A Feud as Old as Time

Solomon had been eyeing these claw marks since they'd gotten here with a sort of sick gutted nervousness as he traced over a lower set. Charlie was right, he wasn't an expert on ghosts by a long shot, but this didn't look like ghost damage, he'd never seen a ghost that was able to do this, demons maybe, but ghosts? He shuddered to think what kind of unseen thing could possibly do this kind of damage, killing animals, and what if they got caught out here when whatever had left these came back, "how could this possibly be a ghost..."

Jamie was trailing behind them as they examined the marks, with Mido in tow, he had his camera trained on everything as he looked over the claw marks, "streuth...These marks look big enough t'belong to a bloody tiger...Or something bigger..." Mido looked up at Charlie, a shudder running through him, "I don't think...I mean...I'm not picking up anything, no presence, no energy, no voices...The air is still." He was speaking in a quiet voice, as if afraid it might disturb whatever did leave these marks.

"strange, powerful ghosts can do many things...But mutilating livestock?" The spirit that trailed behind Ian was not convinced that it was a ghost they were dealing with, but he couldn't place what was pinging in his mind right now as he trailed after the man. His eyes widened a little when Ian finally spoke, and the groan he let out was comical in a way, "werewolves. Of course. It's always bloody shitting werewolves!"

Sol glanced over at Ian with a look of disbelief, "Kidding, right? First ghosts now fuckin' WEREWOLVES?!" He threw his head back with a frustrated sound, "you really weren't kidding with that monster hunting mess were you, Ian?" He looked up at him, "great! Fuckin' great!" He threw his hands up, pacing now, "HOW are we going to fight fuckin' werewolves!?"

"Wait, what?" Charlie stepped away from the tree, looking over to Ian. "Are you telling me werewolves are actually real things too? Geeze...next you'll be telling me so are vampires and aliens..." This rabbithole just kept getting deeper and weirder the more he got into it...but he kinda loved it in a weird and sort of twisted way.

"Um yeah, I'm actually going to second Sol on this one." He said after a moment. "So filming ghosts is one thing...but I don't think I really want to fight werewolves..."

Ian for a moment looked away when asked if things like vampires were real...there was a chance that question would answer itself soon enough, if werewolves were now involved. He did shake his head at Sol's question though. "No, I have never been teasing you on the manner of things I am capable of doing." He said honestly.

"We might not have to fight them." Ian continued to explain. He was not fond of werewolves, a savage set of beings that seemed to delight in being crass and violent even when in human form, he'd seen a handful too far gone to save or speak to, and some who chose to try to not indulge their beastly side...but the majority of them were not overly pleasant as people to deal with. They could be talked to though, as long as they weren't terribly far gone, they might be able to talk their way through this one.

"If you can catch them when they are not phased, if they have not sank too far from their humanity...you can speak with them. I would not say we can reason with them...as they are not particularly reasonable people on the best of days...but we might be able to reach some sort of deal or accord with them to leave this farm alone." He looked around again. "I'm not inclined to believe they are particularly far gone...no harm has come yet to other humans, just small animals...which is a fairly good indication..." He explained calmly.

Sol was glad to hear that his boyfriend agreed with him on not wanting to fight werewolves, he'd been half worried that that enthusiastic man would be completely on board with it, Ian's shift in expression at the mention of vampires earned another groan from Sol as he leaned back against the wall, sighing heaving and running his hands over his face, "why is my life a three ring circus..." Jamie wanted to laugh at his dismay, but was feeling about the same for once.

Mido approached Ian with a thoughtful tilt of his head, "I am not entirely familiar with werewolves...I know one of my great...somethings...Was one." He shook his head, "I believe he was put down by hunters...Our information on him is spotty at best." He looked over the scratches and pursed his lips, "I don't suppose you know how we might find this pack?" He was handling this amazingly calm, despite being a bit nervous at the idea of facing off against werewolves, "I don't know what good reasoning with them will do...But we are not equipped to fight them..."

Harley nodded from beside Ian, "unequipped and untrained, and I would not allow you, Ian, to fight them alone." He sounded firm on that, he was not there to back the man up, if it came to it they would leave the area, but he did not want a fight with such uneven odds.

