A Birth day

Jack watched as the birds dropped the tokens then he heard Arch and felt Pip take off after him taking the hint he ran while watching for Arch towards where he heard noises. Stopping short he saw the wolf cub and knelt slowly. Carefully he moved towards the trap and pried the jaws open then lifted the pups leg out before he let it snap closed. Pulling up the steak he flung it into a deep river not far from them so it could do no more harm, before returning and taking out his med kit. Keeling down he knelt next to the cub and placed a few drops of healing potion on a cloth before wrapping it around the cub's leg. " we'll get whoever did this to you little one" he said softly then stepped back to let the cub do what it needed.

Aria chuckled as she finished her food. " I'll get it," she said and stood up, wlking across to the kitchen she started to make a fresh pot of tea and coffee for those who just wanted it and did not like Tea. Once done she returned and set the pots plus cups on the table "Help your selves" she told them.

Everyone seemed eager to help themselves to either tea or coffee and the warm blackberry danish.

"Angus, these are some of the best you've made, I think," Marcus said. "You did something different in these. What did you do?"

"There's a pinch of lemon zest in the filling, a little almond extract, and some finely chopped fresh basil," Angus said.

"That's what it is. The basil. I would have never thought to add basil to them, but it really brings out the blackberry flavor. Brilliant," Marcus said.

"It was just an experiment," Angus said.

"I think it worked well. I dont' know how you think of these things," he said.

"I just picked what was fresh in the garden and threw it together," Angus shrugged.

"Well, you remember what happened when I tried to just throw things together on that survival weekend a few years ago," Marcus said.

"You did fine until you threw those toadstools in the stew," Angus said.

"Toadstools!" Edward frowned. "Trying to kill your companions, were you?"

"I thought they were criminis," Marcus said.

"Nice thought, but no. Criminis don't come in that color," Angus told him.

"Yeah, so Robert told me," Marcus said. "I have done considerable reading on mushrooms since then."

"Don't take him mushroom hunting, Aria. That could be really bad," Edward teased.

"And don't let him cook either, apparently," Evan laughed.

Ari listened and chuckled at there talk of mushrooms and Marcus not cooking " oh, that's okay I can cook " she said and smiled to Marcus as she patted his hand " Im happy to do so" she added. she took some coffee and ate the blackberry danish with it loving it " this is...perfect" she said smiling as she finished the last peice.

Jack watched the cub but noticed it didn't move, moving back over he slipped off his coat and wrapped it in it and picked it up carfully , he whistled to Arch and pip to follow him as he walked towards the main house the cub cradled in his arms as he entered " Kate you around?" he asked standing by the back door with teh cub just poking its head out.

Kate came out from the living room where she had been setting Molly and Abbey up with crayons and coloring books. She saw Jack had something wrapped in his arms, and she looked in his coat and saw the wounded cup.

"More damned traps," she cursed, angrily. "This wound is really bad, Jack. Robert just stopped home and was getting some gear to go out and help look for coins. I'll take this wee one right down to him. I don't know whether he's going to be able to save this one or not." She took the coat and took the cub downstairs.

"Robert," Kate called. "Can you help?" He left the armory and came over and looked in the coat.

"Damn, Kate, this is so bad," Robert said. "I'll give it my best, but if this cub lives, it might end up as a three legged cub."

"Would you have to put it down?"

"Not necessarily," Robert replied. "There are prosthetics for animals. If this cub loses its leg, I could fit it with a prosthetic leg, but, if I do that, the cub will not ever be able to return to the wild. You see, animal prosthetics do not have joints. It's too difficult for them to adapt to. It will be able to walk and run, but it won't be able to go up and down stairs or to jump. It would have to be purely a companion to one of us, but, that being said, if it ends up with someone who truly understand wolves, it might well have a very happy, very spoiled life indeed."

"I think you should do whatever you can do to save it. That's my vote," Kate said.

Jack saw Kate and handed over the cub he listened o her and followed her down to Robert and heard him talk about the cub losing his leg " do what you can" he said " I'll look after him" Jack said from the doorway as Jess snuck up on him from behind .

"what hppened?" she asked as she crossed to the cub " awe hes so cute." she said " and yeah stupid traps, hope you got rid of them Jack?" she asked and Jack nodded .

"some the one that had caught him I did its at the bottom of the river" he added " not sure if the are any more." he looked to Robert " please do what you can for him."

