For Rae;

The word came to him from two of the students at the Salvatore Boarding School. They raced inside the doors late at night just as Tyler was making a security sweep of the grounds. They were a pair of his werewolves that had been out after dark against curfew. “It was scary Mr. Lockwood!” The girl was a petite blonde named Nancy. “I know we weren’t supposed to be out after dark, but we were.”

Her boyfriend, another wolf named Sam was standing at her side. “It was my fault, Mr. Lockwood. I was trying to bring some excitement into our relationship. Going out after curfew was going to score me some points for being dangerous and exciting.”

Tyler was so angry his fangs actually started to show. Sure, he’d done stupid things to impress a girl, but this was the worst. “All because YOU wanted to be a muscle brain with no sense to impress your girl, you may have led some hunters right here.” He pushed past the couple. “I’ll clean up your damn mess. Now get back to your dorms!”

Tyler was walking at a fast pace past all the kids heading to bed as he headed for the back door of the Salvatore Boarding School. He could tell his werewolf eyes had taken over. In moments of extreme anger his wolf side always tended to show rapidly and with unrelenting ferocity. His fangs were growing with his every step. His nose was elongating into a snout. Tyler was tearing off his clothes as he walked toward the door and beginning his change.

It wasn’t like all those years ago when he first found out he was a werewolf. Yeah, it still hurt like hell when he did it, but he did it anyway. He was used to the pain by now and even numb to it. Any student or faculty member watching would see that he was in that state of flux and hear his growling in pained anger to back it up. Once he set his feet outside he was completely naked and fully in his wolf form. The hunt would begin.

The dark russet wolf raced at a rapid pace through the woods. His golden eyes blazed with indignant fury. The hunters in his woods, in his town, hunting his kids were going to be taken out even if it meant he would have to rip them apart himself. It wouldn’t be the first time and he was sure it wouldn’t be the last time. Pads of the wolf's feet hit the ground in a steady gallop. They were close but not close enough. He stopped long enough to pick up the scent and keep running.

~*~

The two hunters were loaded with silver bullets in their weapons. They had started to follow the two pups and had been given the slip when they got away. They had their reasons for being hunters, most all of them did. They were bound and determined to carry out their mission to catch the wolves roaming around. Rumor was that Mystic Falls was filled with supernatural creatures that needed to be put down. It was time for them to get to work.

“Wait? Did you hear that?” The hunter that spoke had fiery red hair and freckles that went across bridge of his nose. He was the more experienced one than his partner. He tried to listen as what sounded like a freight train was heading right for him. Before the other man could say anything, this huge russet wolf jumped out of a hiding place. His teeth immediately found the man’s jugular vein with his bite and wouldn’t let go.

Blood was everywhere. There were gurgling sounds as the man's breathing became mixed with the precious liquid required to keep the body alive and the heart pumping. This all happened within what seemed like a matter of minutes. Time slowed down to the other hunter when in fact it hadn’t.

With trembling hands, the other hunter tried to aim his gun at the wolf attacking his buddy. He couldn’t get a clear shot. He pulled the trigger. The sound of gunfire filled the woods followed by the yelp of a wolf.

~*~

The pain was intense. The russet wolf had his lower jaw covered in the crimson smear of the blood of the hunter he attacked. The pain emanated from his left hind quarter. It was overwhelming him so much he couldn’t focus. He kept staggering forward.

He couldn’t focus enough to change back into his human form. His own blood was matting the fur on his left side. His lack of the ability to focus saw a human form and was unable to discern who it was. The wounded animal in him took over growling and walking slowly toward the human. She was talking to him.

Did she just call him Uncle? A tongue snaked out of his wolf jaws to moisten his lips. Once his jaw closed once again, the wolf curled his lips and emitted a low growl. She spoke to him again. He rose his head and tilted it slightly to the left.

In a moment of apparent clarity, he realized he was at Whickery Bridge. That had to be Rae. He lowered his head and ceased growling. He took a few steps forward before collapsing at her feet. The open wound on his left side would be seen perfectly when he collapsed. There was a silver bullet in his leg. If Rae didn’t get it out soon, Tyler Lockwood was going to die…again.
 

Tyler Lockwood/Cerberus