A Birth day

Jack stood arms crossed as Edward sent for Simone " good idea" he said Ruby looked worried at them but was partly relived when Edward didn't fetch his axe as she didn't want her brother harmed.

Ruby saw Simone appear and moved to hug her close " oh my don't worry about that simone." she said stepping back as she watched worriedly as Angus took out a gun and fill it with silver bullets her heart stopped for a second until he explained " I hope it dosn't even come to that" she said moving back to the bassenet and Caprice.

Jack closed the door and moved to the yard he knew he could not use his nose due to the rain that was still falling, but he could spot broken branches and foot prints be they wolf or human. It was now the rain eased and the moon apeared above them lighting the way a head as if some one above was wanting them to find Jessie and Yu.

"Thank you," Simone said, relieved. She watched Angus fill the pistol and didn't say a word at first.

"I'm glad you're not with them, actually," Simone said. "Edward has said he absolutely trusts your ability to protect yourself or anyone else, for that matter, against a werewolf."

"Comes with the DNA, I think," Angus said. "Either that or from going with Edward on some of his hunts."

"Well, thank you for not going with them," she said. She went over to the basket and looked in at Caprice. "She looks like she's doing just fine."


"They've headed to the northwest sector," Robert said quietly when they got to the yard and met Jack.

"How do you know?" Edward asked.

"I have two seers that pointed the way for us," Robert said. "Abbey woke up a minute or two before you came, and she came into our room and said the doggies were out. Then we heard the howling. Kate asked her if she knew where they were, and Abbey went to the window and pointed out to the northwest. Kate looked at me and just nodded. She agrees." Robert didn't like that Jessie had gone to the northwest sector. It was the most dangerous part of the estate, and everyone knew it. Besides that, the wolf pack that they had been feeding and protecting were in the southern part of that particular sector. Robert didn't want Jessie, Yulong, or the wolves hurt.

"Well, let's go get him before Yulong gets hurt. Do we know if he has any experience hunting werewolves alone?" Edward asked.

"No clue," Robert said. "I guess we're about to find out. Let's go."

Yu followed marks and tracks of Jessie high into the mountains but soon found himself stuck with three sets of prints along with some human ones he'd not seen before and he cursed himself. Jack heard Edward and Robert and nodded "if not he's a fool for going after Jessie, and at night too," he said starting to head towards the north.

Yu found a wolf pack circling a dark coloured wolf larger than the others its eyes looking right at him as he stood at the edge of a clearing among trees high up near a cliff edge. Each time he tried to get close the large wolf growled and the others moved between him and Jessie. It was now he realized they were protecting him from Jessie not Jessie from him. " Jessie you need to calm down?" he said softly as he sank down to his knees not saying any more.

Jack spotted some torn material on a branch and took a deep breath in " that way." he pointed ther not far ahead. He sudenly stopped and put up his hand " do not move" he said and gave a low growl as a grey wolf walked out and stood infront of Jack turning its head to the left then back it signled a direction Jack looked at Robert and Edward.

"Especially a new werewolf that is as new to the curse as Jessie is," Robert agreed. "Remind me to chew Yulong a new orifice for dashing off after an out of control werewolf by himself, providing we find him with all his limbs attached.

"That way, huh?" Edward picked up quickly the body language of the wolf. "I don't speak wolf but I don't know if they would understand thanks anyway." Edward took a slow step backwards, showing his hands to show he was unarmed and then turned and headed in the direction the wolf had indicated. Robert did the same. Every instinct within Edward told him they were close. He drew his wand, hoping to not have to use anything more than his wand. Robert had his wand already in hand.

"Careful," Edward said to them. "Even if we tried to sneak up on him, I doubt it would work in his current form. Let's see if we can make sure Yulong is in one piece before we do anything else. Try not to split up unless we have absolutely no other choice. Distance between us and him is a good thing. Distance between each other--not such a good thing."

"Agreed," Robert said.

Jack chuckled as Edward spoke about the wolf " oh they do in their own way" he said softly as they moved in the direction the wolf lead them. Yu sat an watched Jessie in wolf form pace back and forth infront of him as he knelt his hands on his knees watching slowly he tipped his head to the left then all the while keeping eye contact with Jessie then slowly he moved it back to the right , slowly rythmicly , so much Jessie in wolf form paused and watched Yu move in front of him.