"Believe me, I do not want to fight werewolves." Ian looked over at Harley. "There are few things that are worse to fight, honestly."

His eyes lingered in Mido as he commented that he had a werewolf ancestor, for just a moment his mind started flickering backwards through werewolves he'd known, a flicker for just a moment to a gentle young man desperate not to lose himself to his fate, it had been many years, the moments hazy...but for just a moment...maybe later, not in this moment, he would ask him some more questions...what were the odds? But then again he'd learned long ago that the world was a surprisingly small place, and things always came back around.

"I'm sure they could be tracked...but it will take a little bit of time. They tend to cover their tracks up because they don't want people just wandering in on them."

Meanwhile, near the front of the property a sleek, old fashioned black car pulled up and came to a gentle stop. In the front passenger seat Sky leaned forward, looking around.

"Urgh. Even from here...I can smell them." They wrinkled up their nose. "Disgusting dogs."

They hated werewolves...and this pack in specific constantly made a problem out of themselves...and every few decades they started to forget their place, start to cause problems again...and it was up to the likes of Sky to slap them back down to where they belonged, filthy, violent dogs.

"Just when I think we are finally rid of them...they turn up again. I suppose I have to admire their resilience..." They said grudgingly, pausing to look curiously at the modern and out of place RV parked nearby. "I wonder who else is here..."

Harley nodded, looking glad to hear him say that, "I would not let you either, love." He chuckled softly, "because they are not a fun lot to tangle with." He shook his head, then looked intrigued at Mido's admission, "that could come in handy." He mused out loud, Mido only nodded and looked between them, "I'll help however I can...I believe if my research into my ancestry is correct, he was from back...1800s?" He chuckled, "of course the records are full of supposedlies and maybies...But I've...Felt things...When the moon is full..." He trailed off, leaving it at that for now.

Grayson nodded, glancing to the side at the figure in the passenger seat, "they're overstepping their boundaries again." There was a soft growl in his voice, a contemptuous rumble at the thought of those violent instinct driven mongrels. They'd been at odds with this particular pack for decades, over generations, they were an uncouth and rowdy lot, "they always come back." He smirked, showing a fang with the expression, "like cockroaches. Never fully gone." They'd been trying for ages to attempt to put them down for good, they never attempted to fully eradicate them, they were far too wide spread and multiplied like rabbits, but they forgot their place at the bottom.

He craned his neck a bit to see the RV, tsking, "shall we find out?" He glanced up at the sky, it has gotten plenty dark, so you should be alright for a good few hours." He was admittedly curious what weird humans had come sniffing around for trouble here.

Ian was looking more intently at Mido now as he continued to speak. "Mido...this is something we should talk about further, once we're done here. I think we could piece together some interesting things between us about your family and your bloodline."

The thought was growing more strongly in his brain that Ian knew exactly who his family member had been, it was a conversation they needed to have.

Sky curled a lip up at Gray. "Perhaps someday we will succeed...one needs to have goals, am I right?" They looked up at the now dark sky. "Well...let us get it over with...I am certain this is not the werewolves themselves here...that machine looks too nice for anything they would ever own..."

They got out of the car, closing the door behind them and starting to pick their way through the field, following the growing intense and unmistakable scent of werewolf ahead of them.

Charlie meanwhile held up a hand to the group "Hey guys...I think I heard a car door...I think we got company..." He pointed in the direction he was pretty sure he'd heard the sound even as two figures emerged from the shadows towards them.

Mido's face lit up with curiosity at Ian's words and he nodded, chuckling softly, "well how could I say no to that?" It had been a part of his own history that he'd always been sorely interested in, but very little actual information remained about it, Harley was studying Ian's face when he suddenly caught what the man was getting at, but kept himself quiet for now, knowing that if he spoke Mido would hear it.

"tch. Yes." He smirked at them as he climbed out of the car door, "it's probably just a few humans." He mumbled thoughtfully, "I doubt they'll be much trouble to us, any human driving a cushy thing like that is bound to be soft." He shrugged it off, "and if they aren't well..." He chuckled and nudged Skylar affectionately, "we've escaped worse scraps, hm?" It was true that they'd been through a million things together, Skylar was still fairly important among their kind, still enforcing their laws withing their territory, Grayson respected and adored them.

