Howl at the Moon 15/?
Title: Howl at the Moon 15/?
Series: TDS, Countdown w/ KO.
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Language, Violence
Disclaimer: I do not own Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, Keith Olbermann, Rachel Maddow, or any known political figures who appear in this story.
Summary: AU. Sequel to Rage at the Moon
Life seems to be going well for the werewolf pack of seven. Then comes the call from the leader of the French werewolves. What does he want, and what will he do to get it from our werewolves?
Author's Note: Please comment. Feedback is good.
Also, shout-out to my lovely beta tigris18
One / Two / Three / Four / Five / Six / Seven / Eight / Nine / Ten / Eleven / Twelve / Thirteen / Fourteen
Chapter 15
Keith hadn’t heard a single sound from his friend for awhile, and it was starting to worry him. “Dan, you awake?”
“I’m surprised you didn’t feel me shivering,” replied Dan’s quiet voice after a few seconds of silence.
“It’s hard to feel that when I’m doing it too.”
“Can you at least feel your toes?”
“Sort of.”
“That’s an improvement over mine.”
Keith and Dan tilted their heads back at the same time, resting them against the back of each other’s.
A deep breath exhaled from Keith’s mouth before he asked, “How long are they going to leave us here? It’s been hours.”
Dan let out a short humorless laugh. “All this anticipation is torture in itself. Not to mention the cold… Fuck, now I’ve lost all feeling in my toes. It’s starting in my fingertips, too.”
Keith closed his eyes and swallowed. His dry throat and tongue made even that simple task difficult.
“Do you think they’re watching us?”
Keith glanced around. “I don’t see any obvious surveillance equipment.”
Dan sighed. “We know they’re going to ask us how we managed to get here without being detected.”
“Possibly getting others in trouble is not on my list of things to do,” Keith replied quietly.
“Yeah. They’re probably not going to believe us when we say that we’re only here to talk and negotiate.”
“Even if they did, Raniero made it quite clear that he wasn’t going to do it.”
“Do you think that maybe we can convince one of the other leaders to negotiate?”
“I don’t know. Part of that depends on if Raniero brings any of them with him when he comes back. He seems like the kind of person who takes all the glory for himself.”
“Then our chances of even seeing another vampire leader is slim.”
“Well, I know one of the leaders would take one look at us and sneer and grin as we were being questioned.”
“Who would that be?”
“Rupert Murdoch.”
“Ah, that’s right. He is one of them. I hope he’s not in Rome. That’s the last thing we need right now.”
“I’m actually kind of surprised that he didn’t confront us after we confronted the Foxies.”
“Let’s just agree that Murdoch in any situation is not wanted.”
Keith felt Dan squirming a moment later. “Is your face bothering you again?”
“No, that stopped hurting awhile ago, probably from the cold numbing it a bit. Come on, damn it. Stop making us wait. I’d prefer for this to not be drawn out.”
“Relax, Dan. Just a little, please?”
“I’ve been trying to, KO. I think this is as relaxed as I’m going to get. You and I have been through this before, except without all the waiting and suspense. I just want to get this over with.”
“I know, Dan. I do, too. I want to get this over with and go home, too.”
“What happens if we fail? What happens when we go back to France, without proof of Raniero’s death?” Dan inquired in a low tone.
“I don’t know how Aldric will react to our attempts at negotiation. I have no idea, but we will get through it together. All seven of us.”
“Thank you.”
“Huh?”
“For… being here.”
“You’re welcome, even though I didn’t have much of a choice.”
************
Keith and Dan’s heads snapped up at the sound of the door opening. Raniero’s smug voice greeted, “I hope I didn’t keep you waiting too long. Was it warm enough for you?”
Keith glared at Raniero. Dan had started shivering intensely again awhile ago. The vampire smirked and said, “Oh, I’m sorry. I forgot how intolerant to cold you animals are.”
Raniero crouched down in front of Dan. “Do you want a blanket… Dan, wasn’t it? Or, is just a blanket not… ‘en fuego’ enough for you?”
