@YoshiSkittlez@December

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Magnus slid a glance over at Leo and partially wished that Leo hadn't said anything. Sure he was a Druid and fully capable of defending himself...but he liked his face without bruises. He looked back at the doctor and saw that anger increase when the doctor saw him. "I get a distinct feeling that you hate me." His hands folded in front of him and he looked up at the doctor..also wishing he was slightly taller.

"How are they doing?" Hopefully the doctor would soften at the question. He knew one of his weak spots was his own patients.....even though they weren't remotely human. probably didn't help that the doctor's daughter was a werewolf and that made himself an emissary to her as well. Actually hopefully the doctor hadn't thought of that.

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"I get a distinct feeling that you hate me."

Leo sighed and closed his eyes, mentally reminding himself not to slap the Druid. Xerxes was not a man to mess with, from Leo's experiences, and he didn't appear into a state that Leo would describe as amiable.

"How are they doing?" The Druid's voice came again from behind Leo, but he jumped in before he could say anything else that could potentially piss off the doctor.

"Hi, I'm Leo, and I assume you know Magnus." The Warlock gestured behind him vaguely as he continued. "We've met a couple times before. I'm a friend of Zoe and Callie's. We're here to check on the kids who were attacked last night, and see if there's anything we can do to help. Given the nature of the situation, our particular areas of expertise would seem to prove useful."

Leo smiled at Xerxes, attempting to appear helpful and non-intrusive, though with Magnus behind him, he wasn't positive he could really sell that image. "I'm a part of Callie's Coven." He spoke the last sentence at a lower volume, so as not to attract unwanted attention.

Quinton eventually nudged Abigale along, encouraging her to get ready for school. Quinton however had already called in, to state that he wouldn’t be coming in today. He doubted the teenagers would be, and for that, Quinton needed to be around for them. He also needed to provide support to Zoé if she needed it. It would be a long day. Yet he’d make sure he’d be there to pick up his little girl. Ushering her into the car, Quinton headed towards Abigale’s school, he took the time to walk her into school, giving her a hug, her slipped Remus’s leash into her hand, ”Be good, Abby, and I’ll be here to pick you up, I promise” This was Abigale’s first real school, Stearns kindergarden. He spoke with a moment with the teachers, stating that Remus was there for support, that Abigale had had a rough few years and felt safer with the wolf dog pup.

Honestly, Quinton was sure that it was Remus himself that made all the difference, the pup happily sitting and offering his hand to one of the workers, tongue lolling out happily. Like that, he simply wasn’t a threatening dog. Even if Quinton knew different. He watched Abigale happily approach some of the other kids there, and he smiled. She’d be alright. She was her mothers daughter, after all. Whether she remembered her or not. Abigale would be alright. It didn’t mean that Quinton would ever stop worry about her.

Leaving though was one of the hardest things he had to do then, yet he did it. Abigale needed to spread her wings. He returned to his car, and started off once more. He didn’t really know where he should start today, although...Quinton thought on his own experiences as a newly turned wolf, and what his alpha had done for him. He thought on what he could offer these kids, in his sixteen years of experience. Had it really been sixteen years? There were sometimes when it seemed just yesterday…

Quinton had run in with a bad sort of group of kids. He’d ended up in a bad situation, and it was his former alpha, Foster that had saved his life, giving him the bite. The days that followed had been confusing, strange and...some of the best days of his life, as he finally realised he was accepted. Quinton let his thoughts drift for a few moments, giving a soft sigh. Pushing his reminiscence aside, Quinton focused on where he was going.

He didn’t know where to start, and he drove for a few moments. He could quite easily remember first entering the town, making his way through it. He could remember going to Cedar Ash inn, thinking they would only be there a few days at most, for the full moon really. And then...Callie had simply told him that they didn’t have to run anymore. Quinton hadn’t believed her, not truly even after learning that she was a witch. Callie however had been patient, and when he’d met Zoé...well, it had seemed like the chance to give Abigale some sort of normal life. Although he’d taken a few days to decide to join her pack. In the end, his decision had been what was best for Abigale.

He sighed softly, and thought on what he could do. There was the hospital, where Syleste and Sebastian still were, although Quinton figured they’d have visitors enough. He could find Zoé, and see if she needed a hand, but she did have enough on her plate, and he could figure out what he could do.

Turning, Quinton started on his way, his intent to find things that he could help with the pack, the newborns.

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Having survived met Kaylee’s parents, who were lovely people really, Connor was nevertheless grateful that they had left them alone, to their own devices, which involved breakfast. Connor enjoyed the simple fact that it wasn’t food over a campfire. For a time, Connor was silent, as he thought things through, before he finally said ”So, um, that seemed to go well” Of course, he didn’t really have anything else to compare it to, but that didn’t seem to matter.

It seemed like it would be a good chance to...figure things out, even if Kaylee didn’t know much more than he did. The night had been...strange, to say the least, and enlightening at the same time. Connor wasn’t entirely sure on everything, and it was still, even now, a conflict against what was logical...shape shifting just wasn’t possible, or so physics told them. And yet, there was no denying experience. And so...it meant that the wolf attack...his father’s death, wasn’t normal. Not that it had been at the time, and the conformation did nothing to help.

”I’m still trying to understand everything…” He said after a few moments, looking to Kaylee.

Twisting around in her seat, Kaylee reached out towards him, gently taking his hand in her own as she gave him a soft squeeze of encouragement. Last night had been… hectic to say the least; for all of them. For her friends… for Connor… So much had happened, and in such a short amount of time too. It didn’t matter that it had been a mixture of both good and bad; she just wanted to be there for him… to show him that she was going to be there for him…

“..I know…”

Biting her lower lip softly, she held his gaze, losing herself within those beautiful… beautiful blue eyes that she had so quickly fallen ever deeply in love with. She didn’t care what life had to throw at them… as long as she had him by her side, there was nothing she couldn’t do, “..last night was just… crazy, wasn’t it..? And, I know it might sound bad, but… I’m kinda glad it happened… I got to meet you because of all this...”

Connor curled his fingers around Kaylee’s, he didn’t look away, taking comfort from her presence, and closeness, and listened to her as she spoke, he nodded at her words. That, he could understand, ”I don’t regret that at all…” he said, his voice filled with emotion, ”And I think they’d have to invent a new word for “Crazy” for what last night was.” He said, smiling slightly ”There’s just so much...that even now doesn’t make sense. I...how does this happen? Everything?”

