'How to start a vampire war? Vampires love sex and blood, are territorial and hate the wolves. Benedict died when the weres managed to gain a foothold in the city. But they were only found out because we told the Swarmers. So maybe we can teach the wolves how to get in and where they should strike. We'd have to be disguised and make contact....it could be deadly. Their weakest is suppose to be like a new Childe.'

More than a few times over the past weeks, Calla had wondered if there was something wrong with her vampiric side. She was planning to happily aid the arch-enemy race to vampires all so she could feed on her own kind. Calla also wondered a few times if she could feed on the wolves too, but knew that their blood was poisonous. She didn't want to risk herself by trying.

Making contact with the wolves had been remarkably easy. She went to the forests away from the city where they'd last been seen and left a simple note and phone number covered in her scent. They'd talked back and forth and the Weres had agreed for one of their kind to meet her on the outskirts of the city during day time. Calla had to cover herself in thick leather from head to toe with some extremely dense sunglasses. To say she looked out of place was an understatement.

They were meeting at a small coffee shop that Calla had chosen and had paid to lease out for the day. The owner was all too happy to let her pay upwards of a couple of thousand just to close his shop for one day. On arrival she could smell the wolf and knew he was alone. In his human form she was far stronger than him but if he exposed her she'd burn in the sunlight. Neither side had a strong enough advantage to take a chance, exactly how Calla wanted it.

She approached the shop around midday and unlocked the door with the set of keys she'd been given. A man, the wolf, soon came up behind her but kept his distance. They both walked in and Calla locked the door. The blinds kept most the light out but she'd not drop her outfit. They sat down opposite each other.

The wolf was at least six foot in height and was bearded and had black hair. His eyes were a deep brown which signified he wasn't the Alpha of his pack. Calla figured him to be forty to fifty years old.

"It's common courtesy to show the other party your face." his rough voice said.

"Forgive us." she said softly. "If we removed anything and you chose to dive for those blinds we'd die. We don't trust you that much."

"Fair enough." he grunted out, picking up on the strange way she referred to herself. "But that doesn't explain why you're covering up your scent."

"We suppose, but you do realise that by being here we are betraying our race? The things they'd do to us if they knew." she chuckled and he crossed his arms and leant back with a smirk. If she wasn't being this careful then he'd be less inclined to believe her.

"Introductions first. I'm Zaros of the Shadowsong pack. I hold the rank of Sentinel and will act as your contact for the duration of this....arrangement."

"We won't give you our real name, but for our time together you can call us Redgrove." He let out a grunt of displeasure but knew that what was happening was going to be on her terms. At least she was being civil and not calling him a mutt or dog.

"Very well Redgrove. You keep saying we, is there more of you?"

"We work alone. Our speech....it's a vampire thing." she said with mirth as she pointed to her head. Zaros thought that maybe she had some kind of disorder before she was changed and began to doubt the effectiveness of an alliance. It wouldn't do to have someone unstable. Seeing the frown forming on his face, Calla knew she needed to speak up.

"Mr. Shadowsong," she said professionally, "We have a speech issue, nothing more, nothing less." 'We shouldn't have to make excuses for ourself!' she hissed in her mind. He was another she'd see dead soon, at the top of her list with Xavier, Leena and Turlin. Xavier for compelling her, Leena for judging her and Turlin for trying to pummel her into the concrete. It had been six years, but Calla knew how to hold a grudge.

"Well onto business then." Zaros shook away his doubts and decided to see where this venture would lead. "You want to help us gain a foothold in the city, a city which has managed to drive us out each time we have tried to establish ourselves. Why?" It was perhaps the most important part of their alliance.

"We live a good life in Sostine. But we are unfulfilled, we are....different from other vampires. The prejudices between the races means nothing to us. You don't smell foul to us like other vampires have described." Zaros' eyes widened a fraction. "We do not look at you want want to kill you, rather we see the benefits you could bring to Sostine."

"I don't see how having werewolves in a city of vampires would be helpful?" he half questioned.

"We have lived in Sostine for some years now. We've had to restrict our lifestyle and make changes because of the clans. We've no freedom to hunt what we want." 'Children and vampires.' she mused in her mind. "Your kind will bring disruption and rile up the clans. Within that chaos we will be able to live as we choose."

"Us getting in won't just 'rile up' the clans. It will be war and carnage for all sides." he said with aggression.

"Yet, you still wish to gain a place in the city." Calla smiled under her face cover.

"We do." he nodded with resignation. "Vampires control the city and thus control the humans. They are forever encroaching on our land and it won't be long before the forest becomes too small for those who live there."

"And establishing power in the city will allow you to change that." she coaxed him gently.

"Yes. But there will be a lot of blood spilled, possibly for decades."

"And your pack mates would consider it an honour to spill blood for their families."

"Indeed." he sat up straight and stared right at her sunglasses. "What are you proposing?"

