LONDON CALLING

Fenrir leaped, tackled James and attacked. For all of James' youth, it meant little when compared to Fenrir's brute strength and savagery. Fenrir was bigger, just plain bigger than James, and his experience showed. James held tight hold of Khaat, and it jerked her around like a rag doll.

Marcus was regaining himself, thanks to Jess's efforts, and he wasn't about to lose Khaat to James. Marcus drew his wand and fired an unforgiveable curse, the cruciatus curse, into James, and James screamed hideously. Khaat had clutched tight to Marcus's jacket, desperate to not be taken by James one more time. Marcus clutched onto Khaat, but he still couldn't get her loose from James. He wasn't going to be able to get her back unless Jack could break James' grip.

Marcus didn't need to be told twice. He clutched tightly to Khaat and to Jess, feeling Khaat wrap herself so tightly around him he couldn't begin to inhale. And at the moment, that was fine with him. He apparated the three of them to the farm, leaving Jack and Fenrir to deal with James.

The moment they arrive back at the farm, Marcus shouted for Jessie, hoping Jessie was around and that he was in the mood to join a beatdown of James Blood.

Edward was in the kitchen, putting on a fresh pot of tea when they all apparated in, and, from what Edward could see, Khaat had been terrified by something.

"What happened?" Edward demanded.

"James," Marcus said.

"Where is the little bastard?" Edward was livid.

"Forbidden Forest," Marcus said. "On Fenrir's doorstep. Jack is still there."

"Then there will be bloodshed." Edward said, hurrying to his room to grab his wand and the portkey he had to the forbidden forest. Angus went to Edward's room, seeing Edward gearing up.

"I'll go with you," Angus said to him.

Nigel came in and saw Edward gearing up to go out.

"You're a git," Nigel told him. "A right old git. Sit down before you hurt yourself, you old duffer."

"I'm younger than you," Edward frowned.

"By three years, but I'm not trying to join a werewolf mauling either," Nigel said.

"If you go," Angus said to Ruby, "you will leave if I tell you to go. I won't have time to tell you twice. This is no place to try to prove your mettle. Let's go, Jessie." He took Edward's portkey and took Ruby's hand, and waited for Jessie to grab hold before he ported to the forest.

"Yes, I'm much better, thanks," Marcus said to Jess. "Bless you. I couldn't have kept hold of her if you hadn't been there." He glanced up to see Robert coming in because he heard all the commotion. Robert wanted to step in and do something to help Khaat but with both hands bandaged, he was helpless.

"Let me," Nigel said quietly, going over to Khaat. He laid his hand on top of her head to alert her he was there, but as soon as he did, he felt the massive pain in her head and was able to identify someone had dragged her about by her hair. "Well, that hurt, didn't it? Here, let me take some of that off." He drew off some of her pain and cast a calming spell."

"Nigel," Robert prompted, wanting a report.

"She's fine except for a massive headache. I've drawn some of it off. However, I think she's going to asphyxiate her bodyguard with her death grip on him," Nigel reported.

"Leave her be," Marcus told them. "She's fine. And if I'm not, Jess'll fix it." He cast Jess a bit of an amused smile.

Angus and Ruby and Jessie arrived at the forest to see that there was a three way werewolf brawl going on. Angus was hesitant to fire because he didn't want to hit Fenrir or Jack.

"Don't fire unless you're sure you have a clean shot," Angus told Ruby.

Fenrir was poised to take a kill strike at James when James suddenly apparated out. Fenrir howled in complete and utter rage at being denied the chance to kill James once and for all.

"I'll have him, by Merlin, I swear!" Fenrir roared. "I made him, and I'll end him!"

"Ruby," Angus said quietly, "go check on Jack." He reached in his pocket and handed her a pocket patch kit. "Tend to him." He saw a female in the woods, holding the first aid backpack that Robert had sent to Fenrir, wanting to come forward to offer aid to Fenrir but she was afraid of Angus and Ruby and Jack. Angus motioned her forward. She came a few steps, set the pack on the ground and backed up again. Angus went forward, and picked up the pack and took it to Fenrir.

"May I?" Angus asked Fenrir.

"A Donohue offers to help me? That's a first for the history books," Fenrir said. Angus could see some of the wounds needed either healing or muggle stitches because they were deep. "Just the high points, then," Fenrir said, thinking most of the wounds weren't worth dealing with.

Angus found a bottle of antiseptic and also a bottle of a healing potion and some bandages. He tended to Fenrir's major wounds. And while he was tending to Fenrir, a young male brought tin mugs of cold spring water and handed the first one to Fenrir and took the second one to Jack. Angus took a thick gauze square and poured some of the healing potion on it.

"Here, Ruby," Angus handed it to her. "This will help to accelerate Jack's own quick healing abilities and help to ease the pain and close some of those cuts. Just dab it on the wounds, and he should start to feel better."

"I will have him," Fenrir looked at Jack seriously. "He brought the fight straight to me. You know the code. I have the right to pursue him, and I will. He put my entire pack at risk, and I will have him."

Fenrir whistled, and the same woman who had brought the pack responded. He looked at her and pointed to Jack. The woman took him an unusual leaf that smelled like an odd combination of lemon and basil. She rolled it up and handed it to him.

"Eat it," Fenrir told Jack. "It's hard to find and not well known, even amongst our kind, but it helps. You'll find it tastes just like it smells, like lemon and basil. Not at all unpleasant, but for our kind, it helps to restore our energy. You won't find it around here, but Lupin might be able to find you a source for it. It's best when its fresh. It should give you plenty of energy to get home, so long as you don't go for another brawl on the way.

"And I assume your rights to the hunt, although, I know Lupin will not acknowledge them. He is not of our kind, and he has a desire to protect what's his. He will continue to pursue him, and he will continue to need you as his agent until James is no more.

"Oh, and one more thing," he said, standing and picking up the pack to take it with him. "Your fight isn't over. The shapeshifters have relocated to the Alsace region of France. Keep your eyes open." And with that he disappeared.

Shapeshifters were going to a rural region in France. Angus was hoping it didn't mean what he interpreted it meant. He believed Fenrir was saying that the shapeshifters were putting a plot in place to free Gelding.