How..? The question was so vague, and honestly, he could be asking about anything from how supernaturals even existed, to how a were-creature was created at all… Frowning slightly, Kaylee let her dark gaze fall to rest upon their hands for a few moments, allowing herself a moment before she began to speak, “..how..? I, uh… I’m gunna need you to be just a bit more specific, babe…”

Babe? That was a new one on Connor, and he blinked, a little surprised. He could, quite honestly say, he never expected anyone to call him that, light pink staining his cheeks in a blush, ”Um..” he tried to align his thoughts, ”How...does...becoming this happen? Does it have to be an attack?”

“Oh..! Oh… nah. Nah, it doesn’t always have to be an attack.” Unable to help the small smile that played over her lips at the thought of being able to speak openly with him about this, Kaylee lifted her gaze to once more meet with his, her head lightly shaking from side to side as she answered his question. As far as what she had seen, coupled with everything she had been taught back home, it was a more common occurrence for alphas to attack in order to gain more power for their pack here than it was in most other places.

“From what I know, and what I’ve seen so far… that’s more of a wolf thing. An alpha will do it to try and gain more power, usually out of greed, or to challenge another alpha for territory.” Scrunching up her face, she let out a sigh, lightly shrugging her shoulders as she tried her best not to think of the reasons that someone would want to purposely go out, and hurt other for… it was just sick, and completely barbaric, “Back home, this sort of stuff rarely ever happens- and I mean rarely. There hasn’t been a case like this in over sixty years. We might be similar, but we’re actually pretty different, especially in the aspect of creating new weres.”

Connor thought on that for a moment, ”How is it done then, for you?” he asked, wondering why things could be so different. Perhaps it was simply… how things were. ”It just seems… well, the whole lot is weird, but still” He gave a small chuckle, ”And… what does… becoming a were creature… do to you?’

How did they do it for her..? Well, at least he was being more specific this time round with his questions. Her smile never wavering, Kaylee tilted her head lightly to the side, a thoughtful expression flickering over her features as she let her mind wander back to when she had been given the opportunity to join the world they were now apart of.

“Well… my family has always been close to my old pack. People with bonds like that; when we turn fourteen, we get approached by the alpha, and they give us the opportunity to join the pack. It’s a choice… one that we get to make ourselves.” Seeming to pull herself back to the present, Kaylee’s smile grew, lighting up her face as she leant forward in her seat, her pancake breakfast all but forgotten as the conversation went on, “If we choose to remain human; the offer is left open, giving us the chance to change our minds later on in life. Now, if we say yes… there’s this really beautiful ceremony we go through; each pack has their own place that they perform it, ours was out in a clearing in the bush.”

Shaking her head lightly from side to side, she chuckled, pushing the memories back as she once more let her full attention fall on him, “The ceremony is where initiates get the bite. The whole pack attends, and once the ceremony is finished, then we all head back to the pack’s house and party the rest of the night. Uhm… as for what being one of us does to you… well, we become a lot stronger, a lot faster… we don’t get sick anymore, aside from the rare certain circumstances. We can hear better, jump higher, take the pain from others- drink without actually getting drunk… the only thing that doesn’t come with it, is discipline… control… especially on a full moon…. that we have to learn that ourselves.”

Listening as she spoke, it did seem to be a better way, at least compared to what happened to him. To the teenagers that he still didn’t really know the names off. Connor wasn’t naive enough to think it was like that everywhere, although it was nice to think about. As she told him about the… he supposed they’d be perks, he cast his thoughts back over the last two months, he couldn’t truly say he’d noticed anything different, then again memories weren’t the best for that kind of thing. But… ”Control…” Connor frowned, ”As far as I recall, I didn’t seem out of control these last few months… “ he trailed off, thoughtful.

Perhaps it had something to do with the lack in other human contact. Connor doubted he’d know. Giving a small shake of his head, he tried to think on anything else, ”and...What… “ Connor wasn’t entirely too sure how to phrase what he wanted, and he paused a moment, trying to think what words to use ”What about this, us?”

That question-... okay, that question was definitely a little harder to answer than the others. It wasn’t like she didn’t know what was happening; on the contrary, she knew exactly what this was going on between them. It was just something that was difficult to explain, “..well… that’s a little harder to explain…”

Pausing for a moment, Kaylee let her mind wander, a single hand breaking away from his so she could lightly brush some stray strands of hair off her face, neatly tucking them back behind her ear as she tried to think about just how to go about explaining what had happened between them. This... was not going to be an easy to do, “..it’s called ‘imprinting’... it’s something that happens to our kind, but it’s a very rare occurrence. It’s when we find our other half; our one true mate. The one person we’re destined to spend the rest of our lives with… according to my old alpha, when you find your mate… it’s like nothing else matters; like they’re the only one keeping you there… and you would do anything for them- be anything for them…”

Dropping her head down, she let her hand return once more to his, her thumb lightly brushing over the back of his hand, “..it’s a lot like love, only… so much stronger…”

Keeping his gaze on Kaylee, Connor watched her movements, while she tried to figure out how to answer his question. Which seemed hard to do. For a few moments, Connor wondered if it was simply something that you just… knew. Imprinting… Connor contemplated her words, and found that they resonated within him. He tried to truly understand it, yet it didn’t seem to be something that could be put into words… which was probably why Kaylee couldn’t truly describe it. Now though, he had a name for it.

And names were important.

He reached over, seeking to meet her gaze once more, ”Kaylee…” he said softly, then hesitated, not sure if he should continue or not, the only plans that Connor now had was to make sure he could be close to Kaylee, ”What does it mean for us? How… I don’t want to be away from you”

What did that mean for them..? The question caught her off guard. She knew that she wanted to be with him- to spend the rest of her life by his side… but she hadn’t actually sat down, and taken the time to think about what that meant for them, “..well… what do you wanna do..? I don’t want to be away from you either…”

Connor went over options quickly, or he tried to. There weren’t that many, really... ”Well… Since i’m going to be staying… It looks like I’ll need a place, and… “ Connor trailed off, not uncertain, rather he had a feeling of apprehension , ”and I don’t want it to be just mine”

Was he..? Her soft pink lips parting ever so slightly from one another, Kaylee continued to hold his gaze, her dark eyes seeming to search his to see whether or not he was messing around. He wanted to stay- no, he was going to stay, but in order for him to do that, he needed a place to stay… a place for him to call home.