Solomon glanced to the side, looking curious, "should...We be worried?" He glanced over at Ian for answers, Jamie held his camera at the ready, determined to catch everything that was happening as the figured approached.

Sky laughed quietly, leaning closer to lightly bump against Grayson in return, they had grown to love his company...and him...over the years. They made a great team together, both in situations like this, and in more relaxed situations too and as always they found themselves glad to have him there.

Just at the edge of the clearing they paused, hearing a voice they had not heard in...a very long time. "Is that...?" they murmured up to Grayson. "Is that even possible?"

A few steps closer, and even with the off-kilter lighting cast from the group of young people with him, one of whom carried a muted but till obvious smell of wet dog...there was no mistaking the distinctive man in the middle of the group.

"Well, well...Mister Ian Kelley...this is a surprise...how are you even still kicking around? I mean, it has been a few years..." They glanced up at Grayson. "I want to say...1892?"

Ian glanced at Harley, then back to them with an equally surprised look on his face. "I suppose I should have suspected this as soon as I determined this was werewolves...I knew you couldn't have been far behind...I take it this is the Corbin pack than?"

Grayson's eyes lit up in recognition shortly after Skylar spoke and he found himself chuckling softly, "of course. I am somehow not surprised that he would be here." He could remember their escapade with this man, this strange man, "I do not know how he could still be standing...It's not possible...Right?" He glanced at them with a curious expression, he was still fairly shaky even so many years later when it came to the world of the supernatural, he was sure vampires and werewolves were the only immortal beings, so just what was he?

His nose wrinkled a little and he leaned down to Skylar's ear as they approached, "I believe the tall one carries wolf blood..." He knew Skylar could probably tell himself, but figured he would say anyway.

Solomon glanced over as the two figured approached, glancing between them and Ian with a look that was somewhere between disbelief and absolute doneness, "Lemme guess...These are the fucking vampires?!" He gestured to them with a clearly displeased expression, "Is big foot and the fuckin' mothman gonna come to this tea party of fucking crazy too?!" Though Skylar's words gave him pause and he looked at Ian, "1892?! What is going on here?!" He flopped himself dramatically against the barn, ready to let out a scream of frustration when he remembered they were dealing with werewolves.

Harley looked a little incredulous, "by the gods they're still kicking around...If we're dealing with the Corbin pack we are in trouble..." Mido glanced from Ian to the two that had just approached, "who are you?" The question was curious as he tilted his head.

"Hmm." Skylar made a sound of agreement at Gray. "I know that he is not one of us...nor is he one of them..." But they admitted there were things even they didn't understand of this realm they all shared. "And the tall one is absolutely part wolf..." They agreed, nose wrinkling in disdain at the scent from here. The question was...was he working with them? Did he even know? It smelled faint enough that maybe he didn't bumping through this life wondering why he had certain drives and urges he never quite understood.

They barely glanced at Sol at his outburst. "While it is possible such creatures as Bigfoot, Godzilla and the Mothman actually do exist, I have not encountered them in my history, so I highly doubt they were going to choose to show up in a field in the middle of nowhere, United States." They answered rather flatly, ignoring the quip about Ian's age as that was a thing that confounded them too and they had no answer for, before looking back to Ian.

"It is the Corbin pack...when is it *not* the Corbin pack? But their current leader is less cunning and tactical and mostly just aggressive and angry. I feel as though we will be able to handle her easier then her grandfather...there was a stubborn, nasty old wolf if there ever was one."

They turned to Mido, offering a polite nod, but still just a hint of a curled lip. "I am Skylar Atherton, this is Grayson...Prince and Sheriff of Boston among the vampiric communities, and by some extension other supernatural entities...while not the city proper this is still close enough to my domain that it was worth my attention, especially when we have an extensive, antagonistic history with this pack in particular...might I ask what all of you are doing here?"

