Maximum Werewolf

I just sat there, observing my family as they interacted. Sarah, my sister, was stuffing her face; she never seemed to get full. It's like her stomach was a bottomless pit. My mom and my step dad were talking about finances; they are over due for the water bill.

"Max," my sister said, trying to get my attention. I was zoning out, lost in my imagination and thoughts. I always seem to day dream nowadays. I turned to her, raising my eyebrow to show her she caught my attention. "Are you finished with that wolf you started drawing? It looked like this one was going to be the best one yet."

I shook my head, no. I wasn't finished. Not even close. I draw; mostly just animals. Sometimes I draw portraits of my family. Sometimes I draw scenery. But I love drawing wolves, they're my specialty. They're always a challenge, to get the fur just right, the right shading. My sister says that my pictures look like actual photos. I don't believe her, but whatever makes her happy. Please notice the sarcasm that sentence.

"Well," Sarah said. "When are you going to finish it?" She went from calm to whining in a second. Is she PMSing again? I mean seriously.

I just shrugged. I loved irking my sister. It's always so fun, seeing her mad. She's the only one that can come up with comebacks as fast as me and she's the only one that can fight as well as me. Well, I fight better because I take Tae Kuan Do and Kickboxing. I also street fight, but she doesn't know that.

I'm in a gang called the Devil's Tail. We aren't a normal gang, we're a family. There are eighty of us in all. We don't think of us as a gang, but a clan. A pack. Mom and Deuce know I'm in it, but Sarah doesn't. I've got a pitchfork tattooed on my left shoulder.

We all know how to fight. We are all strong, if not in numbers, then in strength and brains. No one messes with us for fear of getting hurt. We find out peoples weaknesses and use them against them.

"Max, Sarah," my mom, Tiffany, said. She had that authority tone in her voice. "You both are going to clean the kitchen and do the dishes. After that is done, you're going to get ready for bed." Told you.

I nodded and Sarah sighed dramatically. "Do not sigh like that to me, Sarah-Grace Evielee Buquoi," my mom demanded. I smirked at her and got up, bringing my plate to the sink. I never liked taking orders from my mom, or anybody for that matter, but I'll do anything for her. She takes care of me, so I'll take care of her. Even if she doesn't want me to.

Sarah rolled her eyes when she wasn't looking and I just ignored her, not wanting to get into a fight. She knew I would win, no doubt about it. I wouldn't intentionally hurt her, but I would tackle her to the ground and hold her so she couldn't move.

After we were done cleaning the kitchen, we made our way to our rooms. I always slept in my cloths I wore that day and changed when I woke up. I own PJ's, but I don't wear them. I always wear cargo shorts and a black shirt or a black tank top. Sarah always wore white and bright colors. Never wore black or dark colors.

When I was getting in bed, a very small, hard bed, there was a shaking, like an earthquake. My eyebrows furrowed, I went down the hall, Sarah coming out and meeting me in the middle.

"What's going on? We don't get earthquakes in Oregon!" Sarah exclaimed. She was right, we don't get earthquakes.

"No," I said. It's very rare for me to talk; I let actions take over instead of words. After the initial shock of me actually saying something, Sarah motioned for me to continue. "This is something else. I don't know what, but it's not an earthquake."

"Max, Sarah!" I heard. Sarah and I turned, picture frames falling all around us, and saw mom running to us. She had panic in her eyes. "Go down to the cellar. And no matter what you hear, don't scream! Promise me!"

I nodded and took Sarah's hand, dragging her down to the cellar doors. "Max," Sarah said. "What's going on? Why do we have to go down to the basement?" I just shook my head, taking her forearm and literally dragging her down the stairs. I slammed the trap door shut, leaving us in complete darkness, having to feel our way by touch. I shoved Sarah behind me and stood protectively in front of her, facing the darkness. I was right, this wasn't an earthquake. Oh, God, I hope it isn't what I think it is, I thought.

I heard a scream, my mom's scream. I was glad that it was dark, that way Sarah couldn't see my mask breaking. I can't help her. I can't help my mom, my family. I felt helpless, the first time in three years, I felt helpless.

There was a crash and another scream from my mom. I heard a gunshot and a strangled yell that didn't sound human. I was right, it was vampires.

Sarah was hyperventilating and I heard her whimper a little. I put my hand on her mouth. Right now, my biggest responsibility was to protect Sarah. She didn't know what she was, I wasn't going tell her either. I had to protect her from the vampires and, more importantly, herself.

