The show was over. The power had held. No one had passed out \u2014 on stage, anyway \u2014 and the Parisian crowd had screamed loud enough to rival jet engines. The moment Feral Eclipse stepped offstage, the chaos didn\u2019t end. It simply changed venues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Within minutes, the crew was outside the Accor Arena, half herded by venue staff and half corralled by their own momentum. Thane had barely managed to get his gear stowed before someone \u2014 probably Jonah \u2014 suggested a celebratory stroll along the Seine. That somehow turned into let\u2019s go find a bar<\/em> which then became let\u2019s just follow the noise.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Paris, of course, welcomed them with open arms. Or rather, open cafes, flashing phones, and an increasing number of people running across cobblestones to shout, scream, or sob at the sight of them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDid we win something?\u201d Gabriel asked, spinning a borrowed beret on one claw as they navigated a narrow alley that led out into a bustling plaza.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou mean besides the hearts of half of Paris?\u201d Cassie replied, ducking as a drone buzzed overhead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thane looked up and exhaled slowly. \u201cThere\u2019s another one. That\u2019s the fifth drone I\u2019ve seen tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI will<\/em> throw a baguette at it,\u201d Mark said, holding one menacingly. \u201cDon\u2019t think I won\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou literally<\/em> just paid \u20ac3 for that,\u201d Rico said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cExactly,\u201d Mark grumbled. \u201cWeaponized carbs aren\u2019t cheap here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The plaza opened up like a stage. Caf\u00e9 tables were filled. Music poured from nearby speakers. Someone spotted them \u2014 someone always did\u2014and then it was on. A flash of recognition, a shriek, a call to friends. In under five minutes, the small crowd had doubled, then tripled. The wolves were surrounded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gabriel \u2014 never one to miss an opportunity \u2014 leapt onto a wrought-iron bistro table with the grace of a caffeinated jungle cat and flung his arms wide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cPARIS! WHO\u2019S STILL AWAKE?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The crowd responded with a roar. A baguette flew through the air. He caught it and raised it overhead like a gladiator\u2019s blade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWho dares challenge me in battle?!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n A fan accepted, armed with a second baguette and questionable judgment. The duel commenced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mark groaned and turned away, muttering, \u201cWe are never getting invited back to this country.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rico and Jonah were instantly taking bets. Emily tried to take video but was laughing too hard to keep the camera straight. Cassie was chatting with a woman who had painted Feral 4Ever<\/em> across her cheek in glitter and tears.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And Thane \u2014 still carrying a half-coiled XLR like it might come in handy \u2014 stood in the middle of it all, watching the way the lights from streetlamps shimmered on cobblestones, the laughter that bounced between buildings, and the way their little chaotic pack somehow brought joy to strangers a world away from home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis is getting unhinged,\u201d he said aloud to no one in particular.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s Paris,\u201d Mark replied beside him. \u201cPretty sure it\u2019s supposed to be.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The cops did show up \u2014 eventually. But they just smiled, recognized the band, and ended up helping redirect traffic while posing for a group photo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At some point, someone bought them all espresso shots. At some later point, Gabriel tried to convince a passing mime to join the band.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And when the hour grew late and the adrenaline finally wore off, they made their way \u2014 slowly, surrounded by fans and laughter \u2014 back toward the waiting hotel vans. Thane looked back once more at the glowing Eiffel Tower, now distant behind the rooftops.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He didn\u2019t say anything. He didn\u2019t need to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tonight, Paris would<\/em> remember.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The show was over. The power had held. No one had passed out \u2014 on stage, anyway \u2014 and the Parisian crowd had screamed loud enough to rival jet engines. The moment Feral Eclipse stepped offstage, the chaos didn\u2019t end. It simply changed venues. Within minutes, the crew was outside the Accor Arena, half herded […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1728","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-tour-life"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1728","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1728"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1728\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2995,"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1728\/revisions\/2995"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1728"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1728"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1728"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}