a bummer.  D:

101st post!  :D  w00t!

Chapter 12~

       Aaron growled angrily to himself, wondering why anyone would want to live here.  As the cabin came into sight, it looked nice enough, but Aaron still couldn’t comprehend the benefit of living in the middle of nowhere.

          The misty forest that he was trudging through was boggy and infested with insects.  It seemed uninhabitable, but Aaron knew better than to *censored*ume.

          As he approached the cabin, its dark paneled door swung open, and an annoyed-looking woman came out.

          She was tall and strong, with a lean face and sharp cheekbones.  Her hair was cut to her shoulders, and was a thick, wavy black.  Her blue eyes narrowed, giving away her hostility.

          “So, you’ve decided to come crawling back to me, eh, Aaron?”

          Aaron rolled his eyes and said in a cool tone, “No, Molly, I’ve come to recruit you, actually.”

          The female had obviously not been expecting this.  Her light blue eyes flew open in shock, but her voice remained calm somehow.  “What do you mean by recruit.”

          “What do you think I mean?” Aaron couldn’t resist keeping the challenge in his voice.

          Molly flipped her hair and said just as arrogantly, “I asked you first.”

          Aaron sighed and ran his hand through his hair.

          Molly smirked at him and said, a bit hesitantly, “Well, come in, and you can explain.”

          Aaron nodded and followed her into the small cabin.

          As they entered, Aaron was hit with an overwhelming scent of mint and…catnip?  He looked at Molly questioningly, but she minutely shook her head.  The cabin was furnished simply, with a small living room that was occupied only by a small leather couch, two matching leather chairs, and a small, old-looking TV.  Aaron glanced around, and then quickly took a seat on one of the chairs, across from Molly.

          The shifter in question sighed and said coolly, “So, Aaron, what brings you here?”

          Aaron took a deep breath to steady and prepare himself, and then began.  “The Shifters are reforming, Molly.  I—“

          The black bear was on her feet in an instant, her teeth bared into something that resembled a snarl.  “Never, Aaron.  I quit that group for a reason, you know.  They were—“

          “Molly, Molly!” Aaron intervened.  “It’s not like that.  I wouldn’t be reforming it if it weren’t necessary.  The Shifters are needed again, and we need you.”

          Molly seemed to calm herself at this.  She looked at him suspiciously, obviously torn between trust and dislike of the group Aaron was proposing to resurrect.  “And how do you plan to do this, Aaron?” she asked carefully after a moment.

          Aaron sighed.  “I don’t honestly know, Molly.  I am searching for the rest of the remaining Shifters, and I plan to bring them together.  After that, we will have to find a headquarters, and begin our work.”

          Molly nodded thoughtfully.  “And why are we reforming this anyways, Aaron?”

          Aaron felt a small surge of panic when she asked.  Partially, his reasons were selfish, so he decided to tell her the nobler one.  “Finche has been becoming increasingly dangerous, Molly.  He has been quiet too long, and I suspect something big is going down, Molly.  I can’t let him do that, not until Danielle is safe…” He trailed off, his voice becoming quieter as he mentioned the blonde-haired beauty that was currently in his custody.

          “Danielle?” Molly asked, her keen ears picking up Aaron’s faint voice.

          “Um, a human female in my custody,” mumbled Aaron, ducking his head away from Molly’s knowing gaze.

          She simple smiled smugly and watched him.  After a while, she said, “I thought Ella was the last.”

          Aaron looked up, fury smoldering in his gut at the rude mention of his last mate.  “She was!” He yelled angrily, standing up and making a move to the door.

          “Aaron, wait—“ Molly began, her voice filled with a rare pleading tone.

          “Good day, Molly.” Said Aaron curtly, icily, as he stalked out of the cabin and began to make his way towards his next quarry’s home.

woah. this is awesome.

and i was thinking for like a ti
tle you could do like "The ace of ___" except put something in the blank or sompthin like that.

anyways, I like it! 

What can Molly shift into? -curious-

Other than that...

More pwease!

Dragon:

"The black bear was on her feet in an instant, her teeth bared into something that resembled a snarl.  “Never, Aaron.  I quit that group for a reason, you know.  They were—“  "

Lol.  ^^

infinityman: Thanks!  I'll consider the ti
tle.  o3o

Chapter 13~

          Aaron continued on his way, shifting form so that he could maneuver the boggy forest more easily.  In his dog form, his sifted through the scents of the forest, relishing the rich, unaltered smells of nature.  It was so different from the many cities he had traveled through and lived in.

          He began to slow as he broke through the forest’s outer fringes, stopping completely as a highway came into view.  The occasional car whizzed past, completely unaware of the supernatural being in their presence.  Aaron began to approach it cautiously; careful not to get too close when a car zoomed around the corner.