I heard another crash and Deuce yelled in agony. I winced, my mask crumbling. Tears started to form in my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. I needed to be strong, if not for me, then for Sarah. Speaking of Sarah, she whimpered again. I put my arm around her and kept my hand on her mouth and I felt warm wetness on the back of my hand and knew she was crying. She leaned her head on my shoulder and I rubbed her back.

Suddenly, the noise stopped. Everything was quiet, completely silent. I knew that they had killed mom and Deuce. But they haven't left yet. They haven't gotten what they came for, Sarah.

There was a bang and something blocked the light coming in from the ceiling. It was Deuce; he was dead, blood dripping through the cracks in the ceiling. Sarah whimpered again and I put my mouth by her ear and whispered, "Shhh . . ." under my breath. She nodded and held her breath, trying not to make a sound.

We watched as Deuce's body got dragged away. There were heavy footsteps making their way to the trap door. I took Sarah's hand and dragged her toward the cellar door to outside. We needed to get out, get to somewhere safe. I opened the cellar door and pushed her out, just as the trap door burst open.

"Go!" I yelled, shoving her out. I started to climb out after her, but I got pulled back by my pony tail. I winced, falling backwards. The Vamp dropped me and stepped over me to get to Sarah. "Go, Sarah! Don't come back! Go! I'll come get you! Go!" I kept yelling, hearing her footsteps getting farther away. I grabbed the Vamp's ankle and pulled him down. I jumped up, tackling him to the ground. I took my stake out of my pocket and before I could stake it, the Vamp clawed me in the face. I winced again, giving it enough time to get me off of it. I fell back, the Vamp jumping up and kicking me in the stomach. I cried out, feeling a couple of ribs break.

The Vamp laughed mercilessly, and kicked me again, this time in the stomach. I grimaced, jumping up and most likely puncturing my lung. I lunged for it, dodging it's fist and tackled it to the ground. Before it could even move, I staked it. Breathing raggedly, I got up and started attacking the other six. I had to take care of them so they wouldn't follow. Then, I made my way out the cellar doors. Then I ran. I ran to my sister, the one and only thing I had to protect. I'd give my life to save hers.

I ran, hearing my sister yell, "Go! Run!" And hearing her cry out, that was the worst thing I could hear.

Tears streaming down my face, I ran into the woods, jumping over logs, stepping over rocks, going through the stream. My sister, my only family member left, is most likely dead. I just left her, left her to those things that killed my parents.

Feeling like my lungs were going to burst, I stopped in a clearing. Breathing raggedly, I wiped my tears, only to have more come. My family. Gone. Gone.

That made me break down completely. I fell on my hands and knees, sobbing. My sister. "Max…" I whispered, sobs racking my body.

"Hey!" I heard. I jumped up as fast as I could and turned in a 360, searching for the things that killed my family. I didn't see anything.

"Who's there!" I yelled, looking every which way for the threat. No way was I going to let those things get me. They killed my family.

"We're not going to hurt you," I heard. Suddenly, a girl dropped down from the tree. She looked a little like my sister, but not a lot. Her hair was a dirty blond and Max's hair was a dark chestnut. Max was a little more muscular than her, but not a lot. Their bodies were built a little differently. Max was built like a sprinter, a fighter. This girl was more lean.

"We're not going to hurt you. What's wrong? Why are you crying?" the girl said. She took a cautious step forward, but I took a step back. I didn't know who this girl was, she could be one of those things that killed my family. Max . . .

"Who are you?" I demanded, hating that my voice was weak. "What do you want? Do you want to kill me like you killed my family? Are you one of those-those things that killed my family?"

"What things?" the girl said, taking another step forward. She seemed generally curious. I studied her, trying to see if she was a threat. She didn't look too strong, I could probably take her. Besides, I took Karate and Kickboxing for five years.

"I-I don't know. My sister, she-she got me out of there before I could see them. But, they got her. She-she's dead," I whispered, tears welling up in my eyes again.

Suddenly, five more kids dropped down from the trees all around me. There was a boy, strawberry-blond and tall and lanky, he looked around my age. Another one, wearing all black and he had black hair, he looked around my age also. There was an African American girl, who looked around eleven-twelve. Another little boy with blond hair and bright blue eyes looked around nine-ten. The last one was a little girl around seven-eight with blond hair and blue eyes, she looked a lot like the other little boy. Maybe they were siblings?

