LONDON CALLING

He set his dessert aside, after just a few bites, yawning heavily. He laid his head on her shoulder and immediately fell asleep, feeling drained.

After Nigel was finished with dessert and coffee, he went back up to Angus's room and found Angus asleep.

"Good. He needs the rest," Nigel said quietly to Ruby. "I was going to change his dressing, but I really don't want to uproot him while he's comfortable. I could lean him back a little, though, to free up your shoulder if you want.

"I think I'm just going to add some extra gauze pads to his dressing to just absorb more drainage, and I'll do a dressing change in the morning. If he gets restless during the night, wake me. But he may sleep straight through.

"He will have far less pain if he is somewhat elevated like he is right now. Lying flat will definitely cause him pain. Sitting up even a little will help cut pain. I don't think its necessary for you to stay awake all night watching him. I think if he starts to move very much, you'll know. Don't be afraid to wake me if you need to. Any questions for me before I head to bed?"

Downstairs, Kate and Michael cleaned up the kitchen an d the dining room and did the washing up.

"You might be best to see the wolves in the morning, Brian," Edward said. "Wolves are not nocturnal. They are most active at dusk and at dawn. If you really want to try to communicate with them, I would try to catch them now at dawn."

"That makes sense," Brian said. "Does that work with you, Jack?"

Ruby saw him set asside his desert then slowly fall asleep she smiled brushing some hair off his face. When Nigel walked in she smiled at him "No thank you, its fine he, can stay like he is, hes actually quite comfortabe.." she said and listened to Nigel talk of changing the dressing and of how keeping him elevated was a good thing. " Thank you and if he needs it I'll let you know." she said " he did eat all of his dinner with exception of his desert" she told him " and I wasn't planning on staying awake myself too much longer."

Jack listened and ndoded to Kate " yeah it does, We can head out in the morning depending on the weather, if theres fog we'll never find them but if its clear , tracks should be easy to follow." he said

He relaxed with her next to him, and he sank into a deep, heavy sleep. He rarely slept deeply, and hardly ever this deeply. He always wanted to be sleeping very lightly in case he was needed for something, anything. Now, though, he truly felt off duty, like he could let go. Just her being here gave him a sense that he could set a mental boundary between on duty and off duty. And for tonight, it was alright to let go and sleep.

The house seemed to quiet relatively easily tonight, all but Robert. Robert had a need to be up. He went into the library and sat for awhile at the tower window, looking out, and, in his own way, keeping watch over his family. He watched the light signals being sent from watchtower to watchtower. They were relaying to each other that all was quiet.

Kate found him there a little after midnight. Coming up behind him, she wrapped her arms around him and kissed his cheek.

"I know what you're doing," she said softly. "You still want to protect your family. They know. And they all love you for it, but you have the best men you can find on duty out there right now. And they can sound the alarm if they need you. In the meantime, why don't you come and wrap yourself around me? The bed is too big and cold without you in it. Even if you don't sleep, just come and lay with me awhile." She kissed him softly.

"I don't deserve you, Kate," he said, glad she was there.

"You'll get your hands back," she said, certain that he would regain full use of them, "but for tonight, just be with me. Let the night guards do their job and be with me."

It was in the predawn hours that Brian got up and dressed and put on coffee and tea to brew in the kitchen. Usually someone was up cooking breakfast at this hour, but perhaps everyone was having a lie in this morning. He got a couple of travel mugs out and waited for Jack to come down. This morning seemed like a good morning to take a cup of coffee with them.

Ruby let Angus fall asleep on her and did the same her head resting against him gently. She slept lightly but comfortable dreaming of things she and Angus could do together, places they might go.

Jack slipped from his bed and headed down to the kitchen seing Brian there he chuckled " another early riser hey" he saw the mugs and nodded "Good idea, might take awhile to find the wolves." he said poring a cup of coffee to drink right then leaving teh cup for later on. " so I thought we'd try there hunting grounds first then the den area." he sugested as he started to make some food to take with them.