          Aaron was beginning to calm down, and with that came the fatigue.  He realized that he had been traveling for almost a day and a half.

          Stupid, stupid, stupid!  He mentally scolded himself, knowing that he wouldn’t be able to travel much longer if he didn’t sleep.  But duty called, so he would have to wait.  As the highway calmed, he bound across the flat black asphalt, his red-brown tail streaming behind him.  Aaron dashed into the bushes just as another car rounded the corner.  Now that the road had been crossed, it was a straight trek through the wilderness to get to Xavier Lorenso’s house.

          Aaron tried to stay focused as he descended from the forest and onto a flat, rolling plain of gr*censored*, but he couldn’t stop thinking about Danielle.  Was she doing okay?  Did she hate him for bringing her into this?  Were she and Kita getting along?  A million other questions buzzed around in his head, but Aaron was content just to imagine her angelic face.  The blonde hair, green eyes, and pale skin came to life in his mind, perhaps a little too easily.  He shook his head, dispelling the thoughts of her.  He had a mission.

          Aaron had to travel several more miles before he came to a small town. He shifted form about a mile out of town and found a trail, hoping that his tired, dusty appearance could p*censored* for a hiker’s look.  As he entered town, the sounds of civilization entered his ears.  Cars drove past on the main street, children ran and played merrily in the park, and a train blasted its horn from the station.  A train?  A train would be the best mode of transportation to Lorenso’s house.

          Aaron paused, straining to listen for the train again.  When no such sound came, he decided it was best to get directions.  He walked into a nearby café, smiling as the door let out a joyful chime at his entry. The cashier, a young female with ginger hair, looked up.  Aaron smiled at her and strolled over.

          “Can you give me directions to the train station, please?” he asked, tone forcedly casual.

          “Sure,” the female—her nametag read Poppy—said cheerily.  “Just go down Main Street and take a left on Monroe.  It’s hard to miss.”  She flashed a smile and asked, “Are you new around here?”

          Aaron shook his head.  “No, just p*censored*ing through.”

          “Oh.” Poppy’s voice was disappointed.  “Well, good luck then.”

          “Thanks,” he said, thoroughly appreciative.  I’m going to need it.

          Aaron left the café at a half-run, in a hurry to be on his way.  P*censored*erby shot him dark looks as he bound down the sidewalk, headed in the direction that the female had told him to go.  He spotted Monroe Avenue on the left and hurried towards it, sparing a glance in either direction to make sure no cars were coming.

          As he reached the train station, Aaron slowed to a walk, not wanting to attract attention.  He stopped at the ticket counter and slowly read the list, wondering where the closest stop was.  After a few minutes, he made his decision.

          “One ticket to Clarksburg, please.”

          The cashier nodded, taking the cash that Aaron handed over.  The male’s eyes popped out a bit when he saw that Aaron was paying in cash, but he didn’t say anything.

          “Here you go, sir.” The clerk said, handing over the ticket.

          “Thanks.” Aaron said, and then ran to catch the train.

Sorry it took so long.  ;-;  I've been lazy and busy.  xD

Chapter 14~

       Danielle let the warm water of the shower pour over her, soothing her and numbing her mind.  For a while, she just let the calming sensation of running water scuttle along her skin, but she decided not to waste too much of Kita’s hot water, and turned the water off.  She stepped out of the shower and toweled off, changing into her clothes from the previous…had it really been five days since she had been at Traci’s?  She sighed as she brushed her hair, and stared sullenly into the mirror, wondering what would happen next.

          Danielle jumped at a soft rap on her temporary bedroom door.

          “Danielle?”  Kita’s soft, beautiful voice filtered into the room.

          “Yeah?” she called back, almost blushing at the comparison between their voices.

          “I brought some clothes for you, do you want to try them on?”

          “Oh, yes, thank you!” Danielle all but leapt to the door, opening it unceremoniously.

          Kita held out a beautiful pair of dark jeans—where they really designer-made?  A cashmere sweater accompanied them.

          “Oh, thank you, Kita!” Danielle cried, gently taking them from the wolf-shifter’s hands.

          Kita smiled and tucked a lock of her white hair behind her ear.  Her eyes shone with delight.  “You like them?”  At Danielle’s eager nod, she chuckled and added, “That’s good.  I’ll let you do change.  Come out when you’re done, okay?  I have some ice tea and crackers out.”

          “Sure thing,” Danielle agreed, and ducked back into her room to put the clothes on.

          Over the past two days, Kita and Danielle had become close.  Danielle now considered the beautiful, ethereal wolf shifter a friend.  They didn’t have a whole lot in common, especially considering that Kita was a being that Danielle hadn’t known existed a week ago, but they still got a long well, and enjoyed each other’s company.