I tensed, eyeing them, ready to take off at a moments notice. What was going on? Where did they come from?

"We're not going to hurt you, like I said. My name is Max, this is Fang, Iggy, Gazzy, Nudge, and Angel," the tall girl said. What? Her name was Max? What the . . . ?

"Max? Huh, somebody up there must really hate me. Max, jeez," I mused. The girl raised her eyebrow and said, "Is there something wrong with the name Max?"

Oh, great, I offended her. "Sorry, my-my sister's name was Max . . ." I said, trailing off, my eyes filling with tears. Oh, Max, why did you have to do that?

"Your sister? What was her whole name?" the girl said. Tears leaked out of my eyes.

"Just Max. Her name was just Max," I whispered.

Suddenly, the girl and the others tensed. I tensed also, hearing footsteps coming my way. They were uneven and dragging, like someone in pain. But they were fast, faster than I've ever heard. I walked to the edge of the hill, just before the trees, ready to attack at a moments notice.

My breathing was baited and I was crouched in a fighting stance. I could see a figure moving in the trees, moving fast, faster than I've ever seen. What was that? Was that the thing that killed my family?

"It's safe!" the little girl, Angel, yelled. What? "She's not going to hurt anyone. She's looking for someone, she's hurt."

Who? I thought.

Suddenly, the figure burst through the trees and I smiled, gasping as tears leaked out of my eyes.

"Max!" I yelled. I ran toward her, throwing myself on her. I felt her tense and I pulled back, looking at her with worried eyes. "Are you okay? Are you hurt?" I asked, seeing the claw marks on her face. She was grimacing in pain.

"I'm fine, just broke a couple of ribs," her deep voice said. I've never seen her express emotion before. I've seen her smile slightly when she was really happy, but that's about it. "Stop worrying about me. Are you okay?" she asked, grabbing me by the shoulders. She winced again at the movement, but she didn't let go of me in her iron grip. I haven't noticed how strong she really was until now.

"Oh, me? I'm fine, just traumatized from watching my family die right before my eyes, seeing my sister get pulled back from unseen forces and forced to leave her for dead. Oh, yes, I'm totally fine," I said sarcastically.

Max stared at me for a few, long moments, then she grabbed me in a hug. "I'm so glad you're safe," she whispered. She pulled back and I asked the question that I've been dying to ask.

"What the hell are those things?" I demanded. I watched as Max's face became void of all emotion as she stared behind me. She grabbed my and pushed me behind her as she stood in a defensive position in front of me. Ah, she must have seen the other six kids. "Max, it's okay, they're not going to hurt us," I said.

"Who are you?" Max asked, still not letting up. As they didn't answer, Max asked again, this time, her voice low, almost a growl, "I said, who are you?"

"We're not going to hurt-", the other Max started, but she got cut off.

"You didn't answer the question, who are you? I'm not going to ask again," Max said, her voice dangerously low.

"My name is Max, this is Fang, Iggy, Gazzy, Nudge and Angel. We're not going to hurt you. We're on the run too," the other Max said.

"Why are you on the run?" Max asked.

The other Max exchanged glances with the black haired boy named Fang. Then they all faced us and slowly took off their jackets. Max tensed even more as she watched them take off their windbreakers. Then, they did the most amazing thing I've ever seen. They unfurled their wings.

I watched as they unfurled their wings, not surprised in the least. But I knew that they were safe, so I relaxed. I could just imagine Sarah's face as she saw them; her eyes popping out of her head and her jaw hitting the floor.

"You don't seem so surprised," the other Max said to me. I smirked and shook my head.

"I've seen more weird stuff than you can possibly imagine. Let's just say, it comes with the job," I said.

"Jeez, Max, this is the most you've talked in your life!" Sarah exclaimed. I wacked her on the back of the head, just hard enough for her to feel it. "Ow! What was that for?"

I just shrugged. She rolled her eyes. "Oh, great, back to silence," she muttered. The other kids snickered, except the Fang guy, he just smirked.

"Great, we've got another no emotions person," the other Max exclaimed. Fang rolled his eyes as they all snorted or snickered. I didn't do anything, I just stood there. "What are your names?"

"I'm Sarah and that's Max," Sarah said. I heard a shuffling in the woods because of my advanced hearing and stepped away from Sarah, facing the woods. I had a feeling I knew who it was. The others who had seen me tense, snapped their gazes to where I was looking.