Slowly Yu moved as if preforming some slow mesmorizing dance to wolf Jessie keeping his body low so not to seem a threat to him. He heard the others not far from them but kep up his movments until he now knelt infront of Jessie who breathing hard whimpered.

Jack pushed aside the bushes to se Yu knelt infront of a wolf Jessie " well I'll be" Jack said seeing the other wolves surounding both of them. Yu lifted his hand and gently brushed Jessis muzzle casting a non verbal calming spell making wolf Jessie lay down in front of him. "I ask you do not move , one sudden movment will send him spirling again, I asked Hahaoya for something to help " he moved his right hand out to his side just as something small that they could not see apeared in his hand.

"You left impressions unforgettable, and when I view our moon, your image surfaces, and that love seems forever." he said touching what ever was in his palm to Jessies paw making the wolf lay down and return to human Jessie. Yu took Jessie hand and slipped something in his finger. Turning to the others he spoke " you can come over." he said noding to Jack who walked over.

Robert stood still, showing no emotion, just watching. Edward felt a mix of emotions but he did not share the same amazed feelings as Jack seemed to have. Edward felt glad that Yulong and Jessie were in one piece but he was also highly frustrated that Yulong had simply taken off after him by himself.

Edward watched as Jessie transfigured back. He wasn't sure how any of that had happened. With all he knew, any werewolf he had ever seen had been transfigured because of the full moon, and hadn't changed back until the first light of dawn appeared, allowing the full moon to lose some of its potency upon the curse's sufferer. It wasn't something that was changed by willpower. Edward was betting Suzanne had tinkered with something because none of this was making sense.

Robert perched himself now on a large rock, just watching.

"How is his body temp now, Jack?" Edward asked quietly.

Yu stood up and walked over to Robert and lowered his head to him " Im sorry for leaving my post, I should have gone to you first" he said " my Hahaoya, um mother sent over something to suppress his were side, it's rare it came from our preist's." he said softly " I will accept any punisment you wish me to have." he said and glanced back as Jack walked over to Jessie.

Jack knelt next to a naked Jessie and touched his forehead "He's still hot but he's breathing and out cold." Jack took off his jacket and lay it over Jessie then picked him up seeing the small jade ring now on Jessie's right hand. He looked at Yu who looked at him with a slight pinkness to his cheeks. Jack sighed and shook his head as he moved to Edward Jessie in his arms.

"Apology accepted," Robert said quietly. "I don't know tonight what i might or might not do about it. I'll let you know in the morning. It matters far more that everyone appears to have all their limbs attached." Edward reached up and touched Jessie's forehead to cast a healing spell to reduce the fever.

"I'd just take him home and put him to bed," Edward told Jack. Then he looked at Yulong. "Hopefully, he'll feel better in the morning. Don't give him any more of the wolfsbane from that puny little vial he carries. He needs a new vial. He shouldn't use that particular bottle again in case Suzanne has tinkered with it. He should use potion from what is in the bigger bottle he undoubtedly has at home until he can get a new vial for his pocket. If you need anything before morning, let us know." Then he looked at Robert.

"You going straight back?"

"In a little. I want to see if I can see any evidence of any intruder here. I'm not looking all night for them when I have a crew for that," Robert said. "I just want to make sure, as best I can, that we're all clear."

"I'll go with you," Edward said. He looked at Jack and Yulong. "You two go ahead. We won't be more than another few minutes, just to be on the safe side." He understood and respected Robert's desire to make sure that none of Suzanne's and Tom's men weren't here.

Yu nodded and moved back and stood up straight turning to Jack he heard Edward and nodded. Jack felt Jessie physicaly relax in his arms and nodded to Edward " well hes sleeping." he said and with Yu both walked back to Jessies Cottage where Yu opened the doors and turned down his bed " So, the ring , care to explaine?" Jack asked Yu.

" It has a charm on it, until he gets a new vial of wolfsbane it will supress his wolf for a short time, then its just a ring" he said pulling the sheets over Jessie gently. Jack hummed and stood at the end of the bed watching as Yu sat next to it. Jack would wait for Robert to return along with Edward but remebered he had to let Ruby know.

Ruby had been pacing since the men had left worried for her brother. "You don't think hes hurt do you" she asked Angus and simone. She saw Jack carrying Jesie wrapped in his jacket accross the coartyard to their home Yu walking behind him and she breathed out knowing he was safe if looking out of it still.