Charlie meanwhile half tuned out of this conversation, instead much more concerned with Sol's reaction to the whole situation. "Hey...hey, you okay? I'm sorry man...this...got way weird, way fast." He apologized, genuinely feeling bad that Sol kept finding himself in these situations he didn't want to be in.

"I'm...sure they're not really a bunch of vampires...and...I'm sure your uncle isn't really like....two hundred years old..." Charlie leaned against the barn next to Sol, although he didn't really sound convinced of either of these facts himself either.

Grayson shook his head and looked at the group gathered, at Ian especially, narrowing his eyes as if he could determine what the man was through willing himself to see it. He glanced to the side when Skylar spoke and nodded, "I'm sure he knows, but perhaps he does not understand..." There were other strange things about the tallest figure's presence that Grayson couldn't put a finger on, but he left it for now, it was not pertinent to the situation at hand.

Sol muttered a rather dis tempered retort about how he knew that none of those things were going to show up, but kept his eyes glued to Ian for the time being, disbelief and shock written on his face.

Mido faced Skylar, "well...We came here because we presumed that we were dealing with ghosts..." He put a finger to his chin and looked over the claw marks, "however as we are clearly not, now we are seeking the best solution..." He offered a friendly smile to the vampires that had assembled, "if you have any suggestions, we would be happy to hear them." Harley chuckled softly, glancing sidelong at Ian, "well he gets credit for civility I suppose..." Mido it seemed had little fear, which was a blessing and a curse for anyone dealing with these things.

However Solomon had enough fear for everyone, jumping when Charlie came close and looking at him with wide eyed, "Haaahaha weird?! What's weird?!" He gestured, "this is perfectly normal!" He sighed and rubbed his hands over his face, "I just want a nice not-weird vacation...Just one day where shit doesn't go dicks up bonkers..." He loved doing this for Charlie, but it was starting to wear on him, he didn't want to STOP, but a vacation sounded pretty nice right now, "this is...Fine...I'm...Fine..." He slumped a little bit and rubbed at his temples, sighing softly.

Sky looked amused over at Gray. "They seem to have it well in hand...but if we had any 'suggestions'..." the tall one was confident, they had to give him that.

"These are not creatures easily handled or dismissed." They continued. "Your solutions are generally...give then what they want...or kill them all. Often the second one."

Ian shook his head, countering that. "Not always, they can occasionally be reasoned with...while most of them a brutal thugs...not all of them are..." another significant glance at Mido as he said this.

Sky just made a dismissive guesture. "So it would seem they are no longer here, although they very clearly were...the next step would be to try and track where they have gotten off to and holed up."

Charlie meanwhile looked even more concerned. "No this isn't okay and you're not okay." He looked ashamed of himself, not looking to Sol. "Seriously, i know that's not what you're saying. ..but if you want out of this...i won't be angry or blame you. Seriously, the last thing i want to do is hurt you and...I think this is. " He reached out to hug him. "You can go if you want...and...we'll do something fun soon, i promise. No weird, no crazy, just fun and relaxing. Okay? "

Grayson snorted and smirked, "I suppose, though that one looks like he is about to piss himself." He gestured over to Solomon, who was being comforted by Charlie.

Mido put his hands up, "we're not equipped or ready to go killing werewolves. And...Well I'd rather not if we can help it." The shared blood made him hesitant to do such an act, he'd never been a violent person to begin with, "the less bloodshed the better." He caught another weird glance from Ian and nodded, "Ian's right...Like...Maybe..." He trailed off when Skylar spoke, "I-I guess...I could try speaking to them? If we can find them?" He looked unsure, "they might listen..." If he really did have wolf blood, maybe they would be less inclined to attack him? He looked between Ian and the vampires, "I-I'm willing to try? Just...Like what would I need to say?" Ghosts he could talk to, dangerous wolf beasts? Not so much.

Solomon let out a soft breath and nodded, "right...No...I'm not okay." He looked up at him, "I want to keep doing this with you, Charlie just...Maybe I stay behind the scenes?" He chuckled, "In the RV?" He frowned, "but I don't want you dealing with danger alone...I could never forgive myself if...A-and I wasn't there..." He looked down, then leaned in close when hugged, wrapping his arms around him, "just please be careful...Please? I-I don't want to lose you..."