[centre][h1][b][color=00a99d]Quinton[/color] and [color=fff79a]Abigale[/color][/b][/h1][/centre]

The full moon was close. Quinton always knew when it was near. As he rested, Abigale curled up against him, watching cartoons, he planned his students study, using a ipad, he made notes on each student. There were many things Quinton liked about teaching, but what he liked best was he could be with Abigale all the time, take her to school, take her home, and give her afternoon snacks, help her with her homework. 

And train her. 

She was all that was left of his pack, his family. His daughter. Each day she seemed more and more like her mother, his wife. His mate. He would do anything to keep her safe. His mind wandered back towards the alpha that had found him, invited him to her pack. Quinton hadn't yet decided, but everyday with these rumors of wolf attacks, wolf sightings, Quinton was getting closer to accepting. 

A pack would help keep Abigale safe. And that was all Quinton wanted. To keep her alive. TO finally be able to give her a somewhat normal life. Once he had decided to settle here, after the hunter appeared to have lost their trail, Quinton had left Abigale with the woman who ran the bed and breakfast, and in the hands of one of his students, Riley. Abigale absolutely adored the older girl, and Quinton made a note to keep that friendship going-Abigale needed a sister figure. Leaving her with them, Quinton had tracked where they had lost the hunter, following the old scent to a kill site. 

He had been relieved, greatly so, that he wouldn't have to kill the hunter. And worried. He had returned, and that afternoon he had found a place to rent, a small three bedroom house, with a yard for Abigale to play in, and plenty of room for her to grow up in. He had had to buy furniture, new clothes for Abigale, using what was left of his savings to set down roots here. 

And then the alpha had found him, and opened up the door he had thought long closed. 

[i]Quinton looked over the first body, that they had dug up when Robin hadn't come home. He crouched over the body of the girl he had considered a sister, his pack member, and he growled, a deadly sound that came from the back of his throat. This wouldn't go unpunished. They would find who had killed their sister. Gently reaching out, Quinton had stroked her cheek, before picking her up, turning to his Alpha. 

[color=00a99d]"She deserves a proper burial, Foster"[/color]

The larger male nodded, and they took her back home. They didn't trust the cops to do anything here, and in anycase, they were generally very private. They gave her a proper burial, and then they began to plan. Titus, their best tracker, started to hunt the hunter down. Quinton went on the defence, patroling the town while Blair was put on guard duty for Sara, and Abigale, the packs pride and joy. Two, Abigale was already fiesty, energetic, and she never gave up when she wanted something. She was Quinton's shining light. And Sara...the mere thought of his mate brought a smile to his face, and he knew that Blair would protect her with all his strength. THe young werewolf was quick thinking, bright, and had a hidden strength within. Quinton knew he would protect his mate, and child. 

Only when Titus didn't return, Foster had told them to pull back, and Quinton had come to Sara and Abigale. THat was the mistake that had cost the pack their lives. They should have stayed out there, they should have ensured the community was safe. 

When the hunter threatened the community, Foster had gone out in all his fury. And died with a bullet in his heart. Blair, bless his soul, had told Quinton to take Sara and Abigale, to hide them, but Quinton had stayed. And witnessed Blair's death. And then the hunter had gone after Sara. Sara had died, shieding the body of their daughter, and Quinton had attacked, had sent the hunter running, as he unleashed his afull anger, seeking to kill that which had killed his entire pack. Only Abigale's cry had stopped him chasing after the hunter, and instead he had scooped her up, and had started running. 

