A Birth day

Jack , Ruby and Aria looked as Angus walked out of the house grabbing his cigerettes she loked at Marcus " lt me guess , stressed?" she asked him quietly " something we said or residual from what happened?" she asked as Ruby moved around cleaning up before disapearing up stars returing ith the play pen for Caprice. Ruby set it up and placed the mat and toys inside it for Caprice who right on cue startd calling from teh room.

Ruby headed up to the nursary and picked up Caprice changed her nd dressed her then walked down to the living room placing her in her high chair she stared to feed Caprice. Aria stood up and walked behind Edward as he went to the door and called Angus, Jack picked up a large box sat by the back door and placed it on his shoulders.

"It could be anything," Marcus said. "He's made a choice to not take it out on anyone, so my suggestion is that if he steps out for a cigarette, we let him have his cigarette. He has a right to be angry about what happened to him, and, honestly, I've seen agents who have gone through some sort of trauma just really lash out and lose control over next to nothing sometimes for days at a time. He's made a choice that he's not going to do that and intends to hold it together."

"Let's go," Edward said to them all. He got a portkey from his pocket and ported the lot of them to the road on northeastern edge of the Forbidden Forest, about as far away from Hogwarts as it got. He looked at Aria. "Now, take this in the spirit that I mean it. I presume you're with us, or I wouldn't have let you come, regardless of what Robert said. However, since I dont know what your relationship with the ministry is going to be, I feel a little obligated to tell you that if you tell anyone at all at the ministry where this pack is, I will obliviate every single brain cell you have. You won't know a crayon from a football. No offense."

Marcus stifled some laughter, amused to no end.

"She's good, Edward," he said, trying not to laugh out loud. "You don't need to worry." Angus started through the woods, not concerned about Aria. He knew about where he could expect to be able to find some of the pack's scouts. Marcus started through the woods behind Angus, and Edward went along.

Angus had gotten just about to the clearing where they had often met Fenrir before when he was suddenly grabbed from behind. His mind immediately flashed to being grabbed by Priscilla's men in the bayou. He was immediately dizzy. His head spun. His heart felt like it was going to stop entirely. Fond of his human family,Pip flew up to a high tree branch, screeching in a loud, shrill, very high pitched alarm.

Marcus and Edward could see that a very young, but very oversized werewolf had snatched Angus from behind with lightning speed, his right arm around Angus's neck, and his left hand wore a glove that had been fashioned with artificial steel claws. Those claws were poised to try to snatch Angus's heart right of his chest. He snarled deeply at Angus The boy was just about Jack's size. Marcus and Edward froze in their tracks.

"Let him go, you little twelve year old twerp," Edward said. "Go tell Fenrir that the Donohues would like to see him, and we bring food. Jack, can you use some sort of howl to try to get Fenrir's attention? I'd like to not start this visit by beheading this little idiot if I don't have to."

Aria heldon to Marcus as Edward ported them to a forest she stood and looekd around but paused as Edward started to speak to her. She listened and looked from Marcus to Edwrd and back " hey their not going to hear anything from me" she said and held her hands behind her back as they walked foward following Angus and Edward deeper and out into a clearing . it was now she heard a screech from Pip and looked over at Angus and a boy holding him. At the sound of a thump Jack dropped the box and gave a loud howl followed by a low rumble " best let him go pup" he said walking to the center of the clearing as Fenrir walked out " JASON DROP" He called out " Sorry Angus" he said and looked at them all " so , what do you want?" he looked at the box and sniffed it " hum something important by the meat I smell." he looked at Jack " Jackie boy looking weak still." he stepped back..

Aria looked to Marcus " hes..big" she said as she watched Jack walk over and place the box infront of him. " Fenrir?" she asked.

"Yes, indeed," Marcus said softly to her. "It's a tense truce based on a show of mutual respect." Marcus watched as the boy reluctantly let go of Angus.

"Thank you," Angus said, trying to breathe, feeling like his heart was in his throat. "I have some news--news that concerns you and your pack. I think James is gearing up for an attempt to try to get rid of you and take over your pack."

"That's not news. He's always got an eye on my pack" Fenri shrugged.

"Well, this isn't so simple. One of your pack has been approached by a certain female werewolf who is attempting to seduce one of your males. Now, normally that isn't my business, but in this case, this female is trouble. The female is supposedly a red headed woman named Moira. Ring any bells?" Fenrir frowned deeply at the news.

"There is only one ginger named Moira," Fenrir said in a low angry voice.

"That's what I thought. We just got this news last night, so that's why we're here so early in the morning."

"There's been an interest from some new werewolves, both male and female, in our younger werewolves too. Sounds like James is trying to plant his operatives right in my pack."

"I would very much doubt that the members of your pack have any idea that they're being targetted by his pack. It is in both our best interests that James not get your pack--not now, not ever."

"And on that, we agree," Fenrir said. "Your news got to us just in time, it seems. And, again, we are grateful."

"You're welcome."