"Lucas!" I yelled. I heard a chuckle emit from the place where I was looking. I could just barely see his outline amongst the trees. "Come on Lucas, I know you're there! Come meet our new friends!"

There was a rustling and a sixteen-year-old boy stepped out, his dark wash jeans ripped and dirty, his black T-shirt with holes and his pitch black hair stuck up every which way. He smiled, his pure white teeth shining in the dim light. I smiled a little at my best friend. "Hey bestie," I said softly as he came up to me.

"Man, Max," he exclaimed. He came up to stand in front of me, his black and golden eyes raking me up and down, checking my wounds. At least, that's what I hope he's doing. "You can't stay out of trouble can you? Here, let me see," he said, motioning for me to show him my ribs. I raised my shirt, wincing at the movement. His fingers lightly glided across my stomach, seeing the huge football sized bruise. He glanced at my face, then looked at the six bird kids. They were wary, but they were relaxed. They didn't see my best friend as a threat. Well, I thought, that's good.

"Do any of you have tape or a towel?" Lucas asked them.

"Luke, I'm fine," I insisted. He shook his head at me, putting slight pressure on my ribs. I winced as a shard of pain went through my body.

"No, you're not," he said, seeing me wince. "What am I going to do with you? You know you should have called for back up when you were attacked!"

"Well I'm sorry if I couldn't because I was so busy trying to keep quiet so I could save her. You know my objective is to keep her safe, even if it means taking my own life. I will do anything to keep her safe and you know that," I said, my voice softer at the end. He nodded sadly, patting my back. I rolled my eyes and turned away from him, still mad. He knows to just let me cool off.

"Sorry, we don't have anything," the other Max said. She was watching us with curious eyes, like the rest of them.

Luke muttered, "Great" and took off his own shirt, ripping it up in strips. He was tall and lean, full of muscle. We were pretty even in a fight, but I always come out on top. I'm just good like that. He had a six pack, but it was shallow. His biceps were there, but they weren't that big. "Come on," he said, motioning for me to lift up my arms. I lifted them, wincing at the movement. He lifted my shirt and started binding my ribs tight. I grimaced, my teeth grinding, sweat breaking out on my forehead.

"Max, how did you manage to break four ribs?" Luke asked after he was done.

I shrugged, not wanting him to worry. "Come on Max, this isn't time to stay quiet. Tell me what happened at the house. I need to know everything so I can make sure we know what we're up against," he said, his eyes pleading. We stared into each other's eyes for a long moment before I sighed, defeated.

"Seven came," I said. Luke cursed under his breath, turning and punching a tree. "Luke," I sighed, grabbing his arm. He turned to face me.

"Seven, are you sure?" he asked.

"I think I would know since I had to kill them all," I said. "Now do you want to know what happened, or not?" He nodded, motioning for me to continue. I nodded my thanks and continued. "Tiffany made us go down into the cellar and said for us to keep quiet. They killed her first. They tortured Neil, wanting to know where she was, but he wouldn't tell, so they killed him next. I can still see the blood seeping through the floor boards. Luckily, I got her out before they could see her. They pulled me back, kept me there until I killed them all. There will be more, so we need to leave. They won't stop until they kill her. I cannot let that happen," I said, determined.

"Max, what are those things? Who do they want to kill? Why did you say mom and Deuce's real names instead of mom and Deuce?" Sarah asked. I glanced at Lucas and he nodded his head.

"Sarah, can I talk to you alone?" I asked, grabbing her forearm and taking her a ways away, out of earshot of the others. "Sarah, I'm not your sister," I said. Rather bluntly, might I add. Her eyes bugged out of her head. "Not in blood. You see, I'm your guardian. I was sent to protect you. You see, you are special. More special than you can imagine. Sarah, you're part werewolf." I explained. I thought it was time to let her know what she is. If she doesn't know, then she could be a danger to others and herself.

She laughed, but it quickly faded when she saw that I wasn't laughing. "Wait, you're serious?" she demanded. I nodded. "And what were those things that killed mom and dad?"

"Vampires," I said simply. Her eyes bugged out of her head.

"What? Vampires? Vampires killed my mom and dad? Vampires are after me? And are there anymore werewolves like me?" she asked this all in one breath.