"Okay," Robert agreed. "I'll let you know." He took the cub into the sickbay, and Kate went with him to assist him if she could.

After lunch, Evie and Faith offered to clean the table and wash the dishes. Angus refilled his coffee, and he and Evan were going to go outside to see the locations where Angus was still planning on putting a few fruit and nut trees. As they walked by the playpen, they both very clearly heard Caprice say "Dada." They stopped in their tracks and looked at her. Then she started saying it over and over, like it was a bit of a broken record. "dada dada dada dada dada."

"Am I hearing what I think I'm hearing?" Angus asked.

"Uh huh," Evan said, as surprised as Angus was.

Jack nodded to Robert as he watched him wak away with the cub " okay Im back out , Kate you can come with me to find more of those markers" he said as Jess moved to grab a coffee since her shift was done for the day.

Ruby had been sat next to the playpen and smiled but then laughed as she heard Caprice say her first words " okay , its offical your her first word" she said smiling " shes definatly a daddys girl" she said and chuckled as Caprice kept saying it over. Moving she picked up Caprice and held her as she walked over to Angus . " Caprice whose this?" she asked and again Caprice said "dada" to Angus.

"I can come if Jess can help Robert," Kate said. "I was goign to help him with the cub's surgery, but if Jess steps in, I can go with you."

"You know," he told Ruby, "I thought I would be excited when she said her first word, and I used to hope it was Dada, but now, I really do wish she had said Mama for you."

"She'll have that in a day or so. Don't you worry," Evan laughed. "Some of the reasearch I read when Tara was pregnant says that most of the time babies say Dada first because its easier than Mama. And then you won't ever be able to shut her up. You know what Evie's first word was?"

"No," Angus said.

"That was her first word--no. And she bloody said no to everything," Evan laughed.

"And she's said it to just about everything ever since," Tara teased. "Don't teach her that word. you guys. Just teach her to say yes."

"I'm not that bad, am I?" Evie asked.

"Depends on the day, Pet," Evan teased.

"Daddy," she rolled her eyes at him.

"Mom, did you ever ask Ruby whether we could go shopping while we were here?" Faith asked.

"Oh, no, Dear. I haven't had a chance," Tara said. "Ruby, the girls want Ginger to teach them how to make lace. They want to get a tatting shuttle and some other lace making tools, so that means we'll probably have to go to Diagon Alley. Do you suppose you and I could do that some time?"

Ruby smiled at Angus and walked over to him " I'm happy your here first-word Im good with second" she said smiling at him then she kissed his cheek. " it actualy makes me happy Dada was her first word" she admitted then looked to Tara " sure we can go tomorrow" she said smiling as Aria looked at both of them.

" DADA DADA!!" caprice shouted and Ruby laughed " I do hope she learns another word soon," she said setting her back down in the playpen. Jack nodded to Kate while Jess went down to assist Robert with the cub. "

"I don't think ther are many more left but we can't be too carful and , might wan to watch where you stand too" he added as they walked back to the area he had come from with the cub.

"Mama," Angus said to Caprice. "Ma ma."

"Dadadadadadada," Caprice replied.

"She has a one track mind," Angus sighed.

"Lad, you're not going to get her to say mama while she's so chuffed about dada," Edward laughed. "She'll get it sooner or later. You know what your first word was?"

"No clue," Angus said.

"You were trying to say Papa. Your first word was Baba. I was Baba to you for quite a long time until you learned to say Papa," Edward smiled. "Your grandmother was all about it. She was thrilled. "

"That would be great," Faith said when Ruby said they could go tomorrow. "Thanks. They know how to do so many things. Anise can fight, Ginger cooks and she makes lace. We don't do anything."

"That's not true," Edward said. "They didn't get to use magic like you've been trained to do. We're trying to catch them up. They admire you for that just like you admire them for the things they do. I say you should keep learning from each other."

"I suppose," Faith said.

"Let's get the coins and any more damned traps," Kate told Jack seething. As they walked back through the woods, she flicked her wand. "Reveal!" she shouted. And the trees lit up like they had fireflies. And in the bushes other things sparkled with unusual copper colored sparks. Kate looked surprised and looked at Jack. "Well," she said. "I didn't think that would work. So if the coins are sparkling that gold color, then I hope those copper sparkles on the ground aren't traps. I'm almost afraid to look.'