“So, what did they take?” Caine asked his Alpha.<br/><br/>An older wolf, he remembered the time when there was no hope and only the desire to survive. It was a dark time to say the least for them, which made this new and bright future even more precious.<br/>The elder refused to answer at first; instead he stood from his large mahogany desk and strode to the mini-bar that lay just to the left of the room. A decanter that held a rich amber liquid, bourbon by the look and smell once the top was removed. Two glasses were plucked up from the side of the bar and the dark liquid poured liberally into each.<br/><br/>“Do you know what we are, Caine?”<br/><br/>The question was random and rather unexpected, so the usually composed and smooth Caine stalled for a bit as he tried to think about what his elder meant; only to finally give up with a simple.<br/><br/>“Sir?”<br/><br/>A soft chuckle spilled from the other male’s lips, the chuckle that many elders give when they find total amusement in the lack of knowledge from “youngster.”<br/><br/>“Do you know what we are? Us? You, me the pack, all us? What are we?”<br/><br/>It took just a bit of control to not snarl at the chuckle at his expense, though not an elder Caine was still a dominate wolf and felt the need to assert himself when it was necessary . This was not one of those times, not unless he wanted to suffer more than just a bit to his pride.<br/><br/>“I’m sorry, sir, but I am not following,” he conceded and waited for further explanation.<br/><br/>“We, my son,” the familiar connotation he knew was to assuage the hit to his pride. “Are the protectors of not just us, but the very world around us. The natural world would fall to ruin if we were not there to keep everything at balanced and at bay. We are needed to ensure the survival of not just ourselves, but of every other living thing as well,” the old legend that Caine heard a thousand times over from his own father.<br/><br/>“Of course, sir. That is the first lesson we are taught as pups and what we are forced to commit to memory,” Caine spoke up. “However, I am not sure what that has to do with what was taken?”<br/><br/>“What if you could perform your duties without fear of anything? In a world where we were invincible?”<br/>the excitement that was in the Elder’s voice struck a chord within Caine and caused his own heart to race just a bit.<br/><br/>“But, that is impossible. We are not invincible, silver kills us still and suffering enough regular damage can slow us down ...a lot,” Caine could not understand what this Elder seemed to try and get at. It sounded like the ranting of a mad man, but he knew better than to say as much, at least not to his face; though this could be something that the other Elders wished to know.<br/><br/>“Not impossible, just not what we have managed to do…yet,” again the amused chuckle.<br/><br/>“Are you saying that we have figured out a way to not be effected by silver?” Caine speculated at the impossible.<br/><br/>“We have found a way to isolate our silver weakness and remove it from our very DNA, making us impervious to it. Think of what that could mean for us? For the future?”<br/><br/>Caine had already begun to see the future, to see the possibilities and he was bother excited and terrified. Without a weakness, would that not make them unnatural? Make them go against the nature they were to protect?<br/><br/>“Is that what was stolen? This anti-silver solution?”<br/><br/>“Not exactly,” the Elder finally left the bar to hand him a glass before he returned to his seat with his own. “What they took was the blueprints, the means to find the silver allergy in our DNA,” pause given to take the time and down the contents of his glass. “I am sure you can see the trouble this could cause…”<br/><br/>At first Caine did not, instead his eyes stared down into his glass, at the dark liquid which he swirled lightly out of habit. Then, it hit him and he nearly dropped the glass at the shock. “They could do the same for their problem with the sun!”<br/><br/>“Exactly,” the Elder beamed with pride at the younger wolf. “With that they could figure out how to do the same for themselves and we would be without the advantage of the sun on our side anymore.”<br/><br/>“How do we know they have not started trials? Started to figure it out?”<br/><br/>“The file was designed to corrupt if removed tampered with and it was only a piece of the puzzle. They would have to hit us again to get more of the information.”<br/><br/>“Even with a bit of it, they have too much information,” he took the two strides closer to the desk and set his glass down. “I will get my team ready and go after the file right away.”<br/><br/>“I knew you were the wolf for the job,” the look of pride continued and he set his own glass down. “If you can, take one of them alive. I think it is time that we see just what they have been up to, don’t you?”<br/><br/>“Of course, Sir. It shall be done,” he gave a slight bow of respect and then saw that he was dismissed with a nod and wave. It was as his hand touched the nob to the office that the Elder chose to call out once more.<br/><br/>“Remember, bring back one alive.”<br/><br/>With that he was gone to get his team ready for a hunt. A most important hunt.