Snakes in short grass

Tiffany began the probe of the Star Shadow villager, at the same time she communicated with Hale and Tar about Luna Azul Pack. They were already allies with this pack through the new Dark Howl Pack.

Her eyes changed to a smoky blue color. Her entire eye was blue with no white sclera or green pupil to be seen. She quickly found what she was looking for and projected it to Stefan and Amber's three Psi. Stefan merely watched the Psi gasped, this caused Amber to frown.

When she saw Stefan looking on calmly she looked to Tiffany and only with a look she was understood and was afforded the same view as Stefan.

The scene was a hazy greyish brown color with shades of blue and green waving at the edges like they were in an underwater scene with the water moving in quiet ripples.

The villager was walking with his family and suddenly he was not. He stopped in his tracks. Confusion clear on his face. He looked about but he was now all alone on the street.

"You will. you will. You will. You will. Do as I say. I say. I say. I say. I want. I want. I want. I want…"

The voice was clear and it echoed as if they spoke next to a vast canyon. It was a singular thing and as it echoed it seemed to etch something across this villager's soul. All watching suddenly focused on this etching and with a whisper from Tiffany they understood what they were looking at.

'A curse is being cast directly onto his soul. Look here.' Their vision focused on a thick thread and they began to follow it. It split into four and each thread attached itself to the soul of one of the individuals that now stood motionless around the villager.

They all felt Tiffany nod. 'it is a curse bound to him and his family. But it looks like it will kill his family first and him last.' As she said that their vision focused on the wife and how the edges of her being had turned an odd filthy grey.

'This is death, but it is like I have never seen before. It is like a taint.'

Then they were back to the village and the message.

"Star Fire. Star Fire. Star Fire. Star Fire. You will get them for me. For me. For me. For me.

"If you do not all that you have will die. If you talk all that you have will die. Then I will kill you. Kill you. Kill you. Kill you."

The scene shook then quickly sped forward. The villager stood trembling before a person indescribably tall in a long dusty red cloak that pooled around their feet like old blood. The being drew the longbow arrow from its sleeve and handed it to the villager.

"You know what to do. To do. To do. To do." In its corporeal form its voice was almost unbearable for the villager and blood seeped from his ears and nose. A blue light illuminated his body and he was healed but still he trembled.

"Do as I say. I say. I say. I say." The villager again trembled and nodded profusely.

There was hesitation and then Tiffany spoke. 'I do not want this entity to know that we know.'

'What is this entity?'

'I believe it is a shadeling.'

'Vampires?' Amber was shocked. She looked at the incredibly tall being frozen before them with the longbow arrow still in its hands and she narrowed her eyes. Stefan suddenly spoke.

'Ok. I have already asked the question we need to give him the answer.' Amber nodded.

'Yes My Lord.'

A whisper flowed through them. [It was one of their warning arrows My Lord. This is their way.] The whisper moved through them all and then resonated within the villager as if it were his own thought.

It was the truth and there for a reasonable answer. Everyone nodded. Then things became strange and there seemed to be undetectable motion and then they all felt like they were moving quickly backwards. And then they felt as though they came to a quick stop.

'We are here. Everyone will be in their original position when My Lord asked his question.'

All was silent in the chamber and then the villager spoke.

"It was one of their warning arrows My Lord. This is there way." They all saw the man breathe a sigh of relief.

Stefan nodded then looked to Adonis. "Alpha Trahan has not responded."

Stefan nodded again and looked to Amber. "I will handle this for my love."

Amber instantly smiled, her expression hardening immediately after. "We will handle it together." Stefan nodded and said nothing more.

There were a few things at play. Amber wanted to bring Luna Azul under Star Fire but it was already under Dark Howl so they both felt a sense of loyalty to the pack. Trahan was family and his mate was Talon, half werewolf half vampire. And he had actually been vampire royalty before he joined Trahan and left vampire kind.

"Adonis, Pierce, ready things your Alphas will go on an exploratory mission."

Both nodded to them but Adonis asked what Pierce had been thinking. "And which of us will stay with the Pack?"

"Both" Amber and Stefan answered in unison without looking at each other. Amber looked at the villager.

"You return. We will follow after. First tell us of any concerns we need to be aware of within the three villages and on the road to you."

The villager was calm as he bowed and gave a detailed account of the area.

Later that night Amber, Stefan and their Betas, advisors, and Psi sat in a small conference room discussing their next steps. Amber looked to Tiffany.

"Can you contact my uncle telepathically."

Tiffany pretended to be in thought, well she was in thought just not about what they all thought. Of course she could contact him but how could she explain this when she was supposed to not know him. She could use someone else to contact him but she had not sealed an area of his mind as of yet and he may let things slip.

Was it important if they did? No one knew the connection between Dark Howl and Silver Moon. She nodded internally.

"Yes. I can connect through you or through your Psi."

"Connect through me and bring your brother with us."

Both Tiffany and Stefan were taken aback but said nothing. Marco had no connection to Luna Azul.

Tiffany first connected with Amber, found what she needed, and then brought Stefan into the connection. They seemed to ride a wide thread and race to a far destination. They were there in an instant and Tiffany nudged Amber to speak.

'Uncle Trahan.' There was a brief pause.

'Amber? Why have you not sent me an invitation to your mating confirmation?'

'It was sent. You never got it?'

'No I never got it.' Another pause. 'How are you talking to me?'

'My mate has a powerful Psi. She brought us here to speak with you. Everything is okay with you?'

'Yes. Everything is fine. Why do you ask?'

Amber explained everything and Tiffany fought to keep Trahan calm.

'We will go to the villages and then to you but try not to do anything to let them know of our intentions or that we know anything.'

'Ok. We will talk to our allies and see if they can help as well. They have always been good to us and readily send help when we need it.'

'Ally? You trust them?'

'Explicitly.'

'What do you think Stefan?'

'I think their allies will be our allies soon. We should understand their intentions as soon as possible.'

'We will be there soon uncle.'

'Of course. We will be waiting.'