EIGHTY-EIGHT | CAMPING

What Cole and the Beta failed to mention: the people I'd be playing bait with...becomes apparent the second Blue and I reach the meeting site at Port Greene.

"Hey, gorgeous, you're looking amazing this fine afternoon." Yuri is the first of the five waiting Wolven to greet me, ignoring Blue annoyed looks and jogging over to scoop me into a bone-crushing hug. I'm no longer as fragile as glass and squeeze him back. The contact feels different, even through the multiple layers of clothes between us. Like we're Packmates, Yuri's happiness in seeing me thrumming through the connection I share with Blue and infecting me so I'm grinning by the time the mountain of muscle releases me.

"How're you doing, Yuri?" I ask him, recalling the last time I saw him - yesterday - laid up in the infirmary after a run in with the Reiniers.

"Feel'n like a million bucks, babe. Your Coven buddies came over to the infirmary this morning and gave us a little boost," He winks, a slight grimace and disgust echoed in both his face and the connection. "Gross as hell, but it's like I just woke from a thousand-year sleep and am ready to kick some ass." He adds, back to grinning and rubbing his hands together.

"*Ugh*, I think they gave him too much if you ask me," Misha comes up behind her brother, shoving him aside to pull me into her tiny embrace. "Ooh...you smell like-" Misha sniffs my neck - where Blue bit me. I showered after packing, realizing it was only three in the afternoon after everything was said and done. But I had figured washing would take care of any residual Blue-scent still clinging to me. Apparently, Misha's a *bloodhound*. She pulls away to give me a knowing smirk, her stormy grey eyes alight with barely contained excitement.

"My turn!" Caly bounces into view, pulling me into a much tighter embrace than Misha had given me and blatantly burying her face in my neck. "Does this mean we're sisters now?" She whispers to me, so softly I almost don't hear her. My shock seems to reach Blue, because he cough-laughs and pulls Caly from me before I can answer. Caly pouts at him, the two sharing a mix of looks that lets me know the two are sharing a private conversation, though I feel their ensuing emotions radiating from their minds and into mine.

"Scarlett," Cole nods to me in greeting, his smile a little tight, but I can sense his slowly growing comfort around me. Or maybe it's the seemingly known fact of my bite that has him relaxing a bit more. Valeria, a few step behind him - near the small campfire I hadn't noticed before - is glaring into the flames and ignoring me. *Oh, look, someone else who hates me*...

"Alright, let's finish setting up camp." Yuri claps his hands to get out attention. I smirk at him, and in the way Blue is now muttering to Cole in a mocking tone. "Hey, I heard that, Z. You handed me the reigns, deal with it." This surprises me. Blue's not in charge: Yuri is. I blink a few times, wondering why Blue would have passed control over to Yuri if Blue's technically an Alpha and Yuri's a Beta.

"Then lead us, oh great one," Blue mock bows.

"That's *Commander* Great One, smartass." Yuri quips back, grinning again as he looks at his cousins. "Cole and Val, can you guys keep the fire going? Maybe look for wood?" Cole and Valeria shrug and shuffle off towards the woods, muttering to each other good-naturedly. "Mish and Caly, if you guys could lay out the tarps for the tents, Z and I will come around and help set them up once we figure out the pole thingys."

"Pole thingys?" Blue growls, narrowing his eyes at Yuri - who shrugs and waves his hands as if drawing a tent in the air.

"Uh...what should I do?" I ask, waving my hand up to remind the large man of my presence. Yuri turns to me, considering.

"Can ya cook?" He asks hesitantly, like he's trying not to offend me. I roll my eyes.

"A little. Did you guys bring food?"

"Got some hot dogs and cans of soup. Some smores for later. That kind of thing." Yuri shrugs, nodding his head at the fire where a duffle sits.

"Sure," I shrug, and set off to make use of myself while the others set up the tents.

I've never been camping before, but I imagine it'd be something like what we're doing now. Cole and Valeria come back to the fire in trips, bringing dried sticks by the armful and setting them in a neat pile within reach of the fire, but far enough so they don't catch. Meanwhile, I portion out the food I find, a can for each person, the large cans are normally for two humans, but I figure there are enough of them for us to all have one each that it really doesn't matter. Then the hot dogs and bread, also enough for us to have plenty - and even breakfast if we're able.

By the time I've figured out how to warm up the cans of soup and hot dogs, everyone's completed their tasks and the sun's starting to go down behind the trees. A wintery chill has settled, thick clouds casting over the skies with a promise for snow. I shiver, despite not feeling most of the cold. I'd dressed warmly enough to keep me well insulated against the frost, but worry has begun to creep along my skin.