They hadn't stopped until they got to Red Lake[/i]

[color=fff79a]"Daddy? Why do you have your sad face on?"[/color] Abby asked, as she sat up, crouching on her knees, to lay a hand on her fathers cheek. He set his ipad aside, and gathered Abigale into his arms. [color=00a99d]"Sometimes sweety, it's okay to be sad. When I think of your mother, of the pack, I grow sad. Because I miss them, and wish they were still here with us"[/color]

Abigale frowned, looking into Quinton's face, [color=fff79a]"Why did the badman hurt them?"[/color]

Quinton had never told her the reason, never told her that the reason they had been hunted down, was because of racist claims that werewolves were dangerous. He sighed heavily, [color=00a99d]"Because sweety, sometimes people don't understand us. You know what we are, I've taught you that. Sometimes, people think we are dangerous, the ones that know. But I won't let anyone hurt you. I promise you, Abby"[/color] He just hoped he could keep that promise. 

[color=fff79a]"But what about that lady, that you talked to before, she's one of us, isn't she?"[/color] She asked, and Quinton was, as always, surprised by her ability to see through a situation. Giving another sigh, he said [color=00a99d]"Yes, she's an alpha of a pack. She invited us to join her"[/color]

Abigale tilted her head, and said with all the innocence of a child, [color=fff79a]"Why haven't we joined, then? Wouldn't it be...safer? Maybe it's time, Daddy. You always said the lone wolf struggles"[/color]

Quinton, heart heavy, looked away. [color=00a99d]"Maybe, sweetheart. Now come on, you need to get packed. Riley's mother has agreed to take you the next few nights. I'll be there during the days, like always, but I'll be dropping you off early tomorrow, so I can scope out the woods a bit. And we're going out for dinner today, but there's someone I want you to meet"[/color]

Abigale frowned, clearly not liking that, [color=fff79a]"When can I come with you, daddy?"[/color]

[color=00a99d]"When you're older"[/color]

Abigale gave a heavy sigh, [color=fff79a]"You always say that"[/color]

[hr]

Quinton held Abigale's hand, knowing that sooner or later Alessea would find him, especially since it was a full moon the next day. And he still hadn't given her an answer. And the reason was standing beside him, her hand in his, looking up at him with ice cream around her mouth, smiling that bright smile of hers that just seemed to make everything alright. 

[color=00a99d]"Your ice creams dripping, quick lick it up before it escapes!"[/color] He said, giving her a smile, and handing her a napkin as well, as they walked to the cafe. Ice cream before lunch might not be a good thing, but sometimes Quinton knew, it was the simple things in life that made it worth living. 

[centre][b][h1][color=8dc73f]Connor[/color][/h1][/b][/centre]

Connor pulled his truck onto what looked like camp grounds, and then he carefully drove it through the trees, finding somewhere to camp that he could park his truck in. He eventually found a good spot, and he sat in the truck for a moment or two. He should go and get some supplies. He was down to a tin of soup and some stale bread that was starting to get too old to eat, mold and all. And yet the thought of facing people did not appeal to him, and he gave a heavy sigh. 

Connor's appearance was oddly haggered, as if he wasn't sleeping well. Which was true. Connor hadn't sleep well since, nearly two months ago, his campsite had been attacked but a wild beast. They said it was a wolf. But Connor wasn't too sure. It had all happened so fast...

[i]His father was still trying to put up the tent. Connor had long since left him too it, Sometimes there was no telling his father what to do. But Connor finally said [color=8dc73f]"Just face it Dad, putting up a tent is not your thing. That pole goes there. Let me do it, you tend the soup"[/color] He handed his father the spoon he had been using to stir the soup, as Connor took over putting the tent up. 

Connor had a way with how things worked. He soon had the tent up, and leaned back with satisfaction. His truck, the only vehicle they had that was bnig enough to cart the camping equipment, was nearby, music softly drifting around them from its radio. 

It was peaceful, it was pretty damn cool actually. 

They sat, talked, had some soup and camp bread, and shared, despite Connor being underage, a drink. It had been a good night, one neither of them realised they had needed, and when the moon rose, they spoke of the future. Of what Connor could make of the company his father would leave him, of what he could make of the holdings his mother had put in his name before she died. 