          After she was dressed, Danielle surveyed herself in the mirror.  The clothes fit perfectly.  She wondered if Kita was the same size as her, or if it was just a lucky guess.  Opening the door to her bedroom, Danielle walked down the hall as quietly and as gracefully as she could in a childish attempt to recreate Kita’s quiet beauty.  She stopped abruptly as she came out of the corridor, switching back to her normal walk.  Kita was, as usual, in the living room.

          Kita had set out a big pitcher of ice tea, two gl*censored*es, and a platter of crackers.  Danielle plopped down next to the shifter in question, and smiled at her.

          “Are we the same size?” she asked curiously, motioning to the clothes she was wearing.

          “No,” said Kita, smiling her brilliant smile.  “I’m just a good guesser.”

          Danielle laughed and reached for a cracker.  Just then, the doorbell rang.

          Kita got up to answer it, saying over her shoulder, “Let me get this.  When you’re a shifter, you never know what could be on your doorstep.”

          Danielle nodded and sat quietly on the couch, suddenly feeling out of place.

          “Hello, Kita.  I’m back.”

          Danielle would have recognized that calming, beautiful voice anywhere.

          “Aaron,” she whispered inaudibly, and ran to meet him.

:3  Got another chapter done.  I was bored today.  xD  This one will need a lot of editing, I think.  o3o

-reads what Lola left her- Oh... I think I skipped over that part...

More, please!

Dx  Sorry for the wait everyone.  <3  I wrote the chapter, but my computer lost it.  D<  *stabs stupid flash drive*  Ahem.  Anyways, whilst falling asleep last night, I was trying to organize the members of the shifters taht I want to include.  Any comments?

The Shifters

Aaron Rockwell - Dog Shifter

Grace DuClaire - Cat Shifter

Xavier Amonte - Tiger Shifter

Molly Longley - Black Bear Shifter

Kita Hails - Wolf Shifter

Perenelle Vicardi - Owl Shifter

Kole West - Alpha Wolf Shifter

Jesse Sullivan - Viper Shifter

^Thank you WolfMoon for the inspiration for Kole!  :D  *squeezes tightly*

So, erm... o-o  I'm very open to suggestions.  I felt like these guys needed to be put together before I could continue.  ^o^;

Flash-I know it's not a species.  ^o^  I'm still developing the term of an Alpha wolf when it comes to the shapeshifter side of things.  Thank you for the link.

Pet- Thanks for the last name suggestions.  ;D  I'll probably use some, but I'm not tempted to use Black simply because of Jacob Black in Twilight.  o-o;

And I think that Perenelle will be an owl shifter--I might make a character named Jesse for the role of viper.  .-.  I'm not quite sure.

Mneh, sorry it's taken so long everybody.  D; The other version of this chapter (The one that my flash drive lost) was a lot better.  o-O

Chapter 15~

       At first, her scent was just a faint wisp coming from the living room.  Then, it was all around him, a thick cloud of her sweet, rain-and-fresh-gr*censored* scent.  Next, she was around him, her arms catching around his torso in a big hug.  Part of him wanted to hug her back, to whisper promises of a happy future in her ear, but he held back.

          In just a few days, his mind had changed.  He no longer envisioned the happy future between them.  Things had simply gotten too stirred up, too dangerous.  In a few days, though, Danielle would be safe somewhere else, away from him and his dark world. 

          Just as he opened his mouth to say something, though, the phone rang.  Kita looked between the two and smiled sheepishly.

          “I’ll get it,” she said quickly, hurrying out of the room.

          Aaron paused for a moment before awkwardly untwining Danielle’s arms from around him.

          “I should go see who that is,” he said, his tone almost apologetic.

          Danielle nodded and followed him into the kitchen, where Kita was just hanging up.

          “Wrong number,” she said, shrugging as she put the phone back into its charger.  Surveying his appearance, she added, “Aaron, go take a shower and get some rest.”  As he began to refuse, she continued, “You look horrible and”—she wrinkled her nose—“You don’t smell too hot, either.  Please, go.”

          Aaron sighed and nodded, his sensed finally beginning to shut down after their extended use.

          “Down the hall and to the left,” called Kita, looking over her shoulder to survey him.

          Stumbling blindly into the room, Aaron faintly registered the scent of fresh gr*censored* and spring rain.  His brain couldn’t comprehend why it was significant, though.  Shuffling into the adjoining bathroom, Aaron threw on the water and stepped in when it was warm enough.  The rhythmic patter of it streamed down his back and soothed his senses.