Dan’s eyes widened. Raniero knew exactly who they were.
“Oh, yes. See, I thought you two looked familiar. I asked around my circle of friends, and Murdoch said that he knew exactly who you two were. He said you caused a little trouble in New York with his group of vampires. Broke into their home, threatened their lives, and left. Apparently, you scared them so much that they haven’t confronted you at all since then. They’re too scared. Scared of werewolves!” Raniero backhanded Dan on the last word.
“Vampires should not be scared of you animals. You should be afraid of us. You-“
“We were defending ourselves,” Keith objected. “And, we didn’t hurt them, even though they had almost killed us.”
The vampire rose to his feet and seized a handful of Keith’s hair. He yanked his head back to force Keith to look at him. In a mocking tone, he said, “And what impossible strength you showed, not hurting them. I suppose you’d like them, and the rest of us vampires, to get on our knees and shower you with praise.”
“No, we don’t want your praise, any of it. We just want to live in peace. Why is that so hard for you to understand?”
“Because beasts don’t want to live in peace.”
“We’re not like that. We just want to be left alone.”
“Left alone to terrorize people.” Raniero let go of Keith’s hair. “Now, I’m already tired of this useless conversation. I’ve got a few questions, and I want them to be answered. Is that clear?” He didn’t get any reply in return. “Already giving me the silent treatment? You already want to be difficult? Fine, we’ll play it that way.”
Keith felt Dan tense as Raniero moved closer to him. Keith had promised to do his best to protect his friend, and wasn’t going to let him down if he could do anything about it. He could only hope that he wasn’t going to scare Dan too much with what he was about to do.
Keith started struggling in his chair and begged, “Please, no! Don’t hurt me! I-I… don’t hurt me. Hurt Dan. Make him tell you whatever you want to know, just don’t touch me, please…”
Raniero went to Keith. “Ah, I knew that tough front would come down eventually. Somehow, I think with all this fear you have, you’ll be the more likely to answer my questions.”
Keith inwardly sighed in relief. It had worked. But, he didn’t have much time to celebrate before a fist collided with his jaw.
***********
Keith hadn’t told Raniero anything, and neither had Dan. And thanks to Keith’s desperate plea, the vampire hadn’t touched Dan once. Although he had injected them both with that anti-transforming drug.
“KO?” Dan finally said a couple moments after Raniero left. “You alright?”
Keith winced at the pain that was mostly concentrated in his face and chest. “I think our faces are a little more matching, now.”
“I thought I smelled your blood.” Dan swallowed. “Nothing too bad?”
“I hope not.” Keith tried to hold in a cough, but couldn’t. He couldn’t tell if the new specks of blood that ended up on his pants were from his nose or his mouth.
“Please tell me you’re not coughing up blood.”
“I don’t think so.” Keith wiggled around to try to find a more comfortable position. He gave up after a minute.
“Good.” Dan fell silent for a long time. He eventually whispered, “You scared me, when you told Raniero to hurt me.”
“You know I would never betray you like that. You do know that, right?”
“Yes, I do. But it was unexpected to hear those words come from you.”
“A bit of reverse psychology was the only thing I could think of to stop him from-“
“I understand. I guess the real question is how long he’s willing to wait for answers,”
“Before he wants to kill us?”
Dan shrugged. “Maybe. I’m not sure which possibility scares me more. If he’s patient or impatient.”
Keith snorted, which led to another coughing fit. After it subsided, he replied, “Yeah, I don’t know which would be worse, either.”
Only a short time passed before Dan heard Keith’s breathing even out into a more relaxed rhythm. Dan couldn’t help but smile at the soft breathing sounds coming from his friend. Keith was asleep, or unconscious. Either way, it was probably night by now, and they both needed rest for whatever Raniero had in mind for them next.
Dan said quietly, “Keith, I’m so lucky to have you as a friend. We’ll get out of this mess. I know we will. I know we didn’t have any choice, but I’m glad you’re here with me.”