Jess dressed and headed to the barn to feed the animals. Entering she started with the larger ones then went to the smaller. Jess walked in from patrol and yawned but smiled seeing the coffee ready made.

"nice" he said and grabbed a coffee as Kaden ported in from his shift. " hey how'd your shift go?" he asked .

"not bad" Kaden said and walked over " but that coffee smells good right now." he looked at Jack and Brain " wolf hunt again?" he asked

Brian filled his travel mug with coffee so he would have some to take along as Kaden came in.

"You want me to fill your travel mug while I'm at it, Jack?" Brian asked. "Well, it isn't exactly wolf hunting. We're going to go try to check the pack at my place that we've made an alliance of sorts with. Maybe they know something we don't. Jack communicates rather well with them, so maybe they know something about the one that attacked Angus...."

As he spoke, Kate came into the kitchen. She looked still about half asleep, and she was wearing a pair of white summer pajamas that were printed with beautiful lavender flowers and a lavender ribbon trim at the scoop neckline. They were very feminine and, Brian thought, so in line with Kate's tastes.

"Kate?" Brian frowned. "You aren't nearly awake. Everything alright? Want some coffee?"

"No, no thanks," Kate yawned, waving away the thought of coffee just yet. "I wanted to catch you before you went out." She accio'd one of the largest sizes of hiking backpacks that was down in the supply locker in the sub basement, and she handed it to them. "Here," she said, "you're going to need it."

"Are we going somewhere besides my place?" Brian asked.

"No, but you're going to need to take supplies with you. I saw a vision of the pack. Jack, you remember the supply closet in the barn, right? Well, go in there, and on one of those hooks is a blue medical bag with a shoulder strap. Take that along. It's got emergency veterinary supplies. At least one of the wolves needs help somehow. And--they need water. Something is wrong with the water supply up there, and they don't have fresh water and are becoming dehydrated."

"Shouldn't be anything wrong with the water supply up there," Brian frowned. There's that big stream up there, and it's fed from an underground spring..."

"Can't help what I saw," Kate said. "I'm positive. Something is not right with their fresh water supply. Take several gallons of water. Shrink them and put them in the pack, along with some meat. You'll need to dig in that area where the clay deposits run. Dig a basin in the clay and fill it with those jugs of water until you can find out how to repair the water supply for them. They're trying to abide by the agreement we made with them, but they're becoming desperate for food and water and medical care. We have to help them."

"Then that's what we'll do," Brian said.

"If you find that one or more are hurt badly enough, maybe you can win their trust enough to bring the wounded to the barn for us to treat them. And if you do that, you'll have to give them permission to move close to the barn to be near their pack member. Keep your word to keep them supplied with food and water so they don't need to hunt our livestock, and I think we'd be alright. But I certainly wouldn't send just any of our crew up in that sector right now because they're very upset and angry and unpredictable because of how hungry and thirsty they are."

"Understood," Brian said. "You got all that, Jack?"

Jack lisyened and nodded befroe looking to Brian " best listenn to her , she's nevr been wrong." he said and accioed the vetenarian kit from the barn. " got it, we'd best hurry" he said slipping the backpack on to his back. He listened and thought about what she had said as he spoke to Brian again. "I got it and Im wondering if whom ever attacked us might have blocked the stream to try and turn them against us?" He sugested picking up the coffee mug and slipping it into a pocket on the outside of the back pack he now wore.

Looking to wards Brian he looked serious " we'd better get going" he said " if I right they don't have long." he moved to the back door just intime to hear a distant howl coming from the mountains they needed to head for.

Brian had been thinking the same thing about the stream, but they first had to get over to his estate. The wolves weren't on Robert's farm. They were over on is own estate.

"I'll meet you over at the estate, at the trailhead to the north quadrant," he told Jack. He apparated out, going back to his own estate, appearing right at the trailhead where he said he would meet Jack. Brian had briefly considered brooms because they would be faster, but the pack Jack was now wearing would be bulky and would throw Jack off balance if he tried to ride a broom. And if the water was compromised, then there would be no water source for horses either. So, going by foot was the best way to go. Fortunately, the sun wasn't up yet, so in the cool of the predawn hours, the walking would be easy.

