Aceso nodded and Ansuya saw just how valuable this young man had become to his pack. His Alpha listened and accepted his words as sound guidance, without argument. She secretly hoped that he wouldn’t have to prove that value to the city itself any time soon. Someone so young shouldn’t have to have such burdens placed on their shoulders, then again, no one prevented her from having to take those same responsibilities that she bore at ages younger than William did. That and the city as they knew it was gone. They were just trying to lessen the damage and save as many people as possible now. Ansuya grabbed a weapon and some clips and ran after the young pack, back towards the center of the city.
* * * * *
Jacob hurried back to Alexiares. The hail of gunfire around them was not getting any lighter. “Alexiares,” Jacob yelled. “We need over watch positions covering our south and East sides!”
“We’re working on it,” The Enforcer replied. “The vampires are taking a very keen interest in the Tower itself. They are laying down covering fire as best they can.”
Out of the corner of his eye, Jacob saw a blazing streak of heat and light. The projectile screamed down and slammed into the base of the Tower itself. The corner where it hit, exploded into dust and obsidian shards.
Shaking his head Jacob said, “I see what you mean about them taking an interest in the Tower. And here I was hoping to not have to deal with RPG’s.”
Another RPG screamed down and another and another. They all hit the base of the Tower in unison. The Tower base exploded and crumbled down to the floor of the cavern. The whole Tower screamed as stone ground against stone. The top overbalanced and it tipped itself over. Jacob watched the Tower fall and careen into the buildings that were in its path. A noise that completely drowned out the surrounding gunfire filled the cavern.
Jacob wasn’t sure what to think or how to react. The Tower, the heart of the city, had fallen.
He could only stare at the aftermath of what had just happened. He wasn’t aware that Huan Li had stepped to his side till he heard him speak. “It is time, old friend,” Huan Li said in a deeply emotional voice.
Jacob just nodded. He raised his nose to the wind. It would be the last time he would ever do this in this cavern that had been his home for the last few decades. He inhaled air and smoke, and howled.
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His howl rang through the cavern. It was easily heard over the gun fire. The sound was pure and strong. The vampires hesitated on hearing it. But the Shape shifters who heard it, they all knew what it meant, and they all began to pull back to the north.
* * * * *
“What are they doing?” Kenneth asked to no one in particular. He watched the Shape shifters suddenly pull back to the north. He could only assume they were trying to escape the vampire pincer maneuver.
He was close enough to the Himurans that he was able to signal them. He signaled to follow them. He didn’t have the manpower to try and envelop them again. What he could do was chase them down. The dogs couldn’t outrun them. Once his army caught them, they would be forced to turn and fight. After that it was a pure numbers game. They still had the advantage and the werewolves would be slaughtered. He smiled as he jumped down to the street level. He chased the werewolves north. It was only a matter of time.
* * * * *
Mary ran up to Acharya. “They are still chasing us back there. They are really close, but they are keeping a little distance and spreading out, maybe to cover any chances that we would try to get out around them.”
Acharya nodded. He turned around and fired a short burst down the street and up towards the rooftops. “Aiman, where are we going?”
The Enforcer looked a little surprised by the question. “We are heading to the rendezvous point.”
“With these guys on our asses?” Acharya asked. “No way. The Elders have to have something else planned; they have to!”
“Maybe that plan is ahead of us,” Aiman commented dryly.
Acharya turned around and found some hasty barricades erected in the middle of the street. He could see Shape shifters on the roof setting up bipod machine guns. The guns opened fire immediately.
“Have the Elders decided then? We make our stand here?” Aiman asked.
“It’s better than what we’ve been doing,” Acharya said as he vaulted over one of the barricades.
It wasn’t safe here, anymore than anywhere else had been safe in the city. But behind the barricade and being behind his own sides machine gun fire did lend itself to a quieter place to be in any case.
He spread his pack out along the barricades and rooftops. He then leaned up against one of the barricades. He steadied his weapon on a protruding piece of wood. The barricade had been a dresser. He wondered if it would ever be used as a piece of furniture again.
Then he had targets in front of him. He opened fire and the vampire group melted back in between the buildings.
The smoke was worse here in the northern part of the city. It was down at the street level and pretty thick. He had to breathe carefully, otherwise the smoke would cause him to have a coughing fit, something that he couldn’t afford. He kept his eyes open, though it stung to do so.
Come on you bastards, where are you?
He was rocked back and thrown into the air by a massive concussive force. The barricade he was hiding behind suddenly wasn’t there anymore and he landed a dozen feet behind it on his shoulder.
He shook his head to try to clear it. His ears rang and he couldn’t hear anything else other than that high pitched ringing. He was moving sluggishly and he saw Shape shifters running. He felt his shoulder get yanked and suddenly he was on his feet. His legs couldn’t hold his weight though and he fell. He didn’t hit the ground, someone caught him.