Series: TDS, Countdown w/ KO.
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Language, Violence
Disclaimer: I do not own Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, Keith Olbermann, Rachel Maddow, or any known political figures who appear in this story.
Summary: AU. Sequel to Rage at the Moon
Life seems to be going well for the werewolf pack of seven. Then comes the call from the leader of the French werewolves. What does he want, and what will he do to get it from our werewolves?
Author's Note: Please comment. Feedback is good.
Also, shout-out to my lovely beta tigris18
One / Two / Three / Four / Five / Six / Seven / Eight / Nine / Ten / Eleven / Twelve / Thirteen / Fourteen
Chapter 15
Keith hadn’t heard a single sound from his friend for awhile, and it was starting to worry him. “Dan, you awake?”
“I’m surprised you didn’t feel me shivering,” replied Dan’s quiet voice after a few seconds of silence.
“It’s hard to feel that when I’m doing it too.”
“Can you at least feel your toes?”
“Sort of.”
“That’s an improvement over mine.”
Keith and Dan tilted their heads back at the same time, resting them against the back of each other’s.
A deep breath exhaled from Keith’s mouth before he asked, “How long are they going to leave us here? It’s been hours.”
Dan let out a short humorless laugh. “All this anticipation is torture in itself. Not to mention the cold… Fuck, now I’ve lost all feeling in my toes. It’s starting in my fingertips, too.”
Keith closed his eyes and swallowed. His dry throat and tongue made even that simple task difficult.
“Do you think they’re watching us?”
Keith glanced around. “I don’t see any obvious surveillance equipment.”
Dan sighed. “We know they’re going to ask us how we managed to get here without being detected.”
“Possibly getting others in trouble is not on my list of things to do,” Keith replied quietly.
“Yeah. They’re probably not going to believe us when we say that we’re only here to talk and negotiate.”
“Even if they did, Raniero made it quite clear that he wasn’t going to do it.”
“Do you think that maybe we can convince one of the other leaders to negotiate?”
“I don’t know. Part of that depends on if Raniero brings any of them with him when he comes back. He seems like the kind of person who takes all the glory for himself.”
“Then our chances of even seeing another vampire leader is slim.”
“Well, I know one of the leaders would take one look at us and sneer and grin as we were being questioned.”
“Who would that be?”
“Rupert Murdoch.”
“Ah, that’s right. He is one of them. I hope he’s not in Rome. That’s the last thing we need right now.”
“I’m actually kind of surprised that he didn’t confront us after we confronted the Foxies.”
“Let’s just agree that Murdoch in any situation is not wanted.”
Keith felt Dan squirming a moment later. “Is your face bothering you again?”
“No, that stopped hurting awhile ago, probably from the cold numbing it a bit. Come on, damn it. Stop making us wait. I’d prefer for this to not be drawn out.”
“Relax, Dan. Just a little, please?”
“I’ve been trying to, KO. I think this is as relaxed as I’m going to get. You and I have been through this before, except without all the waiting and suspense. I just want to get this over with.”
“I know, Dan. I do, too. I want to get this over with and go home, too.”
“What happens if we fail? What happens when we go back to France, without proof of Raniero’s death?” Dan inquired in a low tone.
“I don’t know how Aldric will react to our attempts at negotiation. I have no idea, but we will get through it together. All seven of us.”
“Thank you.”
“Huh?”
“For… being here.”
“You’re welcome, even though I didn’t have much of a choice.”
************
Keith and Dan’s heads snapped up at the sound of the door opening. Raniero’s smug voice greeted, “I hope I didn’t keep you waiting too long. Was it warm enough for you?”
Keith glared at Raniero. Dan had started shivering intensely again awhile ago. The vampire smirked and said, “Oh, I’m sorry. I forgot how intolerant to cold you animals are.”
Raniero crouched down in front of Dan. “Do you want a blanket… Dan, wasn’t it? Or, is just a blanket not… ‘en fuego’ enough for you?”