“..are you-...” Pausing a moment, she bit down softly upon her lower lip, a small smile playing lightly over her lips as she tried to discern exactly what it was he was saying to her, “..are you saying..?”

”Yes, well... if you think I’m saying I want to live with you” Connor replied, giving her a smile, he didn’t look away, quite serious, and no longer concerned that he’d say something wrong, he felt, well, a little confident now. ”I mean, if you want to... “ Okay, maybe not confident.

Unable to look away from those beautiful blue eyes, Kaylee’s smile grew, her head nodding lightly up and down in answer. He wanted to live with her… and he was asking whether or not she wanted to live with him too. Leaning forward in her seat, she tilted her head lightly to the side, her lips pressing lightly against his own in a gentle kiss before she broke away from him, the tip of her nose brushing against his before finally, she sat up straight once more, “..yeah- I mean, of course I want to.”

Connor smiled warmly, he was quite thrilled, even if there was no place yet, it was still… exciting. He reached over when she moved back, taking her hand in his, ”That means we have to find a place” He said thoughtfully, not that he’d been in Klamath Falls much, so far he’d only entered a grocery store and the hospital. He hadn’t planned on being there for more than few days, and now… ”Maybe we could ask around”

“Definitely..! But…” Her smile fading slightly, Kaylee dropped her attention down to their hands, her body shifting slightly over the seat that she was using. They were just teenagers… sure she could help her mum out at the bookstore, but, neither of them had money… and though she didn’t know about him, she was still just a high school student… something she was meant to be starting in five days time.

“..can we really afford it right now..? I don’t know about you, but I don’t have a job; I’m meant to be starting at my new school on Monday too.” Pausing a moment, she lifted her gaze back up to him, worry and curiosity flickering across her iris’ as she thought on what it was they were going to do if they went through with their plan to move in together.

Connor felt foolish, he hadn’t had any seconds thoughts about spending money on a place… it hadn’t occurred to him that it would be a problem… He started to speak, a little sheepishly, ”Um. I have some money” It was more then some, but Connor didn’t have access to all of it. ”My parents wanted to make sure if something happened, I’d be okay” Or his father, rather. His mother had died when he was young. For a brief moment, he thought he should go over the paperwork. ”So, we don’t have to worry about that… As for school, we could find a place nearby, if you want“ Connor didn’t have school, he’d deferred his first year in college, although he wondered now if he could enroll in school in Klamath Falls. ”If you wanted to wait, we can”

“..really..? You would do that for me..?” He was being so sweet… so considerate… God, she loved him. Her smile once more returning to her lips, Kaylee shook her head lightly from side to side, gently squeezing his hand in encouragement, doing her best to remind him that she was there… that she was going to support him in anything that he wanted to do, “..I wanna move in together; I wanna live with you, but… I don’t want you to think I’m relying on you for everything, especially money…”

Her leg slipping from underneath her, she hesitated a moment before standing up, her body turning as she instead chose to sit on his lap, a gentle blush crossing over her cheeks as she lifted her arms, wrapping them one by one around the back of his neck, “If you want to do this… then let’s do it. There’s nothing I want more than to be with you; and I know my parents will have nothing against us moving in together. I just-... I just wanna know that it’s okay… that you won’t think that way about me…”

Connor immediately wrapped his arms around her, and smiled, shaking his head. “I don't think that way about you. I want to do it, because… I want a home with you” he said. “I could never think that about you… besides, you've proven you can take care of yourself” he pointed out, “and… the money may as well be used, then sitting about, especially if it means we are together” he smiled, and kissed her, “that makes it more then okay”

Unable to hide the small dimples that showed as her smile seemed to grow just slightly, she leant her body further into his, a single arm breaking away from behind her neck so that her hand could instead rest lightly over his chest. Even with everything they had on their plates… the fact that neither of them had a job; he still wanted to live with her. Every moment they spent together, she was just falling further and further in love…

“..okay then… let’s move in together.”

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As Aron fell asleep rather easily, Cody kept his eyes open, holding Aron close to him, taking in his scent. Cody knew that he would never let anything hurt Aron. He would do anything to make sure Aron was alright. Curled against him, around him, Cody listening to his breath, to the beating of his heart, letting that convince him that Aron was okay. He bowed his head, resting it on Aron’s.

”I love you, Aron” He whispered, kissing his head. When it was clear that Aron was deeply asleep, Cody slipped away, gently extracting himself from Aron, he went over to where he had some of his art supplies. Setting himself down, Cody began to take them out. He bowed his head a moment,letting out a slow sigh. Images from the night before flickered through his mind, and he swallowed.

Cody was terrified of what he was becoming. What if he become… like that… wolf? He didn’t want to be like that… He didn’t want to hurt Aron. He didn’t think he could hurt him. But what if? Cody scrunched his eyes closed tightly, and shook slightly, drawing in a breath, and then letting it out. He pushed the memories away, and looked back to his supplies again, and taking out his phone, he brought up Aron’s picture, of his parents and him and Gage.

He began to draw, referencing the picture every so often, sketching the image first, before adding details to it, Cody let his emotions smooth out by drawing, and bit by bit, piece by piece, he brought the photo to life on his sketch pad, wanting to give Aron something that would last, and wasn’t damaged by fire, but that wouldn’t replace the photo entirely. He set his things down once he was finished, looking back to Aron.

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Callie smiled as Alexis arrived, giving the girl a nod, she looked back to her old friends. ”You need not worry about hiding what you are, Alexis. This is Sombra and James, they are friends of mine, and I long told them what I am” She said cheerfully, ”Although they have been… away for some time.” Callie didn’t say anything more about Sombra and James-that was for her friends to tell. If they wished Alexis to know what they were, they could tell her themselves.

She looked back to Alexis, smiling kindly to her. ”Alexis is… well, I will be training her. She has quite a talent” She said, nodding to her again. She looked back to Sombra and James, her smile fading. While she was happy to see them both, the last five years she hadn’t had any contact with them. When Callie had first arrived in town, she’d been a lost little lamb. It had taken some time, and her friendship with Sombra and James had kept her going.