"I will take care of this, James will get no further. Be aware, though, that if he has any operatives already in my pack, he is liable to be able to breech your defenses again. You yourselves may not be safe at all." As Fenrir was speaking, Angus saw a young female from the pack rise up from behind a thick bush, with a bow and arrow in her hands, and she was aiming at something up in a tree branch. Angus glanced up in the tree branch to see she was aiming right at Pip. Before he even gave it any thought, he had fired a stupefy spell at her, and she had dropped like a rock behind the bush.

Werewolves sprang out from everywhere, from behind every rock and tree and bush, and they were running to attack.

"Protego Totalum!" Edward shouted to surround their party with a strong shield. Edward looked at Angus, furious with him.

"She was aiming at Pip!" Angus said. "She cannot hunt our owl!"

"Your owl?" Fenrir asked blankly, holding up his hand to stay his pack for a moment. "Where? I see no owl." Angus whistled for Pip, and the little bird flew down to his shoulder. Fenrir frowned, having never seen an owl so tiny. "What the hell is that?" he asked. "Did you shrink him?"

"No," Angus said. "He's a pygmy owl."

"Never heard of it," Fenrir said. He waved his pack members away and turned to the girl with the bow. "No bird that small is food for us. Do not try to fire again while we have visitors." She looked embarressed. He walked up to Angus, and Angus never moved. "How much bigger will he get?"

"He won't. He's full grown."

"Really?"

"Really."

"What good is he?"

"Messenger over small areas. He's good for watching. No one sees him in the trees. And he's a good companion."

"I see," Fenrir said. "Keep your pet. You may go. Oh, and Junior, it is obvious you are not well. Regain yourself. Your own pack will need you if James comes.

"I will," Angus said, handing Aria's letters to Fenrir. Fenrir motioned to his males to pick up the meat box, and then waved them to follow him and leave the clearing. In a moment, the pack was entirely gone, disappeared, leaving Edward and the rest alone.

"And the meeting is over," Marcus said quietly to Aria.

Aria stood and listened watching the interaction she stopped herself reacting to the archer drawing her wand slowly as she saw her draw her bow, when Angus cast protego she twisted and pointed at the girl but did not fire turning to look at Marcus and Fenrir. As she felt things calm she slipped her wand back in its holder. Hearing Marcus she breathed out " is it always this tense?" she asked as she saw teh move away and pip fly to Angus shoulder.

Jack stepped back and nodded to Fenrir glancing at the others around him. He gave a growl and moved to Marcus as each person disapeard out of sight. " stupid kids" he said " they need training better" he moved to Angus " time to go" he said to him " stay put pip" he added and looked to Angus " you okay?" Jack asked Angus moving to his side.

"Pretty much," Marcus said. ""The pack has a lot of good reasons to not trust humans, so there are certain rules about how to do this and how not to do this. Edward and Angus have won this pack's trust, though, guarded as it still is. Still, when we bring whatever food or supplies they need, we can have a conversation with Fenrir and help each other to some extent."

"I'm fine. Thanks," Angus said, wanting to be fine, but he wasn't sure how fine he actually was, in all reality. He could feel his knees shaking and his hands were shaking. All he could really see in his head was a replay of being grabbed in the bayou and then waking up in a casket. Marcus saw Angus had suddenly gotten quite rattled, and the only time Marcus had ever seen that sort of reaction was when someone suddenly had experienced a flashback of some sort.

"Well, our work here is done. Let's go home," Edward said. "Grab hold, Everyone." When everyone had grabbed on, Edward ported them back, landing them a few steps from the front porch of the duplex. The moment they landed, Archangel flew overhead and dropped something with a kerplunk sound, right on top of Jack's bald head, where it hit him in the head and dropped to the ground.

Edward saw something then, sparkling in the grass. He picked it up and saw a shiny coin, probably brass, he guess, and it sparkled like sunlight. It had a hole in it and a string attached. Edward looked at the coin, and it had a face on it--James' face---and James was wearing a crown on his head.

"Oh, for all the love of...what an egotistical maniac," Edward scowled. "Suppose this is related to those damned traps you found?" He handed the coin to Jack.

Aria looked at Marcus and nodded she understood " I get it" she said softly and moved to take his hand as Edward ported them home. She looked to Marcus then to Angus "Has not coping" she said softly " I see his hands shaking" She stepped back to let Marcus take over and headed inside to brew some tea for Angus knowing it might calm him. Jack looked up as something hit his head and then fell to the ground at his feet.

" stupid bird" he muttered as he picked up the coin "Hum could be," he said and handed it to Edward " I didn't see any markings on the traps but that doesn't say he couldn't have a hand in it," he said, " very pompous of my brother to give himself a crown," Jack said as Aria looked at him and then at the coin.

"would have to have been someplace close that he found it" she suggested and Jack nodded.

"yeah I think this was what he was after when he got caught in the traps , this means James is on our land." he said and folded his arms across his chest.

