She ran up to the front door and knocked on it three times. Just like before, Murray was the one to answer. 
"There you are, sis. I trust you had a 'good night'?" he joked. "Oh, and....just to let you know, I ended up telling Dad your secret last night shortly after you left the house." 
"Yeah, I kind of figured you'd have to do that....." Carla muttered. She pushed Murray out of the way as she entered. "Where is he? Or Valeria?" 
"They're sitting in the living room waiting for you as well," he reported. "Both of them were very anxious about last night's events....they couldn't sleep a wink." 
"Great," she said as she power-walked into the living room. "Get yourself over there, too. I learned a lot in the past ten or so hours, and I want everyone there to hear it." 
"Really? How crazy was it?" Murray asked. 
Carla sighed. "Let's just say that it was a looooooong night." 
***********************************************************************************************
"Welcome back, girl," Valeria greeted as Murray also entered the space and took a seat. 
As soon as Dave saw Carla back to normal, he immediately gave her a hug. "Are you okay? After Murray and Valeria told me what was going on, I was so worried!" 
She chuckled. "Don't worry, Dad, I'm fine." Then, she looked at her younger brother. "Let's start with you. What exactly did you tell him?" 
"I told him that you got infected the night we arrived, and that you, me, and Valeria successfully managed to locate Esther's lab. I also informed him about exactly who Esther was, as well as his current predicament regarding his werewolf research. He also knows that we visited Alfred's grave yesterday---he's bitter that we went without him---and managed to obtain the ingredients needed for the cure. Finally, he understands that once we have everything, we need to take it back to Esther in the basement of the house so he can make the antidote," Murray briefed. 
"Right," Dave said. "Now that I'm in the loop, I can help you three search for the components; Valeria made a copy of the list and gave it to me. But first....." He sat back down. "How was your first night as a werewolf? Did you learn anything interesting about what it is they do? Anything that might end up being important to our own mission?" 
Carla began panicking slightly. "Oh boy, where do I even begin.....?!" 
"Don't worry, girl," Valeria said softly. "I'm sure you are feeling overwhelmed at the moment; but fear not. You know all of this more than we do, so we will remain quiet and listen for as long you need us to." 
The young girl took a deep breath. "So.....after I left the manor last night, I stuck to the shadows, covered my tracks, and remained elusive as I observed the town for criminals. Eventually, I came across a massive hunting party led by someone named....'Dwayne Vargas'.....? They were in possession of a lot of silver slugs, and I eavesdropped on them saying that they were out to kill every werewolf they saw," she began. 
"I overheard one of them saying that they had cornered another werewolf by the church on 6th Street, so I rushed over and killed the hunter before they could finish him off. The other werewolf, Jet, thanked me for saving him and took me to a clearing where I met several other werewolves, along with their alpha, Remus. There, I learned that all of the werewolves that defend the country are part of the Order of Blood, a group of guardians whose general aim is to keep the peace," she continued. "In their eyes, killing a hunter is no small feat; I was hailed as a hero for stopping one all by myself, and Remus inducted me into the Order personally before sending me on a mission with Jet and two other werewolves named Boris and Percy, who I've actually grown really close with." 
"After several hours, the four of us returned to the Order's camp. I told Jet that I had to return home soon since the sun was coming up, so he covered my escape and I came back here," she finished. 
"You didn't tell any of them your real name, did you?" Murray inquired. 
Carla shook her head. "I made up a different one." 
"What?" 
"Nightclaw," she replied with a smile. 
Murray's jaw dropped. ".....'Nightclaw'? That actually sounds really cool, not gonna lie." 
The young girl beamed. "Right? I just thought of it on the fly." 
Just then, Valeria came to a realization. "Wait....this man.....'Dwayne Vargas'.....you said that he and his hunting party seek to exterminate the werewolves?" 
Carla nodded. "Not only have they already taken out several members of the Order already, but they actually have the necessary tools to do so. So yes, they are incredibly dangerous." 
The woman's eyes widened. "Although I have never heard of this man before.....I think he may be connected to the random werewolf infections. Think about it. Dwayne and his men have killed several werewolves....." 
"So that means that their ranks started to dwindle....." Murray continued. 
".....Which would force the remaining members to infect the citizens in order to bring their numbers back up!" Dave concluded. 
"Exactly," Carla replied. "Now we know why the werewolves have been cursing innocents on top of killing the guilty; they literally have no other option." 
"So you're saying this is all the hunters' fault?!" Murray exclaimed. "Great. Just great. Now we've got two problems!" 
The young girl hesitated before speaking further. "Actually.....I have a suggestion." 
"Yeah, sis?" the boy asked. "What is it?" 
"We should all still focus our efforts on creating and synthesizing the antidote.....but I won't take it right away." 
"Wait....what?" 
"At first.....I wanted to be cured more than anything. But....now that I see things from the werewolves' point of view, I know now that I simply can't go back to normal in good conscience while Dwayne and the rest of his hunters are still out there. I've developed a sense of closeness and camaraderie with the Order, and I can't just leave them behind to die," Carla stated firmly. "In short....I feel like I have to remain a werewolf for at least a few more nights if I'm going to solve this problem. The Order.....they.....they're like my pack." 
These words shook Dave to the core. He recalled the story of the wolves that Martha used to frequently tell to her kids in the past. The animals who were "centered around teamwork, remaining loyal to their groups and families until the bitter end", as he himself put it. Additionally, he remembered Martha's advice about trust, compassion, and unity being vital for a team's success. 
It was clear that Carla was definitely her mother's daughter, and this was more than enough for him to make his decision. 
"Okay, Carla. It's clear you're the most experienced on this matter out of all of us; you've got one foot in both worlds, so to speak. If you lead, then we will follow. Just tell us what to do and we'll get it done," Dave said. 
Murray nodded. "I'm on board, too. These hunters mess with your friends, they mess with us." 
"I will not stand idly by while these heartless men ruthlessly murder the guardians whom I have known for so long. Count me in," Valeria agreed. 
With that, all four of them stood in a circle and placed their hands in the middle. 
"Alright, Team Darkveil is a-GO!" Dave exclaimed happily. 
Murray chuckled. "What?" 
"Team Darkveil! I came up with it on the spot." 
"Right....." his son snarked. "We'll work on it." 
"Meh....it's not that bad. But yes, it could use some improvement," Valeria added. 
Dave clapped his hands. "Regardless, this is great! We're like her daytime 'pack' while the Order is her nighttime 'pack'! So, Carla.....what should we do first?" 





She smiled. "First.....we gather the reagents for the cure."