It had been two more years until she had managed to get the Cedar Ash inn, and by then, James and Sombra had left. While Callie had known why, she had been a little lost. And that was when Leo had become a part of her life. She watched her old friends, her heart feeling a little heavy. ”Of course, I’m rather open about what I am. I can understand if you’d rather hide what you are, Alexis. It isn’t an easy road, but this is my path” She smiled once more, before saying to Sombra and James, "Are you here because of the attack last night? I understand your sister was involved, James" she said, then hesitated, looking to Sombra, "Sombra... I'm guessing you haven't spoken to your family... so either we are going to have an angry Myra storming in, or your mother will be waitijg for you"

@Caits

Aron Brooks

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Aron was sleeping deeply his dreams seemed good until a sudden shift to nightmare. His body jerked somewhat as he dealt with the nightmare and then relaxed. He slept for moments longer until his eyes fluttered and he woke up.

Aron was expecting to see Cody next to him and when he didn't see Cody he had a small moment of panic causing him to sit up suddenly. Seeing Cody he visibly relaxed and shot his boyfriend a smile. "Hey"

Aron struggled his way to sitting up in the bean bag and yawned. "Since I spent so long sleeping....what do you want to do now?" he felt a bit badly for just sleeping instead of giving his full attention to Cody.

Quinton shortly found himself heading towards Kaylee’s place, he knew that he would find the weredingo there, with the young were pup Connor. Checking on them was a good step, and Quinton remembered the way from the night before, having given the teens a lift home. The other teens would, Quinton figured, be at the hospital, in one way or another. Gage would be with syleste, no doubt Aron would be with his brother, which would mean Cody was with him. Xerses would be in checking on the two injured teens, and if Quinton and the measure of him, he wouldn't want to leave Cassandra alone. And if anything from the girl last night was an indicator of the girl, she'd want to make sure her friends were okay. And given that Miranda had gone home with Cassandra, it stood to reason that she'd be there too. So, Quinton would go check on the outliers first.

As he drove, Quinton thought on what had happened. The attack.. Although it wasn’t just that. Something else was happening here… Cody and Aron… Kaylee and Connor… Gage and Syleste… Imprinting was something that was rare, and was there to make you stronger… Of course, it also made you weaker if you lost your mate… Quinton gave a soft sigh. Three pairs of imprinted couples. And… there was no doubt that Klamath Falls was something special. It had a high number of supernatural creatures, even for a city. There was something else going on here, what was yet to be seen. That, and the imprinted couples showed that something was coming. Something that necessitated the strength imprinting brought. Although Imprinting wasn’t something that could be forced, it was… there, in all of them. Ready for that one true mate.

These thoughts tumbling through his mind, Quinton turned into Kaylee’s drive, pulling his car into the drive, Quinton sat a moment, before he got out. Walking to the door, Quinton knocked, glancing about himself as he did. He knew that there was going to be paranoia over the next few days, he couldn’t help it. He would keep this pack safe, and if that meant being uneasy, then so be it. He wouldn’t have Abigale put through another pack loss. And he didn’t know if he could survive it either.

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It had been a long night for Karena, one filled with very little sleep and a lot of worry of what had happened and to what was to come. She had spent a lot of the night and early morning with Cleo, her niece had come home after sneaking out to be with her friends last night for the camping, Karena wouldn't of stopped her from going as all she had to do was ask as she felt there was no reason to worry and trusted the group that went, but all that had changed now.

Last night her girl had come home and was covered abit in blood, was visibly upset as her fangs had extended, she was scared and so Karena had spend time calming her down getting her cleaned up, sorted out the clothes before getting the young teen to sleep, that was a mission in itself. She had since been leaning against the kitchen counter with a fresh cup of coffee to help wake the senses up, A thud from upstairs meant that Cleo was up or at least fell out of her bed was also a possibility, Could a dhampir fall out of bed? Either way the whole thing felt similar and gave the hunter a major case of deja vu from an incident similar roughly one year ago when another blood stained woman came to her door late one night.



The cold night air sent a shiver through her otherwise warm body as she stood on the other side of the street, her soft lips parting ever so slightly from one another as she stared up at the house, her dark eyes seeming to linger for the longest of times upon the front door. This wasn’t what she wanted to do… where she wanted to be… She didn’t want to have to go to her, but it was clear now more than ever that she just didn’t have any choice.

This was the only place she could go…

Shooting a quick and slightly terrified glance around the street, Zoé slowly began to cross over the road, her bare feet carrying her through the gate and up the driveway before eventually, she made her way up to the front door, reaching her blood covered hand out she hesitated, her gaze flicking down to look at it shaking in front of her before she shook her head, her eyes shutting tightly as she closed her fist, using it to slowly pound on the door once… twice… three times… her body shaking lightly as she waited in the darkness. This was a risk… a big risk… She was willingly going to see a hunter; it was either going to go well, or end badly...

It was a quiet relaxing night for Karena, Darien was out on a night shift while the girls were out for the cold evening, it was nice to be able to finally take the time to sit on the sofa in the front room. The room was dimly lit by candles while she was reading a book that her daughter Emilia had recommended a while ago, it was not her thing but it was certainly interesting, she had her feet up with a glass of wine just simply enjoying the peace and quiet, she wore her hair down… letting it freely drape over her shoulders as she continued to read away getting lost in the book.

The knock on the door made her jump a little, it was unexpected and rather late into the night… Who could possibly be knocking at the door at this hour? Maybe the girls had come back early and forgotten their keys again? No matter, gently resting the book down on the side table with the glass of wine before letting out a soft sigh as she stood up upon her bare feet and brushing a few stray locks of hair behind her ear. Casually walking her way from the front room and down the hall towards the door, she was wearing a simple buttoned shirt that was a little too big for her as she was not expecting any visitors.

Her lips parted slightly as she called out. “Just a minute.” Moments later the hall light was switched on as she could make out a silhouette that was waiting for her to answer the door, a few more moments had passed before the sound of her unlocking the door could be heard, unaware of what she was about to come face to face with… Upon opening the door her eyes widened to a very surprising and disturbing sight all rolled into one, left completely speechless the hunter had found herself just standing there just staring at the sight before her as the cold night air was being let into the home, She did the one thing that she hated most… hesitated. “Z...Zoé?”

The moment the door opened, Zoé lifted her head up, her body still shaking both from the cold and her fear as she met her gaze with the woman standing in front of her. Karena looked just as terrified as she did… she couldn’t blame her, not when she was standing on the woman’s front porch, covered in blood that wasn’t even her own. A familiar sting hitting her eyes, she couldn’t stop herself, instead just allowing the tears to start rolling down her face as she stared up at the woman, almost pleading with her as she spoke, her voice soft… almost inaudible as she did so.

