Red Moon
Epilogue

The boy was alone. There was nothing but the snow and the trees the keep him company and even then, they offered no comfort for they hid the true terror of the woods.

Small legs carried the boy, wrapped in wool, winter clothing, through the waist deep snow that came up in a cloud, obscuring his vision. He wiped it away from his scarf covered face, blinking it out of his eyebrows before his rising breath could melt it and allow it to form chilling icicles.

Frost bit at his exposed skin. It must have been nearly twenty below, and it was midday, it would get much colder as the day grew late and the sun, hidden behind a blanket of thick, gray clouds, casting shadows down onto the Earth, only peaked through on occasion. The shadows stretched from the out the fingers of the tree's, creating illusions of movement.

Movement caught the corner of the child's eye. He looked, but he didn't see anything. He knew it was out there. He knew that it was after him, and he knew that even if he couldn't see it, it could surely see him.

Safety was close by. The house was just past the trees in the clearing, only another two hundred yards and he would be safe. It wouldn't follow him inside. It would wait for him, the next time that he came out like it always did.

The boy kept moving, living in Siberia, even if he was only twelve, had made him hard and capable. He swung his hips with each step, pushing aside the new powder and forced his way through the snow.

The trees were starting to part and now, even though the dense snow that was falling all around him, the boy could tell that he was entering the clearing where there was nowhere to hide. The clearing was a promise of escape, but it forewarned of the end as well. Yes, there was nowhere to hide, but there wasn't anything to stop the beast from running at full speed.

The last tree gave way. There was nothing but the white snow on the ground and the gray fog ahead with a dim yellow glow. Home, safety, escape.

The boy doubled his efforts to push against the snow, shielding his eyes with his arm. He didn't need to see. He had walked this path a hundred times. From the fishing shack a mile away at the edge of a small lake where trout were always plentiful, straight through the woods and back home. It was a ritual, though he hadn't fished today. Traps were set, line put out and baited. He would go back in a few days to retrieve the bounty. Even if the fish died on the line, the cold water would keep it fresh till spring if need be, if the other fish didn't eat it first.

The trap had been set. The boy knew it the moment he had begun to walk back. The air was wrong, the birds, the few that stayed behind, were quite. He had become too regular, too comfortable in a routine that never should have become predictable. The beast had waited, it knew where he was going to be and when he was going to be there. He should have gone later, when it was dark, the cold was not an issue, and the beast had to sleep. Now it was a race.

He could see the outline of the house, a small cottage where a fire and warm food was waiting for him.

He didn't need to hear the heavy steps behind him to know that he was being chased. There was that feeling that crawled up his spine, that panic that sets in when the mind just knows when there is danger. The sound didn't help either.

Thuds, the snow didn't help to dampen the sound of the thuds. Quick and fierce they were.

"Not when I'm so close." The boy sprinted as fast as he could through the snow. "Not when I've gone this long."

The steps were getting closer, they were right behind him, he could hear the labored breaths of the beast, the wolf that had been hunting him. It had finally gotten him.

A weight pressed onto the boys back. The last thing he saw was his home. He could clearly see it. It was right there. He had been so close, but it had been over since before it begun.

The wolf had watched carefully, letting the boy go about his days unhindered. He had tried to get him before, but when he did, the boy changed up his schedule, became difficult, and the wolf couldn't watch all day, every day. When he stopped and just observed, the schedule slowly became more regular. The boy went out every three days around noon, and after the wolf was sure that was set, he only had to go out on the third day, and there was the boy, coming to set the fishing lines.

He stalked the boy through the woods. He could have taken him anytime he wanted. There was no escape for him, but he liked to play with his prey, especially prey that had eluded him for so long. He wanted the boy to know that he lost, that he was going to be caught by this wolf only feet away from his home, only feet away from safety.

The wolf pressed his paw down on the child. The struggling did nothing for the boy. He struggled, it was the only thing he could do.

He felt a hot breath run across the back of his neck, a nose prod between his shoulders. There was a light growl of satisfaction as the wolf inspected its prize. So much time and effort, all paid off now.

The nose went down his spine, and the boy shivered. He didn't move, focusing on his breath until he felt teeth take hold of his shirt and pull on it. He tried to reach back, but a growl, deep and guttural stopped him.

The wolf liked to play first.

His shirt tore a little, and cold air rushed in under his torn clothes. The air rushed up his shirt, replacing the layer of insulating warm air, chilling him to the bone. The cold air suddenly stopped, and the boy was confused for a moment, until something, still cold and wet pressed against his skin. It tickled.

"S-Stop it." Otto giggled, no longer able to keep a serious demeanor when the cold nose was replaced by a warm tongue. "Kolya, stop it." He shoved the snout back and the wolf stepped back and off of him.

Otto rolled over and sat up. Kolya had his tongue lolling out of his mouth, panting with his black tail wagging behind him. He looked so glum and happy in his victory. Otto knew that he was going to lose their game of Cat and Mouse eventually, but he had been really hoping that he could go for another week or two before being caught.

