A Birth day

Aria followed Edward back to the duplex and opened the door "Wow something smells wonderful in here" she said walking to the kitchen and to the teapot she walked over to Marcus and smiled "The tea smells great" she said staying close to Angus and Ruby " Robert said I can go with Edward to se Fenrir tomorrow morning" she told him " and Jack is out looking for Archangel" she sat down and picked up a book but put it back down almost imidiatly.

Jack tucked the gloves into his belt and headed to the frezer to grab a salmon. Once he had it he headed down towards the pond looking around and holding teh salmon he saw Pip also looking for the eagle around the pond as he called out to see if he could hear him.

"I didn't think he'd refuse you," Marcus said, pouring a mug of tea for himself and one for Angus. "Anyone else for Robert's new night time tea blend? You might also be smelling Simone's cookies. She's baking some sort of cookie next door. I'm sure she'll share while they're still hot and melty and gooey. She always does. That's when they're best anyway." He took a mug of the tea over to Angus.

"Thanks," Angus told him. He tasted the tea, and he liked how innovative the praline taste was in an herbal tea. Angus couldn't even taste the herbs, and that actually was quite nice, he thought.

"I have to ask, Angus," Marcus said. "It's a lovely tea, but what is a praline?"

"It's basically a kind of caramel made with brown sugar instead of white sugar. In the States, brown sugar is like our muscavado sugar. Its white sugar with molasses added. Our treacle is very, very close to what molasses tastes like. They have light and dark brown sugar, and the main difference is how much molasses is added."

"It's an unusual flavor combination, but I think I really do like it," Marcus said.

"Its nice. I think the people here will like it," Angus said. "Heads up." He pointed behind Marcus as a large plate of hot, gooey cookies fresh from the oven came floating in from the other room.

Aria looked at Marcus and nodded " you did say thsat eariler" she said and pored a cup of the tea " wow this is perfect" she said when Marcus asked what praline was she sat stunned that he didn't know. "sounds like what my nona made for us as kids." she said smiling as she sipped the tea then chuckled seeing th plate float close to Marcus head.

Jack walked around the pond but decided to just make one last check of an area he'd not been to in a while as he entered the forest he paused and frowned something felt wrong. Slowly he moved deeper his foot hit something on the grond and he knelt down. Brushing off some leaves he found ground Traps one even holding a rabbit that he quickly let free with a happy hop it ran of but it was now he hard a scwalking from above him and he looked up " hum, Archangel?" he asked and it intensified. Moving he could see a large metal trap with bars secured by a rope to the trunk of the tree, quickly he elongsated his naiels and swiped it catching teh cage as it fell " oh hey there you are" he said setting it gently on the ground he released him and took out the salmon " her ethought you might be hungry, suose you can't tell me who put you there?". It was now he noticed several more around some homding birds. " okay this has to stop and so he began to take down each trap breaking it into peices once the animal inside was free if none were inside he let it fall and smach into the leaf littered ground at his feet.

"It just wasn't a kind of candy I had as a kid," Marcus shrugged. "Besides, I was more of an ice cream fan rather than a candy kind of kid. I'm sure Honeydukes has praline in something, but when I go to get candy there, there's just entirely too much to pick from." Marcus plucked the cookie plate out of the air. "Oh--look. Triple chocolate. Chocolate dough with dark chocolate chips, milk chocolate chunks and some sort of..." He picked up one of the cookies and bit into it. "Pecans. Candied, toasted pecans. Just about perfect, if you ask me." He passed the cookies on to Aria, Ruby and Angus.

It was just at that moment that Angus heard Caprice give out a sharp, angry cry.. He got up, but he couldn't find her. The play mat was empty. The toys were there, but she wasn't. He listened and hunted and found her trapped under the desk with her arm pinned between the back leg of the desk and the wall. He wasn't sure how the heck she had gotten there. He laid down on the floor on his stomach and crawled under the desk to try to free her. Marcus set his mug of tea down and went over and scooted the desk a little away from the wall so Angus could free her arm. The minute he did, she started creeping. Her first signs of creeping--but this was going the wrong way, back towards the back of the desk again.

"Look," he told Marcus.

"You little dickens," Marcus laughed. "That's the wrong way. You're gonna get stuck again, Missy."

Angus levitated her and floated her out from under the desk entirely, hoping someone would grab her.

Aria heard Marcus and nodded "Honey-dukes are way too much for me, I love the fude they have though," she said smiling but placed down her mug as she heard Caprice cry out standing she looked to Marcus she looked to see if she could find her but saw Edward drop to under the desk. Not long after she floated giggling out from under it. Aria grabbed hr and chuckled " hum a wanderer," she said as Ruby moved to take her.