Dan’s eyes widened. Raniero knew exactly who they were.
“Oh, yes. See, I thought you two looked familiar. I asked around my circle of friends, and Murdoch said that he knew exactly who you two were. He said you caused a little trouble in New York with his group of vampires. Broke into their home, threatened their lives, and left. Apparently, you scared them so much that they haven’t confronted you at all since then. They’re too scared. Scared of werewolves!” Raniero backhanded Dan on the last word.
“Vampires should not be scared of you animals. You should be afraid of us. You-“
“We were defending ourselves,” Keith objected. “And, we didn’t hurt them, even though they had almost killed us.”
The vampire rose to his feet and seized a handful of Keith’s hair. He yanked his head back to force Keith to look at him. In a mocking tone, he said, “And what impossible strength you showed, not hurting them. I suppose you’d like them, and the rest of us vampires, to get on our knees and shower you with praise.”
“No, we don’t want your praise, any of it. We just want to live in peace. Why is that so hard for you to understand?”
“Because beasts don’t want to live in peace.”
“We’re not like that. We just want to be left alone.”
“Left alone to terrorize people.” Raniero let go of Keith’s hair. “Now, I’m already tired of this useless conversation. I’ve got a few questions, and I want them to be answered. Is that clear?” He didn’t get any reply in return. “Already giving me the silent treatment? You already want to be difficult? Fine, we’ll play it that way.”
Keith felt Dan tense as Raniero moved closer to him. Keith had promised to do his best to protect his friend, and wasn’t going to let him down if he could do anything about it. He could only hope that he wasn’t going to scare Dan too much with what he was about to do.
Keith started struggling in his chair and begged, “Please, no! Don’t hurt me! I-I… don’t hurt me. Hurt Dan. Make him tell you whatever you want to know, just don’t touch me, please…”
Raniero went to Keith. “Ah, I knew that tough front would come down eventually. Somehow, I think with all this fear you have, you’ll be the more likely to answer my questions.”
Keith inwardly sighed in relief. It had worked. But, he didn’t have much time to celebrate before a fist collided with his jaw.
***********
Keith hadn’t told Raniero anything, and neither had Dan. And thanks to Keith’s desperate plea, the vampire hadn’t touched Dan once. Although he had injected them both with that anti-transforming drug.
“KO?” Dan finally said a couple moments after Raniero left. “You alright?”
Keith winced at the pain that was mostly concentrated in his face and chest. “I think our faces are a little more matching, now.”
“I thought I smelled your blood.” Dan swallowed. “Nothing too bad?”
“I hope not.” Keith tried to hold in a cough, but couldn’t. He couldn’t tell if the new specks of blood that ended up on his pants were from his nose or his mouth.
“Please tell me you’re not coughing up blood.”
“I don’t think so.” Keith wiggled around to try to find a more comfortable position. He gave up after a minute.
“Good.” Dan fell silent for a long time. He eventually whispered, “You scared me, when you told Raniero to hurt me.”
“You know I would never betray you like that. You do know that, right?”
“Yes, I do. But it was unexpected to hear those words come from you.”
“A bit of reverse psychology was the only thing I could think of to stop him from-“
“I understand. I guess the real question is how long he’s willing to wait for answers,”
“Before he wants to kill us?”
Dan shrugged. “Maybe. I’m not sure which possibility scares me more. If he’s patient or impatient.”
Keith snorted, which led to another coughing fit. After it subsided, he replied, “Yeah, I don’t know which would be worse, either.”
Only a short time passed before Dan heard Keith’s breathing even out into a more relaxed rhythm. Dan couldn’t help but smile at the soft breathing sounds coming from his friend. Keith was asleep, or unconscious. Either way, it was probably night by now, and they both needed rest for whatever Raniero had in mind for them next.
Dan said quietly, “Keith, I’m so lucky to have you as a friend. We’ll get out of this mess. I know we will. I know we didn’t have any choice, but I’m glad you’re here with me.”