“..h-help me…”

Karena had found herself meeting the gaze of the alpha standing before, her mind processing just what exactly the situation she just found herself in. Zoé looked terrified before her, but not just that but the woman was absolutely covered in blood and without clothing. Again Karena stood there hesitant… speechless, something that she shouldn’t be doing but it was not everyday a supernatural knocked on a hunters door and… asking for help, did she just hear that right? Tears were rolling down the woman’s eyes before her, her voice soft and quiet to the point that Karena could barely hear the alpha pleading to her, But what was she thinking? Zoé was at her door asking for help and she just stood there and needed to react and assess.

“Jesus Zoé…” She replied softly quickly glancing around to make sure no one could or had seen anything before reaching out to the woman. “Quick… come in before someone sees you out here like this… You must be freezing.” It was the first thing to come to mind, help the woman… this could be one of the biggest and costly mistakes of her life.

Moving forward and into the house as the woman ushered her inside, Zoé tore her gaze away, allowing her dark eyes to glance about the room she could see as she tried to keep herself under check, restraining herself from leaning into the warm touch the woman had held against her almost frozen to the touch skin. Shivering once more, she took another moment to look around the room before her attention was drawn back to Karena, the tears never once stopping as they continued to roll down her cheeks.

“..I-I did something t-terrible… I-... I need your h-help…”

Carefully watching as the woman came into her home, something Karena herself thought she would never do, She couldn’t help but notice just how cold Zoé was, her skin was freezing to the touch compared to her own and she immediately closed the door behind them, locking it up, Hopefully there wouldn’t be anymore unexpected guests. Once that was sorted, Karena began to think of the best thing she could grab nearby to wrap around her new guest in order to help her warm up, and to at least cover her up. Even if it was something small for the moment, as no doubt cleaning her up would also be a priority. Taking Zoé’s hand carefully, she lead her gently to the candle lit front room that she had been resting in prior.

“Okay… Okay, Zoé… I’m just going to get some things quickly, and you can tell me what’s happened okay? We need to get you warmed up, and calm your nerves…” She could not afford the alpha to shift suddenly in her living room.

Karena wasted no time in getting to work, she immediately went and got a wooden chair from the dining table, bringing it over for Zoé to sit on; it might not be perfect, but at least she had something to sit on that wouldn’t get permanently stained by the blood she was covered in. Motioning for the woman to sit, she then set off into the kitchen to put the kettle on, and to find a blanket or towel that she could at least put over the woman’s shoulders. After a good few minutes of finding a spare towel and folding it over her arm, Karena eventually made a fresh cup of coffee and brought it into the front room, handing it over to Zoé, this would then free her up to wrap the towel around her before kneeling in front of the alpha…

“Now… what have you done that requires my help?” her voice was soft and gentle, there was no point in suddenly going all hunter mode on her, not in her home, it was still so surreal that here she was, kneeling in front of Zoé, of all people… An alpha werewolf… Momentarily Karena moved her hand to the side of Zoé’s face, stroking away some of the hair that had gotten stuck to the woman's face by the blood.

“I-I didn’t m-mean to…”

Closing her eyes as she felt the woman’s gentle touch upon her cheek, Zoé leant into the palm of her hand, the tears refusing to stop as she leant forward, her shoulders hunching lightly as she pulled the towel tighter around her body, doing everything she could to bring warmth back to herself. She was so cold… so, so cold…

Her lower lip quivering slightly as she spoke, she shook her head lightly from side to side, the sting once more hitting her eyes as she began to explain what happened to the woman taking care of her at this moment… or at least, to explain as best as she could in the moment, “..I-I didn’t want to hurt him, but… he-... he was attacking me… and I just-... I-I didn’t mean to…”

When Zoé leant into her hand still crying, it was easy to forget what she was an actual werewolf, and not just any werewolf… she was an alpha. She kept on stroking the side of the woman’s blood stained face, even with the blood on her hand she had assumed that it was Zoé’s own and that before her arrival here, her wounds had healed. That was until she mentioned hurting someone, a male… she didn’t mean to… Just what did Zoé do?

Her smile had faded in just those few moments from the alpha’s words, Karena was a hunter and was within inches of a supernatural she thought she knew… Her tone serious, she needed to find out more, but this could turn ugly fast if she was not careful. “What did you do Zoé? Who attacked you?... I can’t help you if you won’t tell me..”

“..a-a hunter…” Pausing a moment, Zoé shut her eyes tighter than before, not sure just how to go about telling her what she had done before she decided to get it over with, her gaze once more lifting to meet with hers as she spoke softly once more, answering the woman’s question, “..I-... I think I killed him,,,”

A hunter… Of all the things that it could’ve been, it had to be a dam hunter that fought Zoé, hell he must of been pretty damn persistent or something to get to the point of Zoé thinking she had possibly killed him, and if she did… this could be very bad. It did beg the question of why come her about it? Processing what she had been told, Karena had removed her now blood covered hand from the woman’s face and removing herself away from the alpha and creating a little distance between them before pacing round thinking.

With the hunter inside her ringing alarm bells of needing to deal with this threat, Karena kinda knew that Zoé was normally not that sort of person, from the little she knew the alpha that is, the pair shared a common interest in keeping klamath safe… right now she had to control her emotions before she did something she’d regret like putting the woman before her down. Looking like she was about to lose her anger she took several deep breaths, but she still needed to think.

Looking over towards Zoé for a few moments, the hunter was really torn on what to do as she then looked at the blood on her hand. “This isn’t your blood is it…?” she asked not looking back at Zoé.

Hesitating a moment, Zoé shook her head lightly from side to side, her soft lips parting ever so slightly from one another before she spoke, “..n-no… not all of it…”

Closing her eyes a moment after hearing confirmation that not all the blood was her own, Karena took a deep breath thinking on what she could say next, This woman had admitted to killing a fellow hunter… Granted the hunter was attacking the alpha but… what really baffled her the most was Zoé choosing to come to her and ask for help, Maybe the alpha trusted her to come forward with this? Karena could not ever think of a time that happened but anything can happen these days she guessed.

After what felt like the longest of silence, Karena eventually turned to face Zoé, taking in the sight before her once more, damn she was a mess. Literally her training was telling her… No screaming at her to take the alpha out, but instead she knelt down to Zoé’s level, still keeping distance as her lips parted slightly, letting out a little sigh..