"Something triggered him," Marcus told Aria softly. "I'll wager something reminded him of the bayou. I'll go talk to him. Ask Ruby to find you Robert's almond tea. Can we brew a pot of that, please?"

Marcus put his arm around Angus's shoulder and walked him over to the bench along the pond and motioned to him to sit.

"So what was it?" Marcus asked quietly.

"That was exactly how Marie's men got the drop on me. Exactly like that. Right arm around my neck, and then they bashed me in the head with the left."

"They hit you in the head?" Marcus asked. "We didn't know that the other night."

"I didn't remember til that werewolf grabbed me. Then it all came back."

"Hold still," Marcus said. He started searching through Angus's hair at the back of his head. "There it is, plain as day. Not sure how Robert and Nigel missed it. You've got one hell of a goose egg on the back of your head. No wonder you've had a headache. So, let me get this right. One of her men grabbed you from behind. Was it like this?" Marcus copied the motion and lightly put his arm around Angus's neck.

"Yeah, but you're too tall now," Angus said. They worked until they got it right. That gave Marcus the right angle that he could estimate the height of Angus's attacker.

"Do you remember anything else?"

"Aftershave. Had cedar, bergamot, and...something else. Something...pepper maybe?"

"Certainly is possible. Expensive?"

"No. Cheap. Really cheap."

"There were some cheap ones in the shack that I noticed when I was in there. Maybe it was one of those. Anything else?"

"I..clawed him. I clawed his arm and it drew blood. He cussed at me in a real buggared up French accent. It was like a twangy American trying to speak French. That was when he hit me."

"That is a huge help," Marcus said. "I bet we can talk to Lee and maybe actually figure out who was the one who took you and put you in that casket. If we can do that, that'll be the veil for them for sure. Well done."

"Jack," Edward said. "A couple of things. First--these are brass. They're cheap as chips. But--I bet they're markers, like we've seen before. And if he's egotistical enough to put his damned face on them, then I bet you he's had a barrel full of them pressed. What if...what if he has the traps merely as a distraction to get us to not see where he's putting these damned coins? What if the traps arent what we should be looking for? Maybe the real hunt should be for these stinking nasty coins because he's trying to mark out all sorts of entry points all over the estate. It would make sense that if he can take Fenrir's pack and plant these markers that he's looking to double the size of his pack so that he can come here and either take Khaat or come here on some errand for either Suzanne or Tom. It makes sense. I think he's planning to come here for something--I just don't know what."

Aria heard Marcus and nodded " I'll do thst now" she said and headed to the main house where she saw Caprice loving her playpen. " marcus said you might have almond tea?" she asked Ruby looked up and noded to her.

"its in the second cupboard to the right" she said and wtched Aria " who needs it?" she asked and Aria looked back at her a she opend the cupboard.

"Angus , hes fine before you start to worry , just needs something to calm him" she said as she found the tea and brewed a pot. Poring a cup she carried it out to where Marcus and Angus sat " here , almond tea." she said softly as she placed the cup into his hands and stepped back " theres more inside." she said moving to stand on the porch to give them some space.

Jack listened to Edwrad and sighed " this old trick again" he said " when will he learn, I'll get the guys to double up on the checks to make sure" he looked up at Archangel" if you find any more would you please bring them to me" he asked the bird " just don't drop them on my head" he said softly.

"Thanks," Angus said quietly, actually really appreciating that someone thought of it.

"Here, let me add a wee kick to that," Marcus said, getting a smaill vial from his shirt pocket. He poured half of it in Angus's tea. "Calming potion. It'll help."

"I dont want to need it," Angus told him.

"Look, I'm no healer, but honestly, I think you're doing pretty well. The only reason you got rattled was because it was a sudden, exact repetition of what damned near killed you, and without any warning at all. You didn't freak out, you didn't go nuts. You just froze, which is what anyone who had any fighting experience would have and should have done in that moment. It brought back memories you didn't know you even had--memories that will be as good as a fingerprint in identifying the man who tried to kill you. And you managed to save Pip, for which I am sure he is very grateful. Not to mention how grateful Kate will be--and your kids. They've become quite fond of the little buggar."

"They are," Angus agreed, sipping his tea. "One more thing I just remembered. His shirt. White button down with a little mini plaid--red, blue and...i dont know. Something else."

"Well, that isn't going to be common. Lee should be able to find who that was. I presume when they arrested the followers, they got Mr. Preppy Assassin too. I'll talk to Robert, and maybe it'll get us somewhere. Well done. I think you're doing exceptionally well. Now, it's my turn to ask you something. They really don't expect us to fish if we sit here very long, do they?" Angus looked at him.

"I'm not fishing today," Angus said."No matter what they think I should be doing. I'm not fishing."

"Good. That makes two of us. Can I fish? Yes. Do I particularly like it? No," Marcus laughed.

"You know, Jack, I'm sure he will bring you whatever ones he finds, but maybe Kate can ask him where he found it and if that's the only one of if there's more. I mean, if we have someone here that speaks his language, maybe we should make use of it. Just a thought. You do what you like."