Moonlit Fur Chronicles: Rising Moon
Chapter 20 The Reaper Returns

I raised my head, howled angrily, spun around and charged off into the woods. My pack was hot on my heels. Goliath and the gargoyles flew ahead of us. Anxiety rose in my chest and threatened to constrict my lungs. My pack and I raced forward through the trees. Goliath’s war cry pierced our ears, the wind whistled as the gargoyles dove to the ground. We herald yelps of pain and roars of gargoyles, my pack and I thundered into the clearing where our house stood. The deck loungers were stacked haphazardly in the middle of the yard, tongues of fire hungrily danced on the wooden furniture.

The house had been ransacked, every piece of furniture was broken, the tv was shattered. I gazed into the kitchen, the fridge had long claw marks, the sink faucet had been wrenched off and water sprayed into the air. I shifted into human form and immediately checked Kai’s room. I knew that Peyton and Sawyer stayed there, I hoped they were safe. The door was torn off the bottom hinge and dangled precariously from the top hinge. I stepped cautiously inside. Peyton lay face down on top of Sawyer, I barely saw her back rise. She was still alive! I gently picked her up and saw blood ooze from a deep cut the length of her forehead. I glanced at Sawyer and gasped. His neck had been ripped out, the mattress was soaked with his blood.

Peyton moaned in her unconscious state. I kicked the door off it hinges completely and gingerly stepped into the living room. “Find the Twins,” I roared. Quinn dashed to my side while Casey, River, and Dylan raced around the house and out the front door in search of the twins. Quinn helped me replace a cushion and I set Peyton down on the kitchen island. She placed the cushion under Peyton’s head. Quinn raged, “When I replace them, I’m going to slaughter them all!” She slammed her fist down on the counter behind Peyton. “Quinn, now is not the time for that. Bottle your anger, nurse it and unleash it against Dakota and Tate, not what is left of our house,” I instructed.

Casey and Dylan walked in the front door with the unconscious twins in their arms, River brought up the rear and closed the front door behind them. “River, please do a thorough walk of the house and access the damage, take Ash with you,” I asked her. She nodded and hastily found Ash. I felt my emotions threatened to overwhelm me. I took my own advice and swallowed my anger. I covered my face with my hands and took a deep breath. My inner wolf raged and banged itself against my rib cage. I had to hold it together. I couldn’t let my emotions control me, my pack needed me level headed.

“Reese,” Casey called softly, “Where should we put the twins?” I pulled my hands from my face, “Are they still breathing?” Dylan answered affirmatively. I took a deep breath, “Check Ellis’ room, if it is still in one piece, put them on his bed.” Casey and Dylan stepped cautiously over wreckage and ventured into Ellis’s room. “Casey, replace everyone. Complete a head count, I need to know who survived and who was hurt,” I called to him. They came out of Ellis’s room and nodded. “Dylan, help Quinn and me clean up. Oh Casey, when you replace Phoenix ask her to come watch over Peyton and the twins.” Quinn and Dylan started in the living room, they cleared out all the broken furniture and tossed it on the burn pile in the middle of the back yard.

I took on a more gruesome task. I trudged into Kai’s room and looked at Sawyers bloody corpse. I gently pulled the duvet out from under it and covered it and tucked the duvet in around the body. My heart ached for Peyton; I didn’t know Sawyer will, but I did know he had made her happy. I walked outside and searched for the gargoyles, but couldn’t replace them. I hoped they were alive and didn’t suffer casualties. I helped Quinn and Dylin with the clean up. River and Ash appeared and gave me a status report. The communal space was pretty much trashed, but they hadn’t gotten to the majority of the apartments, with the exception of Kai’s room. The gargoyles must have scared them off before they could finish the job.

Phoenix checked in with me before she began to look after the twins and Peyton. I told her about Sawyer; tears threatened to roll down her cheeks. Casey returned and reported only minor injuries besides Peyton and the twins, but no sign of the gargoyles. I made a mentally note to track them down. Peyton’s whispered voice reached my ears, I made my way over to her. She asked for Sawyer, “Sweetie, I don’t know how to tell you. Sawyer…he is not hurting anymore.” She gazed at me and noticed the tears in my eyes. She denied it; my heart shattered. She grasped my arm with all her strength and begged me to say it was a lie. I shook my head and tears poured freely down my face.

“Call my dad,” she mumbled through her own tears, “I need my dad.” She pressed her phone into my hand, “Tell him to bring his biggest gun.” I swallowed hard, I took Peyton’s phone outside and stood beside the furniture bonfire. I scrolled until I found Chance’s number. A solitary tear rolled down my chin as the phone began to ring. Chance answered after two rings, “Darlin, are you okay?” I swallowed hard, “Mr. Stirling, Peyton is alive. She was hurt and got a nasty head injury. She asked me to call you and invite you here. You know the place, you brought that giant wolf head last year.” “You. I know that voice,” Chance murmured, “Is that you Silver? What did you do to my baby girl?” “My friends call me Reese, I didn’t do it. A rival pack showed up out of the blue and attacked. I have two wolves down. Peyton wanted me to bring your biggest gun. I need your help. Peyton and I need your help.” “I’ll be there in two days,” Chance growled.

Goliath and his clan descended from the skies as I ended the conversation with Chance. His voice was low and apologetic, “Forgive me Reese, we lost them. They were looting your home when we found them. We chased them as far as we could, the forest became too dense and dawn got too close. We had to return to safety.” I nodded, “Thank you. You did the best you could. Were any of your clan injured tonight?” Goliath shook his head. “Good, get some rest. The next few nights are going to be interesting. I have Peyton’s father coming. He is a professional hunter. He will replace them.” Goliath and his clan assumed their positions for their daily slumber. I watched as the sun rose above the trees and turned them to stone.