Nightclaw: Blood Moon Apex

Chapter 14: Not Part Of The Plan

"No, no, no, no, no....." Carla muttered as she, Lily, and Theo returned to Darkveil Manor while Valeria, Esther, and Dave hauled Bertie Baker's body inside. She had already transformed back to her human form after going on the extraction mission as Nightclaw, but to say that she was in panic mode would be an understatement. "This isn't how it was supposed to happen.....what's Vultur going to say?!"

"Carla, I'm so sorry," Theo said. "It was a complete oversight on my part.....if you'd like, I'll just tell Vultur what happened when you meet with her later, and suffer her wrath instead."

"What? No!" Lily cried. "I couldn't bear to lose you!"

"She's right. I don't want to see you two torn apart," Carla insisted. "Esther, are you sure no one saw us?"

"Correct. No one saw us on the way there, while we were inside, or while we were escaping," Esther answered. "We are fine there."

"We just kidnapped someone......and also killed them....." Dave mused. He sounded like he was about to throw up from how far he had fallen.....all for the preservation of his daughter's safety. "Excuse me, everyone." He then handed his side of the burlap sack over to Esther, then bolted for the kitchen to throw up in the sink.....several times.

"This was quite a lot to go through for the Order's sake," Valeria remarked in a stern tone. "I should hope it was worth it."

"No, no, no, it's going to be worth it.....it just has to....." Carla replied, though there was incredible uncertainty in her voice. "M-Maybe I can just tell Vultur that we saved her the trouble! That we executed him ourselves instead of making her go through the effort! That will go over fine, right? ......Right?!"

"None of us have seen Vultur besides you, girl," the countess pointed out. "Only you know what she's like."

Carla reached into her pocket and pulled out the eagle's beak muzzle that Vultur had given her the previous night, remembering the beast avatar's specific instructions.

Once you have safely secured the perpetrator, shove this muzzle over their nose and mouth. I will then be alerted that the muzzle has found a host, at which point I will come to your location shortly afterwards.

Sooner or later, she would have to present Bertie Baker's body to General Vultur and explain the situation.....she just wasn't sure how to do so. The eagle lady did come off as rather stern during her meeting with Remus and Nightclaw, she didn't seem like the type to accept failure, or when things didn't go her way.

Carla was absolutely freaking out, and her overwhelming emotions did nothing to help her temperament. Her mother, grandfather, and younger brother were all dead, she had been turned into a werewolf superheroine—though she had gotten used to that—the Order had already been threatened before by a group of hunters, and now some "eagle avatar" was now threatening her pack again.....an "eagle avatar" whose anger would more than likely be kindled by the heroine's failure.

"I.....I need time to think......" Carla declared, her voice shaking with worry as she grew more and more unstable with stress. "Everyone get out....."

Valeria, Esther, Lily, and Theo looked at her concernedly, with the countess eventually speaking up. "Girl.....I think you're—"

"GET OUT!" Carla roared at the top of her lungs, causing everyone to drop the burlap sack and start scattering; Esther fled back to his underground laboratory, Lily and Theo ran away to their guest room, and Valeria bolted out the front door. Dave had already left to throw up in the kitchen sink, so he didn't hear her.