"the first time she's made any move, looks like we'll have to baby-proof sooner than e expected," she said chuckling as she made Caprice giggle too " looks like she as a small bruise on her arm too," she said showing Edward." first of many I suppose."

Meanwhile, Jack had picked up Archangel using the gloves and was now walking back towards the main house after checking there were no more traps left in the trees or on the ground.

"Yes, if she's fortunate," Marcus told Ruby. "If she's fortunate enough to get to live the fullness of life, then she'll sport a number of bruises in her lifetime. And better to have a lot of bruises and get to really enjoy the best of her life than to sit on the sidelines and not get a one."

Angus crawled back out from under the desk, and Marcus moved it back into place.

Archangel let Jack carry him back--until he saw Kate standing in the dark, outside near the pool. He flew off from Jack and flew to Kate, letting out a happy screech when he saw her. She was elated to see him and she held out a gloved arm to him. He landed on her arm, and she petted him and stroked him gently, talking to him.

"Thank you, Jack," Kate said to him when he got closer. "I was worried for him. He's telling me that he was hunting when he saw the little sparkly things in the trees. He went to see what they were and he got caught in the trap. He insists the sparkly things are different from the traps. They're not in the same trees. In the morning, I'll try to have him take me back to where he was flying so that I can see what these sparkly things are. I want to know who has been getting onto the grounds. Robert and Brian are against any sorts of traps, so I really want to know what's going on and who's breeching our security. Someone is intruding and setting traps. They're putting everyone at risk--our animals and us both."

Ruby smiled as she held Caprice in her arms " thats rather deep Marcus " she said " she's just started crawling, guess we need the baby travel crib for her to play in now." she said and chuckled as Caprice wanted back down on the floor " did we have one among those things we bought?" she asked " the ones in the basement?" she thought there had been a box with one in.

Jack let Archangel fly to Kate as he walked over " traps hung in the ree and hid on the ground I broke all the ones I could find." he told her " I also fed him a samon so he souldn't be hungry but you might want to check him it was a rather small cage." he added stroking the birds head gently. " if you wait till I get back I'll come with you, I'd like to know the awnser to that too." he said slightly annoyed some one was hunting on their grounds.

"I'll check him over myself," she nodded. "He'll enjoy a good grooming, and I can check him over that way too. He doesn't normally let anyone groom him but me, so I'll do that for him and take care of anything that might have happened." She listened to Jack talk about finding traps in the trees and on the ground. "That's basically what Archangel has said too." She spoke to Archangel, and he squawked back at her. "He doesn't recall seeing anyone on the grounds that shouldn't be here, but he's stayed pretty close to the house too. I think I'd rather have you along with me, so I'll wait til you get back. That's fine with me. Thanks."

"Angus bought a big playfence, if I recall," Marcus told Ruby. "It's one of those things that doesn't have a floor and can be set up on the rug. Is that still downstairs, Angus?" Angus shook his head and motioned upstairs. "Ah. He's put it upstairs in the nursery closet. I'll try to find it tomorrow."

Angus finished his tea, yawning, as a clock somewhere struck eleven. He did not want to sleep, but he had to admit, he was getting tired.

Jack looked and listened to Kate and nodded " good idea, and yes two would be dificult if were jumped plus more eyes means we can cover more gound, you might see something I miss." he said to her " well I should continue my patrol" he said waving to archangel and kate " see you in the morning."

Ruby looked at Angus and chuckled " phew , thoguth I would have to go rooting in the basment" she said. Seeing Angus yawn she smiled " maybe you should head up, this one needs bathing and changing before bed and I can do that" she said standing with Caprice on her hip and smiled as she carried her up to the bathroom to bathe her redy for her to settle down for bed.

Aria saw Angus yawn and nudged Marcus " looks like some one else is ready for bed too" she said softly with a smile. Standing she knew Marcus would check the doors and windows but she walked around checking and locking them as well for her own peice of mind. Finding a window open she pulled it closed and paused taking in the evening air as she did.

"You're going to have an early morning," Marcus told Angus. "i'll bring your potion up to you when I come up."

"Thanks," Angus said. He headed upstairs and got into bed, not sure he wanted to go to sleep. Marcus started checking the house and locking up for the night. He poured the healing potion that Robert had wanted Angus to take for a couple days, and he added the sleeping potion in with it. he swirled it and then took it upstairs. It did not look appetizing, but Angus never complained. He just took it.

"I'll wake you in the morning if you sleep longer," Marcus told him. Angus nodded. "Goodnight."

"Night," Angus said as Marcus left. The potions hit him hard, and he was sound asleep long before Ruby came in.