"Yes, vampires killed your mom and dad. Vampires are after you. And yes, there are werewolf packs. I am part of one and so is Lucas," I explained.

"You're part of a werewolf pack?"

"Yes, we're called the Devil's Tail. We're a clan of eighty. Your mom and dad knew this and they agreed to let me stay with them so I could protect you. Haven't you noticed how I'm never around you when there's a full moon?" I asked, leaning back on a tree and crossing my arms.

"Yeah, you are a werewolf aren't you? Can you turn into one on your own, instead of on a full moon? What about me? I've never turned into a wolf."

"No you are not a full werewolf. I can teach you how to master your powers, but it will be painful at first. Yes, I can phase on my own. It takes a very powerful werewolf to phase on they're own, and Luke can too."

"Cool! Can you phase right now?" Sarah asked excitedly. I chuckled.

"No, maybe another time. Right now, I'm not too sure if I can trust these bird kids. We're going to have to get to know them. I have a feeling that they will be great allies of ours," I said and started to walk back up the hill of the clearing to Luke and the others. Sarah followed.

"She took it well?" Lucas asked once I stood beside him. Sarah had approached the others and they started to talk. I nodded, sighing. Luke rubbed my back as he watched Sarah with intelligent eyes.

"What are you thinking?" I asked.

"I'm thinking that we get to know these people and leave. We have to set up camp. I think we should do the latter first, they could come back any minute," he said. I sighed and nodded again, slipping my arm around my best friend in a hug.

"Missed you bestie," I whispered in his ear. He hugged me back, not as hard as a normal hug because of my injuries, but it was a hug all the same.

"Missed you too, bestie," he whispered, stepping back after he pecked my forehead. I smiled faintly and made my way over to the others, Luke following.

"Okay guys," Lucas said. "We need to leave. Possibly go a few miles south where there's more sun. We need all the sun we can get."

"How are you three going to get there?" Max asked. I smiled, my eyes flashing a sapphire color. "Whoa," she said. "How did your eyes do that?"

"We'll follow you from the ground, we can go for hours," Lucas said, ignoring Max's question.

"Sarah, I want you on my back," I said.

"You're going to phase?" Sarah asked excitedly. I nodded and she squealed. I rolled my eyes and took a deep breath, feeling my body change. My mouth and nose grew together, grew longer into a snout. I felt my ears go farther up my head and my feet elongate. My fingers connected and my palms grew longer. My teeth grew longer and sharper. I fell down on all fours and growled as my body heated up to one-hundred and fifty degrees. It became more painful as the farther along I changed.

Then, it all just stopped; the pain, the heat, it all stopped, just like that. And now I'm a full grown wolf. My fur was kind of like a German Sheppard's, you rub it one way and it's one color, you rub it another and it's a different color. I had black fur, but it was midnight blue tipped. I also had a red stripe down my back, like all of the wolves of my clan.

I shook out my fur and sniffed the air, smelling the pine of the trees and the smell of the bird kids, bird mixed with human. It was a strange smell, but not unpleasant. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Lucas bow down to me. He said to the others, "You always bow to a werewolf when phased if you wish to not get harmed. It also shows respect to those who wish to protect you."

The others all bowed except for Max. I growled at her and Fang elbowed her in the stomach. With a pained expression, she bowed to me. I understand how she felt, not wanting to bow to anyone, being the boss and being in charge. I really do understand, but it's always important to show respect to a werewolf just phased, it also saves you time.

"Hey, Max?" Sarah asked. I turned my gold and sapphire eyes to her, to show her she caught my attention. "I now get why you draw wolves all the time, but you only draw one type of wolf. It's all black with a red stripe down its back. Who is it?"

My ears folded down on top of my head in embarrassment. I'm sure that if I could blush, I would. I laid down and covered my face with my paws out of embarrassment. I couldn't believe that she mentioned that. God, Luke would never let this go.

Speaking of Luke, he was laughing his head off right beside me. My sapphire eyes glared at him, but he just kept laughing. He laughed so hard that he had to lean on me, tears streaming down his face. I was right, he was never going to let this go. Max and them were watching us, bemused. Sarah was just confused, glancing at me then at Lucas, then back again.

Shut up Lucas, I said through our bond. It's not that funny!

I got up and growled at him, but he just kept laughing. "Yes," he gasped. "It really is."

Come on Luke, it's not funny. It's just plain embarrassing! I said.