Angus was checking out the window and the door frequently, looking for any sort of sign or sound that there was trouble. He had seen them leave, heading up to the northwest sector. Why was it that that particular corner of the estate always seemed to brew up so much trouble? When Ruby asked whether Jessie might be hurt, Angus glanced at her.

"No, I don't think so," Angus said. "Werewolves are noisy buggars, especially when they're hurt. They screech and howl and just generally get all pissed off about it. Robert went with Edward and Jack, so you have three men who know their way around werewolves. And I'm sure they were aiming to merely contain him until daylight so he couldn't hurt himself or anybody else until he could change back. But what bugs me is that most werewolves aren't able to change back while the moon is still out because, after all it is moonlight that drives the curse itself. The fact that we just saw him in human form while the moon is still full when they brought him back bothers me to no end. That should not have been possible. Edward is more the authority than I am, but I'm willing to wager that there was some sort of dark arts spell at work that caused all that. And, since Robert and Edward didn't come back, I think the immediate danger is over, and they're coming back separately, probably because they're doing a little bit of a security check. That's something that they both would feel a need to do."

"So you think everyone will stand down now?" Simone asked.

"Probably, yes," Angus said.

"Well, then, I think, since Jessie is back and is no longer in his alternative form, I'm going to excuse myself and head to bed. It's been a very long day, and although I haven't had as full a day as you both have had, I am tired," Simone said. "So, thank you for letting me wait with you, but my pillow is calling my name. If you need anything during the night, don't be afraid to wake us up. Goodnight." She went over to her own side of the duplex, leaving the door open between the two sides.

"It definitely has been a very full day," Angus told Ruby when Simone had left. He yawned, starting to feel tired. he had had a bit of a nap, but, it was starting to hit him that he had been, largely, up since early yesterday morning. He was also aware, though, that newborns just seemed to be night owls for some reason, and he was prepared for Caprice to not be much different than other babies. He took the pistol and returned it to the wooden box and put it up on the top shelf of the bookcase, feeling that it wasn't going to be needed.

The silence was sharply broken only a moment later when Angus heard a bloodcurdling scream from Edward's side of the duplex. It was Simone. Angus looked at Ruby.

"Do exactly as I tell you, Ruby," he told her quickly, now deadly serious. He did not know what he was going into but he needed her and the baby safe, no matter the cost. He had to depend on her doing the right thing, no matter what she felt inside. "If I'm not back here in exactly one minute, you take the baby and apparate over to the main house to protect her and you. I will catch up," he said, not having any more time to spare to debate it with her.

He raced over to Edward's and flew up the stairs, and as he did, he heard a low growl, and he recognized the sound immediately as the growl of a large werewolf. Somehow a werewolf had gotten past Edward's protection enchantments and had gotten into the house. The growl wasn't loud enough to draw Ruby or anyone from outside the house, but it was enough to cause a chill to race through Angus's veins. The ice in his blood was not because of any fear of the werewolf but fear for Simone. Was she alright? He was hoping that Ruby was thinking to grab the diaper bag and the Moses basket and was going to the main house. He didn't have a way to tell her to go.

He burst into the bedroom and saw Simone partly crumpled on the floor, in a small pool of her own blood. There was a large werewolf in the room, and Angus aimed his wand at the werewolf, and he put himself between Simone and the werewolf. This was a larger, younger werewolf, one not much smaller than James.

"Did he bite you?" Angus asked Simone, not looking back at her.

"Claws," she said, her voice trembling in fear and pain. "His claws..." He saw a stack of folded clean laundry on the bed, and he tossed her one of Edward's shirts.

"Use that for now," he told her calmly. "Can you apparate your..." The werewolf crouched down low, glaring at Angus, and Angus knew he was getting ready to attack him. He aimed his wand at the werewolf and attacked, using several rapid slashing spells as the beast came at him. Angus wasn't stupid enough not to shield himself with a protego spell.

"Get out, Simone. Crawl if you must, but get out of here. I have it," he told her. Simone did not want to leave Angus alone with it but she was no help. She crawled out of the bedroom, and pressed herself tight against the wall at the top of the stairs, unable to leave Angus completely alone with this thing. Angus, for his part, was in a fast, hard fight with a large, crazed werewolf that appeared to be hellbent on killing.