The reminder that I'm out here - as bait - flashes back over me. Every move I make feels like I'm being watched as the sunlight begins to fade. I'm not sure if they're Azure eyes or Reinier eyes. After a few more minutes, I decide it really isn't important. I'm doing what I'm supposed to be, that's all that counts right now. I pull the hot dogs from their sticks and pass them around the huddled circle. Everyone's taken up a spot around the fire to stay warm.

Blue to my left and Yuri at my left. Misha beside Yuri and Valeria at her other side. Beside Blue is Cole, though the two refrain from communicating aloud, I note - when Blue silently passes his cousin a hot dog and the package of bread. Cole's twitchy, eyes scouring the tree line without really moving his head. Like he can sense the eyes watching us too.

"Alright, food's ready, but I couldn't find any spoons." I tell everyone, plucking the still smoldering cans from the fire and passing them around. Everyone's wearing mittens now, shielding their hands from the hot metal. The heat's welcomed, not hurting me, just hot against my skin. I wonder if it's a vampire thing - being impervious to fire. But as I look at my hands, I see they're not necessarily impervious to fire, the skin on my hands bright red - like I'd just gotten a sun burn. They're just healing so fast I hadn't noticed they were injured. In the blink of an eye, they're fine. Smooth and pale as usual.

"Damn, I knew I forgot to pack something..." Yuri grumbles, shaking his can of soup and looking around at his cousins. "Hey, Cole, buddy-" He begins, batting his eyes at the smaller Wolven pleadingly.

"We're *not* using my scales for spoons," Cole growls at Yuri, his skin beginning to glow a little in the dying light. Yuri raises his free hand in a 'calm-down' gesture.

"Okay, okay..." He sighs and looks at his soup can again, still pouting. I roll my eyes and lift my can to my mouth, drinking some of the hot liquid and relishing the warmth. "Huh," Yuri follows my example and taking a gulp of his soup. "Hot! Hot!" Yuri huffs after a second, fanning his mouth. I laugh, my breath coming out in thick puffs of vapor.

"You're suck a baby," Misha scoffs at her brother, rolling her eyes and sipping from her can daintily and smacking her lips. "Thanks for the meal, Scarlett." She pipes up after a second, smiling at me over the flames. I smile back and shrug as Cole, Caly and Blue echo her words. Yuri's too busy fanning his mouth to say anything resembling thanks and Valeria's still ignoring me.

"I just opened the cans and warmed the food." I reply honestly. If it had been up to me, I'd have made something heartier, considering the cold and calories we must be burning out here.

"Still," She shrugs back and settles back into her spot.

"We should tell scary stories," Caly pipes up after a few minutes of silence as we all dig into our food.

"Like this place isn't creepy enough," Cole grumbles, shuddering. "I'm out." He announces.

"Fraidy-cat." Yuri taunts his cousin. Cole narrows his eyes, pushing up his glasses on his nose so they reflect the light of the fire.

"I'm not the one who barked at his own shadow-" Cole grits out in contempt - a look of triumph in his eyes as Yuri stiffens beside me.

"Hey, that was a secret-" Yuri hisses at him.

"You don't like fireworks-" Misha remarks at Cole - who blanches at the mere mention of exploding gunpowder.

"Well, at least I can *swim*-" Cole sputters indignantly.

"Hey!" Yuri frowns at the two, but everyone seems to be feelin the unease growing by the second.

"Anyone up for s'mores?" I cut in before anyone else can speak, holding up the bag of organized sandwich treats. I managed to put them together before cooking the food, now they're ready to go.

"I'll take one," Both Cole and Misha reply at the same time, then narrow their eyes at one another. I pull a few sandwiches from the baggie and begin passing them around. A few of the sticks I'd found to roast the hot dogs earlier go around the group as well. After another tense silence, everyone begins to relax again and marshmallows hover over the flames in varying degrees. I glance at Blue, wondering if this is how they always are or if the intensity from what we're doing out here has shifted the usual banter.

Blue shrugs at me, his eyes reflecting the light of the fire as night settles in around us. Everyone's quiet after that, either listening to the sounds from the ocean or that of the woods around us. My mind begins to wander, the mix making me think of Reinier lands and a time before. When I get too tired to keep my eyes open, I shuffle away from the group and duck into a small single-person tent, hoping to get some real sleep for once.