"Maxie, I am so flattered," he said, recognition on the others' faces. Max snorted and the others laughed. Well, Fang just smirked which is the equivalent of hysterical laughter coming from him. I whined; it wasn't funny!

Lucas, I whined. He stopped laughing abruptly. The others saw him stop and slowly stopped themselves. "What's wrong?" Max asked, doing a 360. Lucas turned to me, eyes wide. I stared back at him, wondering what he was doing, I didn't hear anything.

"Oh, my God," he said, staring at me. "I never thought I would see the day when you whined."

I growled so low that it was barely audible. He smiled wickedly. "Now, now Maxie," he said. "You don't want to fight, do you?"

I huffed a laugh, my giant stomach heaving. But we both know who will win, don't we Lucas?

He scowled and my face seemed to smile.

"Max," Angel said. I turned to her, showing her that she had my attention. "Can I feel your fur? It's so pretty, that sapphire and midnight blue colors are so gorgeous! And it looks so soft."

Well, I said to Luke. When you put it that way, sure. He laughed a short laugh and motioned for her to pet me. Angel stepped up to me, but Max put her arm out, stopping her. I cocked my head to the side, questioning.

"How do we know you won't hurt her?" Max asked, looking me in the eyes. I rolled mine and she raised her eyebrow.

Luke, tell her my only goal in life is to protect. I am a guardian of the clan Devil's Tail. It is my purpose, I said to him, glancing his way.

"She won't hurt you. She's a guardian of our clan, Devil's Tail. She was sent to live with Sarah as her personal guardian. It's her purpose," he said to Max.

"She's not lying, Max," Angel said. She smiled at me. "Really, she should be the one asking if we won't hurt them. But we won't because we have the same goal, protect Sarah and save the world. Max is only doing her job; she is bound by a blood contract since she was a baby to protect Sarah."

How the hell does that seven-year-old know all that? I said to Lucas, just as dumbstruck as he was. He shook his head at me, saying that he didn't know either.

"I guess I forgot to tell you," Angel said. Max shot her a warning glance, but she ignored it. "I can read minds." She said it so casually, like she was used to saying this, telling complete strangers that, oh, don't be surprised, I can read minds. It's not a problem, just that I know all of your secrets and darkest wishes, most embarrassing things about you, don't mind me. "Max, you think just like Fang. Hm," Angel said, thinking. Or reading our minds.

What? I think like a bird boy who doesn't show emotion? I said to Luke.

He snorted. "Well you don't either, so I wouldn't be talking," he said. He threw his arm around my neck and started scratching behind my ears.

Oh, God, that feels sooooooo good. Please, don't stop; it's been forever since I got a good scratch, I said, growling contentedly. I laid down so he could reach easier. Luke chuckled.

"You have to repay me. You're not the only one who hasn't had a good scratch. I mean, three months!" he exclaimed. His hands moved to my stomach and I rolled over, my tail wagging a little. This felt so good; I didn't want him to stop. His hands went lower and I growled in warning. "I know, I know," he said. "No lower."

My tongue lolled out and my right paw moved in time with his scratching. "She's like a big puppy!" Angel yelled happily, coming to join in on the scratching. I would have growled at her for saying I was a puppy, but I couldn't seem to make myself do it. She could be a professional dog scratcher. I heard her laugh. "It looks like you're smiling, Max," she said to me, looking at my mouth. I was because this felt so good.

"Come on," Lucas said dejectedly. "I don't get somebody to rub my tummy?"

You have to phase first, idiot, I said, huffing out a laugh. "Oh, right," he said, biting his lip. He backed up, taking a deep breath. In only a couple of moments, there was a gigantic black wolf with a red stripe down it's back standing right where Lucas was a minute before. He shook out his fur, yawning.

It feels so good to phase, he said. I nodded, still lost in Angel's magnificent touch.

Angel, can you hear us when we talk like this? I asked her.

"Yeah, Max," she said, going up higher to my neck. I almost purred, my head tilting back.

Can you translate to the others when we want them to know what's going on? I asked.

She nodded. I got up and bowed to Lucas, my front arms out in front of me as I bowed my head. The others followed my lead, Max reluctantly. I walked up to him and nuzzled his neck. Roll over, puppy. Don't you want some love? I said teasingly. He rolled his eyes and Angel giggled, running up to us and jumping up and down in anticipation. Nudge came up, too, wanting to pet him. He plopped down on his side and Angel started scratching his stomach, just below his armpits. He growled deep in his throat and I laughed, shaking my gigantic head. Aw, I said. Who loves his tummy rubbed? That's right, Luke does!