“Okay… Okay, I’ll be honest with you… Right now my mind is screaming at me to take you out but…” She paused, her gaze now locked onto Zoé. “ You came to me… Maybe you trust me or something, I don’t know… But what I am about to ask of you is really, really important…” Slowly Karena clasped her hands together in front of her, still leaning on her legs from where she was knelt down. “Zoé… I need to see your eyes… Your real eyes.”

Her eyes… she wanted to see her eyes; and not just the ones she was born with, but the ones she had gotten after she had first been given the bite. Holding the woman’s gaze for a few moments longer, Zoé eventually nodded her head lightly, the normal dark color disappearing as the bright sickly blood red took over, leaving the eyes of an alpha holding that of the hunter in front of her.

Her gaze never wavered when the woman nodded to her, watching carefully as Zoé shifted her eye colour to that of the blood red of an alpha, it was quite the sight to behold, it sent chills down her spine. Karena however, sighed in a huge relief. Zoé’s eyes were not blue as she feared. If there were, then the hunter was innocent… But in this case the man as not, and that meant he was a rogue hunter, something Karena disliked as much as a rogue supernatural, so it left new questions to be answered but for now, her first concern was helping Zoé.

After a few more moments of watching those eyes which seemed to have the hunter mesmerized, Karena snapped out of it and managed a slight smile. Slowly she stood up and made her way back over towards the alpha until she was within arms

reach once more and knelt down in front of her, Hesitating a moment before gently placing her hand on the side of Zoé’s face once more like before gently stroking it. “Good news is, your eyes are the right colour… they’re not blue and you know what that means.” she spoke in a soft tone.

“..he wasn’t an innocent…”

The words slipped from her lips before she could stop them, her voice soft as she spoke. Her eyes… her eyes were still the red she had become used to- a weight seemed to be lifted from her heavy heart as she let the news settle in her mind. The hunter that had gone after her… he wasn’t an innocent. Allowing her eyes to return back to normal, Zoé let them close once more as she felt the woman’s hands resting upon her cheeks, “..he-... he wasn’t an innocent…”

“That’s right… What he did or done, we can figure that out later. But he was definitely not innocent.”

She to let the words and thoughts with it sink in, Karena felt bad that she doubted Zoé, but it was not easy when the fact is, Zoé was an alpha werewolf, how times have changed over the generations. She couldn’t help but notice how Zoé had been all this time, she was still covered in blood, cold with nothing but a towel around her shoulders.. It was time to fix that problem and help the woman that was in need. “But right now, My main concern is getting you all cleaned up and warm, then see if i have something that could at least fit you, even if it is not a perfect fit.” of course she was referring to clothing, there was no way in hell, Karena was letting Zoé leave like this if she chose to. After she moved her hands into Zoé’s.

“How about we go and get you cleaned up?”



Her phone going off suddenly bought Karena back to the present, the woman was not sure just how long she had just been standing there probably staring into space, snapping out of the thoughts of her niece covered in blood for a moment, Karena picked up the phone to see who had just messaged her. It was Emilia, her actual daughter, letting her know that she would soon be back into Klamath after dealing with some ‘family’ business out of town, although officially she was just spending some off away from work, By god she was not looking forward to having to explain and bring Emilia up to speed on what was just going on.

Texting back hoping everything went well and that there was an attack… and that there was much to discuss, Karena would no doubt speak to Emilia soon enough, For now there was several things that the hunter would need to do, it was going to be a long busy day, One of many problems to solve was just how many of the teens had been successfully turned, she only hoped that Zoé was able to get to them though as rogue pups would be extremely dangerous for Klamath, even if it was those teens, they were just kids and yet some evil sick alpha had the audacity to come to her town and attack them.

According to Cleo, there were others their defending the camp, one of which she had never seen before, and that it was the appearance of Zoé that made the dhampir leave. She even mentioned the sound of a high pitched scream that really hurt her ears, a deadly ringing… Considering her species, it meant sirens or a siren was also there, Karena was not sure on who or just how many teens had gone on the camping trip, maybe she didn’t want to know but had no choice when dealing with the supernatural.

She would have to go and check out the scene before it is all cleaned up for clues… Zoé will no doubt have her hands full on day one after the attack, but she will need to get some answers soon. Maybe…. Maybe she should go and speak to Seraphina. Hearing footsteps coming down the stairs, Karena had poured another cup of coffee for Cleo, it was probably not the best thing to give her as it can get her hyper, but the poor girl needed a little pick me up, or as her niece likes to say. ‘It’s not coffee, it’s a hug.’

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@BlackPanther

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Cody looked up the minute Aron started to have a restless sleep, his hearing letting him process the subtle change in breathing, the quickening of his heart, and he turned to watch Aron, noting the slight change in his breathing, as Aron slowly woke. Keeping his gaze on Aron, Cody made sure that he was alright, smiling at him, he rose and went over to him, leaving the painting where it was for a moment.

He settled himself back down beside Aron, giving him a hug, and trying to soothe away the nightmare, running his hands up and down Aron’s arms. He smiled at him, ”You needed the sleep, you don’t need to apologize” He said, giving him a kiss before he rested his head against Aron’s. ”I’m happy doing anything, though” He said, quite content where he was, he kept his arms around Aron.

He kissed Aron’s cheek, and said softly ”I did something” He said softly, nodding over to the drawing, looking like a… puppy wanting approval. He wanted to know he had done the right thing, a little worried that Aron might not appreciate it... might feel that Cody was pushing some sort of boundary.

@Caits

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Aron felt himself give a light exhale as Cody rubbed his arms. It was such a comforting feeling....he didn't know if he would ever get used to that kind of touch. He managed to return Cody's smile, which widened at what he said before kissing Cody back. That was another thing he didn't think he would ever get used to. Kissing Cody felt amazing with each kiss. Aron gazed into Cody's eyes when the kiss was over and their foreheads rested on each other. With Cody's arms around him he felt more then happy.

Aron blinked when Cody said he did something. Curiosity spread through him and he gently managed to get up. "Oh?" he made his way to the drawing and then froze. It was the picture in painting form. He felt his eyes water somewhat and he gazed upon it with a mixture of so many emotions. He finally managed to turn and go back to Cody. He pulled him into his arms and hugged him tightly. "I love it"

After a few moments Aron pulled back and kissed Cody deeply. The kiss lasted for a few moments before Aron pulled back. "Thank you"

@December@YoshiSkittlez

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Magnus stayed quiet as Leo spoke. His eyes moving back to xeres and part of him wondered what Leo was thinking. Magnus listened as xeres spoke. They were to deal with journalists...easy enough to handle. He had dealt with the vultures of reporting before and it worked out just fine.