Kolya walked over to his lifelong friend and gave him a lick across the face.

Otto, in turn, pulled the wolf in for an embrace which turned into a wrestling match when Koyla rolled on top of the boy, covering him in a furry, warm blanket.

Sergei watched from inside the house with a slight smile on his face. "He almost made it." Sergei backed away from the window and moved towards the table that sat in the kitchen, using a crutch that he had carved from a pine tree. Here in Siberia, there was a lot of time on his hands, but it was worth it for Otto, who loved to come and see his best friend whenever he could since it was hard to get a werewolf in its natural state into Berlin where their actual house was.

"Almost," Dmitri replied smugly. He had been waiting for a long time and was actually afraid that his own boy wouldn't be able to catch Sergei's. What would that say about him, the Alpha? His reputation now lived on through his child. "What are they doing now?" Dmitri asked, even though he could hear their playing outside.

"Doing what boys do best." He sat himself down and grabbed a warm cup of tea that he had waiting for him. Dmitri was reclining over by the fire. He was waiting for Trevor, who had been delayed. He was supposed to have been here yesterday, but somehow, he had gotten drunk. It was unheard of for a werewolf to get drunk, be the night before his flight from Moscow, he had bumped into Sean of all people, and they went out drinking. He had landed yesterday and was making the trek to them and would be there by nightfall now.

"Fucking?"

Trevor blew his tea into the air. "No!" He coughed and wiped spit from his beard and glared at the chuckling man. "Don't joke about that."

Dmitri shrugged. "He drags you out here, to the middle of nowhere, thousands of miles to see my boy." He crossed a leg over the other and leaned back, admiring the pelts on the wall. He had built this shack for him and Trevor, but they never got to 'properly' use it. Now Sergei and Otto used it whenever they came to visit.

"They spent the first several years of their lives together when we were all getting everything sorted out after the Coordinator was killed. They're practically brothers." Sergei set the cup down. He didn't feel like drinking it anymore. "Why does it always have be to be sexual with you?"

Dmitri didn't answer. He was thinking about the last twelve years. They had been the happiest twelve years of his life. There was no war, no worry, everything was good, especially after the birth of his son. Everything had fallen into place from there.

The pack raised the young together and even though Kolya was born a wolf and Otto, a human, they were raised together for the first six years of their life while he and Trevor got the pack organized after his father. The previous Alpha stepped down. That old wolf was still around, though his health was deteriorating. He was sticking around just long enough to see his grandson grow up properly.

Brennan was busy, like always. She restructured the entire Inquisition and turned it more into an overwatch, rather than an active force. She kept track of potential ferals and worked closely with the packs to make sure that the ferals were kept in check. Rumor was that the number of feral or rogue werewolves was on the rise as they learned that the Inquisition was no longer actively hunting them. It was just speculation, but it kept Brennan busy, but not so busy that she didn't have time for family.

It was a year after the end of the war that Henrik, at the pushing of his children, finally proposed. She said yes, and now she had a loving family to return to after each day of exhausting work.

Director Caughey vanished off the face of the Earth. He kept his end of the bargain and pulled all assets he could from the Inquisition. Many of his cartels that he had dissolved which was good for crime, but some of the larger ones remained when greedy members took what they had and kept the drug trade strong.

Caughey's son, Rob stayed in contact. He moved back to Washington where he lived peacefully, not wanting to do anything with the Inquisition. He had left it behind before, and he was going to leave it behind again.

“Erika still working at the hospital?” Dmitri asked.

“Yeah,” Sergei replied and paused to listen for the sound of play outside to make sure the children didn’t run off again like last time. They were gone for nearly a day, and it worried him to no end. “She enjoys the work, and I think she still feels guilty about what happened.”

Dmitri grunted. “She knows that she can leave the city now. I would have thought that she would want to go somewhere not so…”

“Filled with werewolves that would love to see her dead?” Trevor could still hear them playing outside. They were still wrestling. “The proximity isn’t an issue. Berlin is home to her, like it is to me. She’s thought about it, but we’re both in agreement, we prefer to stay and plus, it has good schools for Otto.”

Dmitri nodded. He had learned a lot about how much public education had gone. He sat next to Trevor some nights as he aggressively searched for the best colleges for Kolya. He wanted to move back to the states. America did have some of the most prestigious universities around. That was if Kolya wanted to pursue a degree. The boy was still young and still spent most of his time as a wolf. He aspired to be the first wolf in space. That was right now. Last week, he wanted to be a vampire hunter after he discovered Trevor’s collection of  Buffy the Vampire Slayer seasons. Whatever he wanted to do, both Dmitri and Trevor were going to be there for him. As a werewolf that could live many lifetimes, he had plenty of time before it became crucial that he set his mind on something.

The sounds of playing settled down, and there was a loud thump against the door before it creaked open, sending chilling flurries of snow into the warm lodge where it melted instantly.

In stepped a boy, his clothes in partial tatters where claws had raked playfully at him along with a wolf that was roughly the same size. He shook the snow off of his pelt and then ran a circle around the third being to enter.