Shut up, he said half heartedly, his tongue lolling out. Angel giggled. Her laugh sounded like chimes in the wind. Her name suits her, definitely.

"OMG," Nudge said. I heard Max groan and glanced at her. She just shook her head, coming up to us. "I love your fur! It's like, so black! It's as black as Fang's feathers. Haven't you noticed how Max, your Max, not ours, looks a lot like Fang? You don't, but your hair and fur are as black as his and you have black eyes when you're human. Max, again, your Max, looks so much like Fang it's not even funny. And Angel said that they think the same too. Could they be brother and sister? Don't you think they could? The scientists stole us away from our families and we don't know if we have siblings or not. Max and Fang are the same age right? Ohhh, could they be twins? I want a twin; that would be so awesome! You could have someone to talk to when you're sad and-"

"Nudge!" the bird kids yelled at the same time. Lucas, Sarah and I just stared at her, horror struck. That came out of her mouth in one breath. Lucas had stopped wagging his tail and froze, staring at her. "Sorry about her," Max said. "She likes to talk. All it takes is one nudge and she's off."

Oh, so that's why she groaned. She knew that Nudge was about to go off on a rant.

"But she does have a point," Sarah said. She glanced between Fang and I, raising her eyebrow in thought. "I haven't noticed it before, but when Nudge brought it up, I can really see the similarities. Max and Fang both have olive skin. They both think alike and they are both emotionless. Max, do you know of your mother and siblings?"

I glanced at Angel, wanting her to translate this. She nodded and motioned for me to talk. My mother said I had a twin, but he died. She said he was too little to make it. She had us both when she was very young, seventeen. I was forced to believe that he really did die, so I didn't think much of it. Now though, I'm not sure what to think.

Angel translated and the other Max looked between Fang and I. "But Fang isn't a werewolf," she pointed out.

You don't have to be a werewolf from generics. If you're bitten and you survive the bite, then you become a werewolf on the next full moon. It only takes the very powerful to phase on their own. I said, wanting Angel to tell them.

"When did you get bitten?" Max asked me. I growled, turning away from her. That was not a story I wanted to talk about; too many bad memories. They all flashed behind my eyes, making me whimper an whine. It was too much, I felt like running away. I barely registered Angel tearing up beside me. I felt her tiny hand rub my side and I was thankful for the touch of comfort.

Lucas came up to me and nuzzled my neck, licking my face. I laughed a little, shoving his face away with my paw. Angel, tell Max that this is something that I'm not ready to tell. It's too painful. I said. Angel relayed the message and Max nodded, understanding. Luke nuzzled me again and I leaned into his touch. The thing is, when we're in wolf form, we can hear each other's thoughts and see each other's memories and such. So when I was remembering, Luke was with me, seeing what I saw.

I'm fine now, Lucas, I said and he moved away, nodding. We have to leave now. The Vamps could be here any minute. Angel, tell Sarah to get-

Max, Luke interrupted. I turned away from Angel and looked at him. Are your ribs okay?

I'm fine, Luke, I sighed. Really, my ribs healed. Angel, tell Sarah to get on my back. We're ready to leave. We'll follow you all South. We need to get to as much sun as possible.

Angel told Sarah to get on my back and I leaned down, Sarah hopping up and getting settled. I stood up and paced a little. I will be moving fast, so hold on, I said.

"Sarah, Max told you to hold on tight, you'll be moving at least two hundred miles per hour," Angel said. Sarah adjusted herself and took hold of my fur in her hands.

"You are really soft, Max," she said, rubbing my fur. I smiled, my teeth flashing.

"Alright guys, we're going to moms. U and A!" Max yelled, jumping up and unfurling her brown black and white speckled wings. The others followed her lead and started south. Luke and I ran through the trees, jumping over rocks and logs. Angel! I yelled.

Yeah, Max? she thought. Lucas winced when I yelled.

Tell your Max that we need to avoid towns and such. We can only stop when we need too.

After a couple of moments, Angel thought to me, She said okay. She said we'll stop in about six or seven hours. We're on our way to Arizona.

Arizona, that was perfect. It was like a desert, sun everywhere. Lucas nodded in agreement. Arizona it is.