Magnus nodded as xeres answered his question. "I am glad they are doing okay...we will come back later to check up on them" He looked toward Leo. "Until then I do believe we have some journalists to hunt down" he really didn't want to deal with them, but he would. Because he couldn't let some media vulture spread the truth.

@BlackPanther
There was so much that Cody wanted to say… to do… so much that he wished he could wipe away for Aron, to wipe away all the pain and suffering he had suffered at the hands of people that should have been there to care for him, to provide a home. He wanted to wipe it all away, and replace them with good memories, happy memories. He knew if he could do that, it would change who Aron was. It wouldn't change how Cody felt about him, but it was Aron’s… positivity in the face of everything that Cody admired. How he could be so… amazing given everything. Cody sighed softly. You couldn't change the past. He watched Aron rise, go over to the painting, watching him closely.

He hugged Aron back tightly when he returned, trying to put into action everything he felt about Aron, everything he couldn't find the words for. There simply were no words for what Cody felt. There was nothing he wouldn't do for Aron. Nothing. He didn't simply love him. It was a love with every fibre of his being, heart, mind and soul. And beyond. There were no words, at least in english, that could describe that.

When Aron kissed him, Cody returned it, letting himself feel everything that kiss brought to mind, the simple feeling of knowing that this was right, that they were meant to be. The warmth that spread through him… the tingles that the kiss inspired… the way it seemed to last forever and… then was over way too quickly. He lowered his head to nuzzle Aron, his cheeks flushed, his heart beating just a little bit faster.

“I'm glad you like it… i want to find the perfect frame… i want you to have it, forever. I'm going to make it last.” that simple happiness in the image deserved to last forever. The innocence of the twins… the happiness of the family… it was as it should be, yet in this day and age, it seemed few and far between. “I love you Aron, and I'd give you the world if i could” he said softly, hugging Aron tightly.

He was silent for a few moments, before he said “did you want to go get some new things? You're going to need it, and Zoè has her hands full” he said, wanting to stay where they were, but knowing they had responsibilities. “and maybe we can get something for Syleste and sebastian too, they might like that cooped up in the hospital”

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“One sec, Syl…”

At the ring of a familiar voice sounding so closely to her, Syleste turned her head over the pillow, her soft pink lips parting ever so slightly from one another as she allowed her beautiful, nevertheless ever unseeing eyes to lift up in the direction that she that could hear her friend’s voice coming from… feel the warmth of her touch coming from. Cassandra was a good friend… one who always brought to her comfort when she was in need of it most; but there was something behind her gentle tone, something that seemed… worried..? Frustrated..? Or was it anger..?

Did that mean..? W-Was something wrong..?

Panic once more flickering across her features, her breathing once again began to pick up; her chest heaving lightly up and down with each breath that she took as her right hand met the mattress for the second time since she had woken up, her face scrunching up in pain as she pushed down against it, trying again to lift herself into a sitting position, though seeming to give up as the ache she had been fighting against began to dull… slowly disappearing from her body, and allowing her to relax back over the bed. Whatever it was that Cassandra had done, it had helped her… so much.

“..thank you…” Her voice was soft… barely audible as she spoke, though it rang clear as day that she was grateful for her friends help in this moment- she didn’t know what it was that Cassie had been on about when she had asked her to wait, but whatever it was, it had worked a charm. Cassie had always been so sweet… and so kind to her- Cassandra was like the sister she’d never had, and her father like the one she’d never before known in her life. Apart from her mother; the both of them, along with Chewie, were her family… the closest thing she had to family, “..i-it doesn’t hurt as much anymore…”

“I’m here.”

That’s when she heard it… when she felt it; the sweet sound of his voice, and the warmth of a hand taking a hold of her own. He was here… Gage was right here; by her side, and he was alright- he was safe. And honestly, right now, just knowing that meant more to her than anything else in this world. Her head turning in the direction she could feel his loving touch coming from… the direction she could feel the warmth of his breath flowing down over her soft skin, Syleste couldn’t help the small smile that played over her lips, her fingers curling gently over his own as she did everything to give him all of her attention.

“I promise I won’t leave.”

He was promising that he wasn’t going to leave… that he was always going to be there for her when she needed him to be- how could she ever ask for anything more..? Squeezing his hand softly with her own, Syleste nodded her head lightly in response, doing what she could to bring his hand further up so that she could instead hold it in place over her heart, “..I know… and I won’t ever leave you either, Gage… I promise…”

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Shifting aside to let Gage tend to Syleste, seeing that they both needed it, and stepped back, looking over to Sebastian and giving him a kind smile, she looked him over, wanting to make sure that he was okay, and that his injuries weren’t hurting him. However, his medications didn’t seem to have been disconnected like Syleste’s had. Whether or not the girl had done it in her sleep wasn’t the point-the staff should have checked at least every hour. She knew that much, from her father.

She looked up as her father kissed her head, eyes studying him. She could tell that he was angry, even if he was trying to hide it. She looked back over to Syleste, and could figure out that that was the reason why. She watched her father head out, a little worried. He so rarely got angry… There wasn’t anything she could think of to do, and she paused, before giving a soft sigh.

Syleste seemed to be a lot better-making her wonder how long it had been since her IV had been disconnected. ”It’s alright, Syl. Your pain meds got disconnected, is all” She said softly, watching the little scene between Syleste and Gage, finding it adorable, and she couldn’t help but smile. A lot had happened, and it was nice to see the… love they had for each other. She watched for a moment or two, before looking back over to Sebastian.

”how are you doing, Seb?” She asked, moving over to his bed, she couldn’t help but check that his IV’s were indeed connected. She certainly hoped that the nurses hadn’t dropped the ball that much. She couldn’t help but feel a little guilty, that she had healed, and they hadn’t. She wished she could do something for them, even if it was just making them feel a little bit more comfortable. ”Did you need anything?” She asked.

@Caits@Vicier[and the others in failing to tag]

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Aron felt a faint blush creep onto his ears as he heard Cody's heart speed up. It was odd being able to hear such a thing. In fact he really hadn't been paying much attention to how he was affected by the wolf attack. The blush deepened when he noticed Cody was blushing. He cleared his throat trying to appear to be just fine.

