•|•
"My dear Rebekah, I hope this finds you well. I write to offer an update and ask for your advice. Our brothers remain at odds. Klaus will never apologize- not for the blood he's shed, nor the suffering Isabel and Hayley continue to endure- and Elijah can never forgive him. Despite my efforts, we are a house divided. Which is not to say I have no good news..."
In the place that used to be St. Anne's stood a cage with Marcel and another man, inside they fought yet Marcel continue yes to have the upper hand.
"Niklaus kept his word- Marcel controls the Quarter. There, he has founded a fight gym in the old St. Anne's Church where he tests the mettle of those who wish to join his vampire community."
After Marcel defeated another potential vampire, he looked over at Elijah, who had just arrived at the gym in an uncharacteristic cutoff t-shirt and gym shorts. He walked toward Marcel with a slight frown on his face at the memory of Klaus trying to get in his good graces early that day.
"Elijah has begun joining him for sparring. I believe it helps him work through his anger... and he has much anger."
The other vampires evacuate the ring and move to the sidelines to watch as Marcel and Elijah began to fight each other.
"While Hope and Rose continue to flourish, it is clear they miss their mother. And while Niklaus remains a doting father, he has yet to be of help in finding a cure for the curse he set on the crescents."
Night rolled in in the bayou with a full moon on display. The cursed Crescent wolves transform into their human forms, allowing Hayley and Isabel to see their family again. A 8 month pregnant Isabel rushes to Elijah to see her children.
"Despite my best efforts, I've yet to find the means to undo the spell placed on Isabel and the Crescent wolves, and she herself continues to struggle, unable to see her children except for one night a month during the full moon. And this time will be no different.
"You'd be glad to hear that Isabel also had her baby boy last month. He's so cute Bex. You'd love him. He hasn't got a name yet but soon I think Isabel will have a name. But I digress. As for the cure I can't even find someone willing to talk to me and get help... until next time sister."
≪≫•≪≫•≪≫
Near Jackson's RV in the Bayou, Hope and Rose sat in their stroller next to a picnic table while Elijah finished setting up his large feast for the Crescents in preparation for the full moon. The table included a meat and cheese platter, bread, sides, desserts and at least a dozen bottles of champagne.
Rose played with her stuffed animal as Hope babbled happily. He smiled at the two before tensing when he heard the sound of someone approaching. When a truck pulled up, Elijah walked toward his nieces protectively and shushed them as he watched a man with an assault rifle strapped to his chest step out of the vehicle and walk toward them.
"Hell of a spot for a picnic." One of the hunters said sarcastically.
"Yes, if you can tolerate the mosquitoes, it's actually rather serene." Elijah replied, politely holding up a platter in offering, though it's clear he doesn't trust the men and was not at all happy to be dealing with them. "Finger sandwich?"
"Trouble is, you're trespassing." The first Hunter said. "This whole area is now property of Kingmaker Land Development. In two years, it's gonna be golf courses and condos."
Two other similarly armed men join the first across from Elijah, who is not the least amused by this news.
"I take it you're not on the Board of Directors."
"Uh, my team and I are in... animal control. There's been an influx of wild predators. My boss pays, uh, top dollar to wipe them out."
Elijah narrowed his eyes at the men. "Wild predators?"
The Hunter smirked. "Wolves, if you could believe it. Killed a half dozen last night."
Elijah casually turned the stroller around so it was facing away from the men and their guns, not wanting the girls to see what's to follow.
After Elijah dealt with the men and compelled them away he called for his sister and sat on the porch with his nieces. Freya magically appeared in front of him with Isabel's son having been taking car of him. The two nod curtly at each other in understanding before Elijah vamp-sped away to run his errand.
Freya walked toward the girls and gave them a small smile.
"Hello, sweetie. Looks like you're stuck with auntie Freya for a while till your mother comes."
Hope stretches her arms above her head in her stroller as her eyes begin to flutter shut. Meanwhile Rose plays with her stuffed.
≪≫•≪≫•≪≫
One of the hunters stumbled quickly through the woods in an attempt to run for his life, but he tripped and fell onto the ground. When he looked around, he saw that many of his fellow hunters had been slaughtered and got so scared he immediately started to run again. Unfortunately for him, he ran straight into Elijah, who looked furious.
"You will provide me with the precise location of every last one of those vulgar traps, as well as the routes used by any of your other men." The vampire demanded.
"I-I don't know-"
Before Elijah could react, a very naked, thin, brown-haired woman appeared and lunged for the hunter, tackling him and clawing him viciously until she either knocked him out or killed him.
Elijah looks stunned to see her and murmured, "Hayley..."
The girl turned toward Elijah, revealing that she was not, in fact, Hayley, but another one of the female Crescent wolves who has returned to their human form for the full moon. She stared at Elijah blankly, and he considerately maintained eye contact with her, looking slightly embarrassed.
"Forgive me, I thought-"
"I know who you thought I was." She replied covering herself.
"Do you know where they are?" He asked worriedly.
"Judging by what these hunters did... The traps they set, and the blood I saw? If Isabels not with her kids and Hayley isn't with her then they are probably dead."
Elijah looked horrified by the thought and gulped nervously. The girl ran off and he started stepping over the dead bodies until he comes upon their truck. He walked around to the truck bed, which had been covered by a tarp. Looking very worried, he hesitated for a moment before finally throwing back the tarp, revealing at least a half-dozen dead werewolves who had been killed before they could return to their human form at the peak of the full moon. The sight of them horrified Elijah so deeply that he began to hyperventilate as he tried to catch his breath, worried that the sisters could be one of them.
≪≫•≪≫•≪≫
Isabel awakened with a start, her eyes flashing open then she sat up to see she naked in her human form on the floor. She quickly scanned her surroundings in a panic to find that there was a magical circle made of salt with lit white candles all around. She looked both confused and worried as she looked around to figure out where she woke up. Her head shot in the direction of the footsteps and was ready to fight until she saw Davina with a bundle of clothes in her hand.
"Vina? What the hell am I doing here? Why am I stuck here? Where are my kids? What's going on?"
"I think you should put on clothes before we talk..." she awkwardly handed the clothes to Isabel.
"Oh." She quirked her lips. "Right yeah." She grabbed the clothes and turned around as Davina realized she could stop staring above the danger zone.
Once Isabel was done she turned around. "I used my magic to draw you here so that we could talk and I might have found something for you."
"V, what about my kids? I'm supposed to be seeing them right now."
"I know and I'm sorry but I need a little help first. Then I can find a way to help you. Congratulations by the way. I've heard about your little boy."