#alpha queen

“ Alpha queen is also seen as a mother figure to the girls. They look up to her for guidence, and to learn more about the secrets of the Zoo. She's one of the oldest creatures that lived to know about it. Jayhay is one of her closest "daughters"”

There was an Alpha in town.

That was clear. Eva could smell it in the air as she stalked the forest.

About time, she thought to herself, lifting her face to the night sky. There were wolves in town, she knew, but they were a mismatch of strays, no one with real dominance—or a real threat to her. She let them exist. She knew they knew who she was (vampire and werewolves, no matter how young, could tell immediately who the other was) and she knew that without a proper leader, they were of no threat to her.

But now…Her fingers curled into the palm of her hand.

She was out for a night stroll. It was useful, often, to go hunting in these woods, looking for a stray hiker or hunter who needed some directions. A bit of persuasion and she could have herself a nice snack and send them off on their way—with proper instructions, she was not cruel—and they would have no suspicion, whatsoever, save for the mark on their neck or wrist.

Eva had not been hunting for a while. She felt drained, thirsty, and knew she ought to feed before things got out of hand.

An alpha in town—that changed things.

She had no idea what this wolf’s policy would be on vampires—would he kill her on sight or would they negotiate? Would they try to coexist? She had no coven, no damza, no beloved anymore. She would be outnumbered. She would try to state her case, that she was not a threat, that a lone vampire could not take down a pack, that she simply wanted a peaceful life now, exist in the last place she knew her beloved till it became obvious that she was not a Mundus and needed to leave.

Perhaps, thought Eva, with a sigh she did not take, it was time to seek out this leader, make a move before he threatened her.

So she went deeper into the forest, following the foul scent of a wet dog, till in the distance she spotted a figure with her sharp eyes. Her lips pressed into a smile.

“I mean you no harm, Wolf,” she said, batting her eyelashes. “I only wish to talk.”

“ Jayjay and her clan sisters had a huge celebration for their Alpha Queen. A whole party in one of the open district areas, everyone was invited to come. Jayjay performed alongside Celestina. The party was a success, and the queen was very proud of her girls.”

It can break someone down

And it build them up

There was a dragon in the forest.

Eva was aware of this the moment that Melaenis Fiecente had burst through the roof, wings unfurled, and taken to the night sky. Eva herself had been in her astronomy tower when it happened and had heard a roar across town. She’d given a little sigh, shaken her head, and went back to her star-gazing.

A few weeks and one Swynlake-disaster (in which Snow was still alive and together they lived blissfully in a pocket-dimension only for the two of them) later, Eva still smelled the dragon in the air. It was not something she wanted to concern herself with; after all, she rarely wanted to get involved in the affairs of other Magicks.

Yet, she felt like something was off about this whole situation, a nagging thought in the back of her mind that she could not quite shake away, especially when she was in the woods, on the hunt, the smell of the forest clouded with the scent of fire and scales.

She was in Enchantra now, stalking in the dark, trying to pinpoint Mundus blood underneath the scent of dragon, when she caught a whiff of wet dog. Her lip curled up in a familiar smile.

“Oh, Akela, darling,” she called, voice sweet and thick like honey. “I know you’re around. Do come say hello.”

@darkqueen-eva

“Every spring is the only spring, a perpetual astonishment.” — Ellis Peters

It was the fairies, actually, that told him about the festival, and while Akela normally deigned to attend such events, he knew that Rama and Raksha would probably be out and about, and Mowgli too--would be scampering here and there and getting himself into trouble.

Which meant that Akela would also be making an appearance. He couldn’t let the fairies down, after all. 

He walked alone, that was, until he caught scent of sharp perfume attempting to mask the stench of death. Without further ado, he sidled up next to Eva with his hands in his pockets.

“Did expect to see you out, celebrating the sunshine and return of life,” he mentioned casually, giving her a wolfish grin.