Trevor pushed the door closed with his hind paw, careful not to unhinge the door like last time. He had been running late. He was supposed to have arrived the day before, but Sean had insisted that he spend one last night drinking with him since the fellow Washingtonian’s flight didn’t leave until the next morning. Trevor couldn’t say no to his friend who he hadn’t seen in nearly a year. The war that brought them together was over, and everyone split to go back to their own lives.

Trevor shrugged the specially made saddle bags that held his clothes off of his back, letting it fall to the ground with a thump where Koyla trodded over to it and gave it a quick sniff before going back to Otto, letting his best friend rub him between the ear. The two ran over to the fire where they settled down.

Sergei hurried off to the kitchen. It wouldn’t be long before the two rascals demanded something warm to drink.

It gave Trevor time to pad over to his loving mate and give him a lick across the cheek.

“Bout time you got here.” Dmitri wiped the excess saliva off. “Leaving me with those two with the cripple.”

Trevor huffed what was the closest imitation of a chuckle he could do and sat down next to Dmitri, resting his head on the inviting lap. He was exhausted. It was a long way from Berlin to Siberia, and he made it all the way, on foot, in just a week, running on minimal sleep, only stopping to hunt when he absolutely needed to. Now he was here with his mate, and he could finally rest a bit before it was time to go hunting.

Trevor found that he loved hunting. He had done some before back in Washington, but that was with a gun, and he had never been successful. He only went because his friend loved it. Trevor doubted that he would have shot anything back then, but now was different. Being able to hunt was a cornerstone of being part of a pack, being able to provide food for the family. He jumped right at it now and even though he was absolutely exhausted he could always find the energy to bring home some fresh meat for his mate, his son, and friends.

Sergei returned from giving the two sons hot drinks. Otto loved hot chocolate, even as a wolf which made him sick for the better part of the day, but he wasn’t a wolf at the moment. He would be fine. It was interesting how small things such as what could be eaten changed as a wolf and human. Kolya on the other hand, even as a human, hated chocolate, wouldn’t touch it at all. He was happy with just some hot water in a dish for him to lap at as he basked in the warmth of the fire with Otto using his stomach as a pillow.

“It’s getting late.” He looked outside even though the lighting outside never changed during the day. He only knew because Otto usually took all day to set the fish traps. “Not much venison in the cooler.”

Trevor gave Sergei a look with an eyebrow raised up.

“Don’t give me that look,” Sergei warned. “I haven’t hunted down something in a long time, well before this.” He tapped his fake leg with his cane. “Now I just have a legitimate excuse.” He sat back down in his seat. “Maybe we should send out the children?” He gave a glance in their direction only to see that they had fallen asleep. He thought about how maybe it was more than friendship between them. Erika would have a few things to say about that. But not now, she was all the way back in Berlin, and the two kids didn’t quite have a grasp on that concept. They would learn in due time.

“Well then.” Dmitri stood up and stretched. “I guess I could go out and fetch something for dinner.” He looked over at Trevor and gave a loving grin. “Care to join me a hunt?” He stroked Trevor’s back all the way down his tail where he gave a playful tug. It was more than hunting that they would do out there, and Trevor quickly caught on. He eagerly went to the door where he waited for Dmitri who had taken off a few excess pieces of clothing. He would take the rest of it off outside to avoid tearing it when he transformed into a werewolf.

Sergei waited for them to leave, putting a few pieces of newspaper that were blown off by the wind back on the table before he settled down next to the sleeping children. They would be the future of the pack, of them, he hoped that enough had been done so they wouldn’t have to live through what he and everyone else had. He prayed to the God he had stopped believing in decades ago that their future was better than his past. But if something did threaten their future, he knew that he had people to count on.

Dmitri, the new alpha and his mate, Trevor would always be there. The stability of the pack was dependent on Kolya. He was the glue that kept more radical members of the pack from violently leaving and tearing apart the pack. They would gladly give their lives to protect Kolya.

Sean was just too kind to let his friends be in danger. He had no obligation to do anything at all and yet he had jumped to help on many occasions. He made other’s problems his own problems to fix. He would be on a plane as soon as he could when trouble came calling.

Rob had made Sean his responsibility. The man felt partially responsible for Sean being a werewolf and ended up tagging along whenever a job got dangerous. He would prefer to stay home with his mistress who he didn’t like to talk about. Sean spilled the beans. She was a werewolf as well who he had known for a long time. He teased that they should expect some more pups or children out of it at some point.

Rommel was still going strong as leader of the German pack. He worked closely with Brennan on a daily basis, looking for anything that could threaten the peace he had been fighting for since the second world war. He and Brennan would be the first line of defense against any threat and when, not if, something did come along, they would be ready. Sergei was sure of this.

“Until then.” He rested his hand on Otto’s head. He stirred a little, wrapping his small arms around Kolya’s paw as he slept. For once, Sergei didn’t think about those that he had lost before, he thought about those that he had gained.