Chapter 14: Dawn Breaks

                                    

                                          
Dwayne Vargas and his hunting party dropped by the church where Dougan had previously cornered one of the beasts. However, all of the men recoiled in shock when they spotted not only his dead body nearby, but also the broken and dismembered carcasses of twelve graffiti artists and their ringleader. 
One of the woodsmen nearly threw up. 
"So.....these creatures really do want us off their backs, do they?" another one said. 
Dwayne bent down next to Dougan's body and sighed. "What a waste.....he truly was one of the best of us." He slowly removed the tooth ring from Dougan's belt and tossed it into one of the trucks. "I'll keep his collection going for him. He likely would've wanted it." 
"What do we do now, boss?" a third hunter asked. 
"It's clear that these monsters have to be stopped no matter what," Dwayne answered. "I mean....I could understand why they'd want to dispatch the ringleader, but the artists, too? Did it never occur to them that these thugs might've been used? Manipulated?"
He shook his head as he took out a phone and began dialing a number. "I'll call a team in to clean up the scene and obtain evidence. As for us....dawn's about to break, so that means they'll likely go back into hiding. The rest of you, start heading back to the shack for right now. I'll be right behind you."  
The group hopped back inside their vehicles and drove down the street back to their base. 
"If these creatures think they can take out one of my best men and get away with it, they've got another thing coming," Dwayne grumbled. "When next we meet....it'll be time for some revenge." 
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The four werewolves eventually returned to the clearing after a successful night of patrolling Darkveil.  Boris and Percy wandered off, leaving Jet and Nightclaw by themselves. 
There was less than an hour left before the sun would rise and she would return to normal, so she decided to use that time to confide something to him. 
Hey, umm....Jet? Nightclaw asked. There's.....something I want to chat about with you. Just you. Can we talk privately? 
Jet nodded. Sure. 
The two of them walked some distance away from the clearing until they were far away from the other werewolves. So....what's on your mind? he asked. 
Nightclaw hesitated for a moment. I'm going to turn back soon. 
Jet stared at her for a moment before realizing what she was talking about. Oh, yeah! Well, this'll be cool! I'll get to see what you actually look like---
No.....you won't, she countered. You have to let me go before then. As fun as tonight has been, I still have a family back in town who's really worried about me and wondering what I've been doing this whole time. 
.....Do they know you've been infected? he asked. 
Nightclaw nodded. It's just that.....I want to let them know that I'm safe. That's all. Please don't tell anyone else about this; just try to come up with an excuse for why I'm gone. 
Jet looked back at the camp cautiously, then took a breath. Alright, he replied. Don't worry; I've got your back. Just focus on leaving the clearing. 
Thank you. I'll come back tonight, though! I promise! she yipped. 
With that, Nightclaw departed the encampment for the time being, but kept herself hidden from the rest of the town until she returned to normal. Once she had transformed back into Carla, she immediately rushed over to Darkveil Manor.