And thats when they had heard the growling. they didn't react fast enough, Connor doubted they could have. The wolf, a snarling gray beast, landed on him, bit deeply into his shoulder, clawed his chest, and then must have thought it was leaving him for dead. He heard his fathers screams, found himself too weak to do anything. 

His vision slowly faded. 

When he woke, it was morning. Connor blinked blearily up at the light sky. His hand went to his shoulder, his shift, but there were no wounds. For a moment he thought it had been a dream. BUt when he sat up, he saw his fathers managled body. 

Connor didn't know how he got to his truck, how he started it and how he didn't crash it. He must have been driving erratically, because cops, investigating sightings of a wolf, had pulled him over. He had been babbling, sure he had sounded crazy.[/i]

He had left the town two weeks later. And he hadn't stopped in any place long, packing up what he needed into his truck and just going. 

He was plagued by nightmares. He was fearful of the moon. He had terrible dreams on the nights it was full. Of wolves. 

one night he had woken to find his sleeping bag in shreds, his nightmares were that bad. He gave a heavy sigh, and proceeded to start the truck up again, continuing onto the town, It wasn't hard for him to find the grocery store. He pulled into a park, and sticking his keys in his back pocket, he headed inside, grabbing a basket, he began to shop, hoping that people didn't look at him much, a stranger in their midst. 

[centre][b][h1][color=aba000]Cody[/color][/h1][/b][/centre]

Cody was putting some books away, making sure they were in their correct spots, enjoying the feel of the books within his hands. Some people said that books were old fashioned, that ereaders were taking over. And maybe they were, but there was nothing quite like holding a book in your hands. The weight, the feel...it was simply just right. He hummed to himself as he put them away, a nonsense tune, thinking about the novel he was writing. He was planning a few pages in his head, musing on the words he would write. He was also thinking about what he was going to bring on the camping trip, looking forward to the adventure. 

His hair fell into his eyes, and he shook his head to brush it away as he pushed a book in amoungst its fellows. It would certainly be fun, and it was always worth the time to spend with his friends. As his thoughts drifted towards his friends, they inevitably drifted towards Aron. The cute, sweet warm hearted boy had stolen his heart, and he didn't seem to know he held it. Cody was confused about Aron, he was never quite sure whether Aron was straight, or gay. Either way, it didn't matter. He was crushing on Aron hard, and he couldn't simply change the way he felt. 

Giving a soft sigh, Cody reached for another book, but the stack was gone. He smiled amusedly at himself, always losing track. Especially when he thought about his book, or about Aron. He glanced at the time realising his shift was over, and had been for fifteen minutes. As he went to clock out, the librarian smiled at him "Daydreaming again, Cody Dear?"

Cody smiled and nodded[color=aba000]"Oh, you know me. Sometimes things distract me"[/color]

"Well, you're a real go getter in anycase, You'll get whatever you were daydreaming about"

Sometimes Cody thought that the librarian saw more then he gave her credit for. He blushed, and gave her a nod, [color=aba000]"I sure hope so, Ma'am"[/color] He said, as he was leaving, slinging his backpack over his shoulder as he trotted off, taking his keys out his pocket, he went over to his motor bike. Starting it, he put his helmet on, making sure it was secure, before starting off. He zoomed down the street with all the confidence of a 17 year old, who thought they were invincible. 

Pulling up at the cafe, because of course when his thoughts drifted to Aron he had to see the boys, and besides, Gage was a good cook. And besides, he was starving. Happily dismounting his bike, he shoved his keys into his back pocket, walking into the dinner. There were many things that Cody enjoyed about this town, but the cafe was perhaps one of the best. Warm, inviting and friendly, Cody had been coming to it in one form of another for years, his parents content to go where he wanted when he was young. 

He choose a table, glancing at the menu even though he knew it off by heart by now. And generally got the same thing everytime. Cody himself was a poor cook, and even sandwiches he had trouble with. So supporting the cafe was one way of avoiding cooking. Just a side bonus, of course.