"Let me know if you want me to carry the pack for awhile," Brian told Jack when Jack arrived at the estate. He knew Jack would have an easier time wearing it than he would but Brian wasn't above doing his fair share of the work either. "I don't think it will be a long walk from here if we stay steady. I think we should tend to the pack first and then go back and check the stream. Sounds like their need for help is more immediate."

Jack nodded and watched Brian port out he too nodded to Kate " I'll keep him safe" he said before he ported out to the trail head and Brain " your fine, its not heavy to me" he started up the trail towards where the wolves had made their den. " I agree" he started up the trail towards " we might reatch them by midday if we keep up a good pace." he kept walking. His eyes scanned the area of the trail ahead for signs. Once or twice he'd stop to check where they were and glanced to the mountain.

"you see the ridge just below that clump of trees, well theres a cave there thats where they set up their den." he pointed out to Brian. He looked up and then back " scouts are watching us but just keep doing what your doing." he told him.

"I expect to be watched. If I'm not, they're idiots," Brian said calmly, unfazed.

Back at Robert's farm, Kate had gone back to her room and dressed. Then she splurged and had breakfast sent in from Sparks. They'd sent in a big pan full of scrambled eggs, one of fried potatoes, one of sausages, and a large platter full of assorted breakfast pastries. Kate had set them out on the sideboard to let everyone pick what they wanted.

By then, Robert, Nigel, Michael and Edward were all up, along with Khaat and Abbey. Angus was awake, and he was very uncomfortable. The pain spell had worn off, and he was in a lot of pain this morning. He had gotten up and had made it into the bathroom to wash up, comb his hair, shave, and change. He had had to settle for jeans. That was it. Jeans. He couldn't begin to manage a shirt over the dressings and the sling. He had had to use a glamour spell to do the shaving. Using a straight razor with the limited mobility he had was not a good thought, so he used the glamour spell instead to take care of his hair and the shaving. At least he was cleaner, but that was about all he could say for it. He was deeply bruised today on his shoulder, his arm, his chest, his back, and his neck, and it was all coal black. And his surgical dressings were seeping through and discolored.

But he wanted coffee--badly, so he left the bedroom and went downstairs in his bare feet and heard the others in the dining room. He didn't want to dampen their appetites by seeing how badly he was bruised today now that the bruises were showing up. He got a mug down out of the cabinet and filled it with coffee and went out on the back porch. He was well aware, of course, that most British houses didn't have porches, but he loved the fact that Kate and Robert not only had a huge back porch but it was well used and well loved. It was very much like an outdoor living room, with plenty of comfortable furniture.

It wasn't ten minutes before Robert came out.

"Well, how are you feeling?" Robert asked, sitting with him.

"Achy," Angus confessed.

"I bet it's more than that, just looking at that dressing and those bruises. You clearly took a horrendously vicious attack. That's some of the most severe bruising I've seen in awhile. Even Edward, for all his bruising, was nothing like this."

"Was it this color yesterday?" Angus asked, not remembering.

"No. Definitely not. I'll have Nigel come see to you straight away. He needs to see to that dressing anyway, but you don't need to be in that much pain."

"I'd rather have a shirt," Angus sighed.

"He probably would rather you didn't," Robert said, going in the house to send out Nigel to him.

Jack laughed and nodded "That they would be" he said and continued to walk towards the den.

Ruby woke to find Angus gone from the bed. Dressing quickly she picked up a dress shirt and headed down only to stop when she saw him talking to Robert. " I know I like seeing you with out a shirt, but." she listened to Robert " thats true but I don't think Abby need to see this, it might scare her." she held open the shirt " its light and won't put presure on the wound, I'll help you put it on once Nigel has changed the dressings." she looked at Robert hoping it would be a good compermise as he ws not a healer but cared about Abby seeing the bruising on his body.