          After what seemed like an eternity, he turned the polished knobs towards the “Off” digit, and stepped out.  Aaron noticed some fresh clothes and a towel laid out on a chair.  He smiled, wondering how Kita had gotten in and out without him noticing.  His sluggish senses answered that question.

          Just as Aaron finished putting on the black jeans and the white silk shirt, the fatigue caught up with him.  He moaned softly and ran a hand through his hair before making his way slowly out of the bathroom and into the warm, comfortable bed.

          Aaron awoke sluggishly to the sound of a door creaking open.  He cracked one eyelid open, but it slid shut.  A small gasp followed a moment later, and then the door shut, the small wedge of light gone, cloaking him in the darkness of the night once more.

Lulz, I decided to do another chapter.  Maybe I'll do another one, lol.  :P

Chapter 16~

          Danielle woke to the faint murmur of voices.

          “Are you sure that you want to do that, Aaron?” Kita’s voice was barely audible.

          “I have to.” Was Aaron’s quiet reply.

          Danielle tuned out of the near-silent conversation, not wanting to eavesdrop.  Instead, she turned her attention to her surroundings.  Where was she?  The pale cream walls and white leather sofa beneath her—Oh, that’s right.  She had come to sleep in here when she had discovered Aaron in her room.

          Abruptly, the soft voices stopped.  Danielle sensed that they knew she had awakened, so she reluctantly threw off the soft down comforter and walked into the kitchen, her bare feet freezing on the cold tile.

          “Good morning,” greeted Kita as Danielle entered the room. 

Aaron just nodded gloomily in her direction.  Danielle wondered what had gotten into him.  Maybe her rejection a few days ago back at the hotel had finally sunk in, but Danielle was beginning to rethink that response.

“Hi,” she said softly and pulled out a chair from the round kitchen table.

Kita came to sit next to her, p*censored*ing her a plate with a fried egg, toast, and some orange slices.  She ate them quickly, never taking her eyes off of Aaron.  He either didn’t notice, or didn’t care, simply staring off into space, a troubled ex
pression painting his beautiful features.

A moment later, the phone rang.  Kita sprang up and answered it, not saying anything as what was probably a long string of dialogue streamed through the receiver.  She nodded occasionally, murmuring agreements and such.

About half way through the phone conversation, Aaron spat out what sounded like a curse.  “Oh, for the love of Nighte!”

Slightly confused, Danielle realized he could probably hear the speaker with his supernatural senses.

Curious, she asked, “What?”  She didn’t think that he was referring to the dark part of the day cycle.

Aaron looked at her for a moment, as if he didn’t register her question, and then answered.  “Nighte.  They are an ancient family of shapeshifters, but they don’t come from the same type of magic cl*censored* that we do.”  Danielle nodded and gestured for him to go on.

“They are able to take on seven different forms,” Aaron continued.  “And their magic is much stronger than other shifter’s.”

Danielle nodded again.  “Were any of them with The Shifters?” She asked curiously, suddenly wanting to meet one of these legendary figures.

Aaron shook his head and chuckled.  “No, they fight a different battle.  You see, they are vampire hunters.”

Danielle gasped and nearly fell out of her chair.  “V-vampires?” she asked shakily.

This time, Aaron truly laughed, making her feel sheepish.  “Yes, vampires.  They do exist, as do many other creatures that don’t belong outside of myth and legend.”

Danielle shook her head, stunned by this admittance.  For a long time, she couldn’t do anything but just sit there.  Finally, the ice blocks that had become her legs melted, and she was able to go and rinse her plate.

“Meet me in the living room when you’re finished,” whispered Aaron, his breath warm on her ear.

Danielle nodded even though she knew he was probably already gone, and hurried to load her plate into the dishwasher.  She stepped into the living room quietly, her gaze meeting Aaron’s.  He was standing, waiting for her to take her pick of the seating.

Danielle picked the couch she had slept on and folded up the blanket.  Aaron sat on the couch opposite, the small gl*censored* coffee table in between them.  Though it was an insignificant gesture, Danielle felt pointless, over-sensitive hurt well up in her.  She pushed it back ruthlessly and looked to Aaron, who was staring at the coffee table.

After a moment, he looked up, and began.  “The Shifters are coming here and have decided to use Kita’s house as a temporary base, Danielle.  I thought that I might tell you so that you might be…prepared.  I need to warn you, though, to be careful.  Most shifters think of humans with disdain, and some even think of them as a lower race”—he paused apologetically—“And you just need to be careful around them when they get here.  I’ll protect you if anything big comes up, but just…watch out, okay?” he asked hopefully.

Danielle nodded.  “Sure.”

Aaron smiled.  “Good, because they’ll be here sometime tomorrow.”