"You need enough allies that you can withstand the mediators intervening. Like vampires, you can change humans and control them. We'd suggest buffering your forces in Lillypud, it is almost devoid of any of our kind. There is a lot of forest land nearby and you can allow your army to grow. And then, with my help, you can attack and displace the Swarmer clan."

"It's not that simple to get new wolves, we've forty in our pack and we'd need at least eighty to withstand the following onslaught of vampire clans. Your plan would take at least a couple of years." he spoke as he analysed what she said. Suddenly he felt himself grabbed by the collar and slammed into the floor.

"Then take a couple of years!" she hissed to his face. Her strength was beyond what he'd thought she'd be capable of. She wasn't just any rogue. "In that time, we'll help you gather the information you need. This isn't like your five previous attempts where you were pushed out after a month, if you plan to create a stronghold you need the numbers!" her voice was low and deadly and fear wormed its way up down his spine and made him shiver. Calla released him and stepped back but left him sprawled out on the floor.

"Think about our words but be quick. Our offer only stands for so long." She unlocked the door and left, leaving the key in the mail box for the owner to pick up. Calla fled back to her apartments to get a meal and calm herself down. The rage had been sudden and unexpected and she was furious at herself for losing control.

Zaros lay on the floor for a couple of minutes. Redgrove's plan wasn't actually that bad and she was right, they needed the numbers if they wanted to last. The most convincing part though was her strength. He figured she was a Childe vampire just by her confidence, but even a Childe shouldn't of been able to overpower him so easily.

He returned to his pack and went to meet the Alpha right away. Avan Shadowsong was a strong man; his pony-tailed black hair and piercing golden eyes intimidated all who saw them. He furrowed his brows in thought as Zaros told him of the encounter.

"She seemed genuine to you?" he asked his sentinel who was currently bowed before Avan, who sat on a tree trunk.

"Yes sir. That she wanted us to bolster our ranks, and even take a couple of years to do, suggests that she isn't looking to trap us." Zaros answered dutifully.

"That she'd specifically mention the Swarmer clan, implies she has some connection to them. Perhaps a grudge or she's gone rogue from her Sire." the cogs slowly turned in Avan's head.

"Why would going rogue matter sir?"

"Zaros, vampires aren't like wolves. If one of ours goes rogue, they are free to move as they please. A rogue vampire is still drawn to their Sire and still susceptible to their compulsion. The blood sucker probably wants to flee, but having her Sire still live means she can't. It'd give her more than enough reason to want the Swarmer clan gone, especially if it's someone high up." Perhaps Xavier was her Sire? Zaros said the woman was powerful so she could probably break the compulsion of a Childe Sire, but a Blood-letter? No chance.

"So she's using us?"

"Of course she is. Just as we are using her. It's a mutually beneficial arrangement. That she wants us to have a lasting presence however....she knows we'll forever fight with the vampires....there's something....." but Avan couldn't quite put his finger on it.

"She did say something peculiar." Zaros interjected. "She said we don't smell and she doesn't want to kill us when she sees us. Other than her outburst at the end, I didn't sense any hostility from her. She's not typical, so maybe she simply hates her own kind?" he offered up.

"Hmm. She wouldn't be the first. Vampires hold onto their humanity and it fades away with age. She's probably quite young in vampire years. She's a Childe so maybe ten to fifteen years? If she advanced quickly. Some can hold onto their resentment for a long time so your idea has foundation. We'll work with her." Avan decided at that moment. "Send some of the boys to that town she mentioned and spread out to others for good measure. We'll go beyond the eighty you suggested, and aim to triple our numbers."

"For the pack." Zaros said before turning away to do his Alpha's bidding.

Avan and Zaros couldn't possibly know, and would of been shocked if they had, that Calla was just under a month old when she became a Childe. She'd managed to hide it from the rest of the vampires in the city, they still thought her a newborn, but her unexplained rage towards the end of her meeting had exposed her to the wolves.

Calla herself figured this out alongside the fact that she was much too confident in their interaction. But it couldn't be changed now. She spent most the remainder of the daylight practising her forms and movement. She had a kept newborn in her apartment that she fed to keep healthy, only to douse herself in blood and fight against it. The rage and unpredictability of newborns made them good practice and she could find what moves worked in real life situations.

Today was the last day that this newborn was useful. It had become too fearful and too well trained which decided it would become Calla's next meal. After crushing it in a physical battle her fangs penetrated the flesh on its neck, on the left hand side. Three years ago Calla had finally been able to decide that 'left was best' for drinking purposes. The newborn was completely broken and couldn't even make the effort to whimper as the last of its blood left its body.

Calla went to the top of the building to the roof and pushed the body into the sunlight. She still made a point of watching any vampires she fought scattered to dust or burnt to ash. It was one of her three rituals, along with cleaning her human prey in the bath and the gentle conversations she had with those she drained by machine.