Aron tilted his head and felt a smile grow on his face. "I'll treasure it always" he meant that. To have someone do something so...amazing for him. It really made him feel special. The smile managed to grow and the blush faintly appeared on his cheeks. "I love you too Cody." He felt himself melt into the hug.

Aron blinked before nodding. "Sure. I definitely need more then just one pair of shorts and a pack of hans shirts" he nodded again. [color=lughtgreen]"I bet they would. I don't really want to leave but we should go before my brain decides the bean bag and I are one"[/color] he managed to stand and held out his hand to help Cody out of the bean bag.

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Gage was fully absorbed in watched syleste. When she smiled he felt a small smile tug at his own lips. She was okay. As her hand traced his he felt his thumb lightly trace her hand.

As she turned her head gage felt himself brighten. Then gage felt confusion as she moved his hand over her heart. Then, the promise. He leaned forward and gently kissed her forehead. A display of affection and care that was hardly ever glimpsed from him...the others in the room completely forgotten about.

Silence passed before he spoke again. "You should get some rest. I promise I'll still be here when you wake up again" his voice was soft and loving...but also laced with a small amount of concern. He was still worried about her.

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“Sombra. James. I’ve missed you, both.”

Barely having walked through the door before she heard the familiar voice calling her name, Sombra turned just in time to see the woman closing the gap between them, her arms wrapping tightly around the both of them in a welcoming hug. Callie Lenson… by Gods, she had forgotten just how affectionate the woman could actually be. Her body tensing for only a moment before she relaxed once more, her dark eyes closing as she wrapped her arms gently around the woman’s middle, pulling her closer for a spell before she pulled back altogether.

“..I know… and I’m sorry we’ve been gone so long Callie, but… we had no other choice-...” Her sentence cut short at the sound of the door opening behind them, she turned her head, her dark gaze coming to land on the young girl coming in through the door behind her. Such a pretty young thing… and by the rather interesting smell of her; there was something more to her than what first met the eye. A young witch perhaps..? Why else would she be here at the Cedar Ash Inn hanging around Callie..? Besides, It was more than clear that the girl wasn’t a tourist who needed a place to stay.

“Oh sorry. You… auhm- Texted?”

Quirking her brow, Sombra turned slightly so that she was able to take in the girl’s lithe figure as she made her way around them and over to Callie, the cautious nature of her actions clear enough as the girl spoke out, obviously unsure about whether or not she could be open with them being there, the very thought had a small smirk playing over her lips. Gods, this little witch reminded of Miranda… she didn’t very well trust her that much either… not that she had ever really given her much of a reason to do so in the first place; but then, that’s what happened when you went about wirelessly messing around with other people’s computers in the name of entertainment.

“You need not worry about hiding what you are, Alexis. This is Sombra and James, they are friends of mine, and I long told them what I am. Although they have been… away for some time.”

Chuckling softly, she tilted her head lightly to the side, her dark eyes playfully flashing yellow in color and refusing to leave that of the girl as she leant forward slightly, a gentle growl-like purr emanating from somewhere within her chest as her smirk grew, her sharp canines able to be seen from behind her soft lips as she reached out towards Alexis, gently booping the little witch’s nose with the tip of her pointer finger, “..mmm; don’t worry that pretty little head of yours, my dear… I may be the big bad wolf that you’ve heard of; but I promise you I don’t bite… much…”

Her attention pulled back over to Callie as she heard her name being called, Sombra stood up a little bit straighter, the smirk that had been lighting up her features faltering slightly at the mere mention of her mother, and of the fact that she had no clue that they were in town yet… well, as far as they knew she wasn’t aware of it. That all depended on how quickly that copper had managed to get back to the station after being caught out following them, “..they don’t know I’m here… but I assume they will soon enough; or at least, my mother will… there was a cop trailing our car into and through town from the freeway; it’s registered in James’ name so…”

Actually seeming to frown now, she shook her head lightly, her long dark locks brushing back and forth across her shoulders before she spoke once more, “..I’ll fix it… permanently… my mother won’t come looking for me, James, or our family again; and you won’t have any trouble while we’re here. We’re only staying for a couple of days at the maximum, and then we’ll be gone. It-... you know it’s better this way…”

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Callie was well aware that James and Sombra believed they hadn’t had a choice but to leave-they hadn’t wanted to put their families at risk, which was honorable, yet throughout the last few years, Callie had been experimenting in foci for shifters such as them, something she’d worked on with Leo. Her book of spells had grown rather remarkably over the years, yet there wasn’t anything she could do, to help both Zoe, and now the new pups, although she really thought she was making progress on the foci, it wasn’t something she was willing to try out, though.

She had however learned the trick to spelling herself into shape shifting-not something she was willing to share with even Leo, it was quite… it was more of a bad spell then a good one, and she would not somthing she was willing to bring Leo in on. It mixed earth magic and ley line magic in a way that was almost demonic. No, Callie knew how to be careful. She shifted, studying both Sombra and James once more. They seemed to have done well for themselves, the last few years, and Callie felt a sense of loss. Had they drifted apart, gone on separate paths that wouldn’t cross again?

As Sombra engaged Alexis, Callie wasn’t worried. ”No, her bite is more…. Technical than anything else” Callie said with a small chuckle. She looked to Sombra, and gave a heavy sigh, one that was full of weariness. ”Sombra… “ she said softly, looking to her old friend, ”I know I won’t have any trouble from your mother, here in my Inn. She won’t do that, not to me. I have helped her out a time or two.” She said simply. There were many ways that she could go about this… and yet, there was only one right way to do so.

Suddenly the choice of words Sombra gave, inspired an insight in Callie’s mind. our family. ”Oh… Oh my, Sombra… James… ?” She left the question unasked leaving it to them to confirm what had been slipped, letting her gaze drift once more to Sombra. ”Sombra… I don’t think your mother will give up, this time. It isn’t meant to be a challenge-simply stating a fact. Your mother has missed you, greatly. Not only that, but… its going to be a tough time, for not only Miranda, but the rest of the teenagers attacked… and they didn’t stop the alpha that did it… the town could be in danger still, and with Zoe having her hands full with new pups… ?” She trailed off, looking away.

”There’s only so much I can do… and I don’t want to lose you two again” Her voice fell, to almost a whisper. She didn’t have many people in her life. Zoe and Leo essentially completed the small circle she considered friends. She shook her head, and cleared her throat, ”All I am saying is that, maybe things aren’t what they were, five years ago”