A Birth day

Aria nodded and smiled as did Ruby and they both watched as Angus got ready to head up to Fenrir. Jack was out side giving some new grounds men their orders for the day when he heard Angus call out he nodded and smiled handing Jessie the clip board with positions and jobs to be done and he ran over to Angus "Sure I can come with" he added" not yet we can take it today if you want , give us an excuse to go, Robert was the one who told me to hold off on taking it up." he told Angus.

Ruby chuckled and saw Dimond and finished her second bowl she picked her up and the bowl and carried her to the kitchen where she placed the bowl down then wiped Diamonds hands as she had seen Angus do after she ate anything with her hands. Returning she placed her into the playpen and handed her a toy to play with while Aria tended to Caprice then placed her too into the pen to play.

"Let's take it along," Edward said. "A little extra buttering up might not hurt."

"I want him to agree to it willingly, not by any sort of coercion," Angus told Edward.

"Robert thinks they have the vaccine, but, of course, it's completely untested," Edward told Jack. "He wants Angus to try to talk to Fenrir about letting the pack take the vaccine. Even if it were tested, it's going to take Fenrir a bit to agree. Get the meat and bring it along, please. Do you have a plan, Angus?"

"I'm not going to rush him," Angus said. "By werewolf standards, he's beyond ancient. He didn't get to his age by making rash decisions. I'm going to give him the facts and let him take his time. If he needs time, I'm going to give it to him. If he has questions that he wants answers to, I'll get them. I want him to base his choice on truth so that regardless of how the pack responds to the vaccine, he should have no regrets."

"Men like Fenrir have very few regrets, Lad. Ever," Edward said.

"I know. Still, I have to live with myself for whatever happens in a meeting with him," Angus said.

"Very well. Just making sure you had your head on straight this morning," Edward said.

"About as much as I do any other morning," Angus replied dryly.

Jack listened to them talking and motioned for Jessie to grab both crates from the walk in in the main hose and bring them to him. After a moment Jessie returned and handed him two shrunk crates. " thanks Jessie" he said as Jessie moved with the men down to the guard house. He had heard Edward and Angus talking and he nodded " he'll do what's best for the pack" he said " as old as he is he still follows the werewolf code of what's best for the pack first, I have the creates." he told them as he waited for them to be ready.

Jessie headed down to the guard house and read out Jacks orders and where the new men would work he also added about the barn and to have two men tend to the animals with him while Jack was with Edward and Angus.

"And that is exactly what I'm concerned about, Jack," Angus said. as they started the walk up to the longhouses. "That's precisely what I think could work against us. After all, he has far more animalistic views on just about everything, far more than you do. By and large, most werewolves aren't vaccinated for two main reasons--first, the animalistic ones see vaccines as a human idea, and so they oppose it. And second, most humans oppose vaccinating werewolves because they would rather see werewolves dead, and they don't care how it's done. A werewolf who dies of disease is just one less a human has to hunt down and kill simply because they're different. I'm going to be asking Fenrir to do something that is completely against his nature. We see it as being good for the pack. He's not going to agree. And, if the vaccine kills members of the pack, Fenrir is going to blame that on me. That's why I will tell him the entire truth and not want him to answer me today. I want him to consider it."

"The best you can do is tell him the truth," Edward said. "Without a vaccine, minimally, someone with mumps could develop complications like deafness, sterility, arthritis, meningitis, pancreatitis, and the list goes on and on. Robert believes that this new strain also endangers magical beings by causing a wizard to be unable to cast any spells at all, or it could damage the body's magical system, and you lived through what its like to have a magical system destroyed. Most people don't survive that. Give him the facts, including that not only do we know fully what this strain will do, but we have not had a chance to test this vaccine yet at all. Let him make his own choices. At that point, after you've given him all the facts and offered to bring him any and all updates on it, then the choice rests fully with him. That's the best any of us could do."

Jack listened to Angus and nodded his head to his words " yeah survival of the fittest" he said listening to Angus talk more he nodded " I hope he understands and takes the chance." he added as he then heard Edward talk and nodded " I agree, best tell the truth and he'll respect your honesty and that you respected him enough to let him decide." Jack said as they walked towards the long houses . Once there he opened the door for them to enter.

Inside Jack moved to one side leaving Angus and Edward to head over to talk to Fenrir as he moved to where the older women sat cooking. He took out the two crates and resized them beside their storage then walked over to Angus and Edward.

"I know that face," Fenrir said, as he sat near one of the large fireplaces, whittling a stack of fresh fire drills. He motioned for them to sit. Angus and Edward sat. "So which one of you brings the ill news? One of your healers was up a couple days ago, asking about vaccines. So what is it, and what's the risk to my pack?"

Edward handed Fenrir the large tin. "Here. From my wife and me. She's a good baker. Your pack might like these. Oatmeal raisin cookies, and she added nuts and chocolate chips. They're sort of a healthy treat."

"They'll appreciate them," Fenrir said. He took the lid off the tin, took one and then offered one to Edward, Angus and Jack. Edward and Angus accepted so Fenrir didn't think there was something wrong with the cookies.

"We brought a large supply of fresh meat too," Angus said. "Much better quality than the last supply. I apologize. I've had a word with the supplier. If you ever get sub par meat, do let me know immediately so I can remedy it."

"We still are capable of hunting, but your concern is noted," Fenrir said, eating the cookie.

"There is a new kind of mumps going around," Angus told Fenrir. "It seems to have been deliberately engineered by a dark arts practitioner so that it has not only the usual effects on the body but it seems like it will have some sort of aggressive effect on the magical system. We don't entirely know how it is going to manifest yet, but it looks like it could possibly destroy or cripple the magical system just as severely as it can damage the other bodily systems. We don't know what effect it will have on werewolves yet either, unfortunately, but Robert is afraid it could present a dire threat to your pack."

"Possibly," Fenrir concluded.

"Yes. Possibly. Probably."

"Very well. And?"

"He's been working on a vaccine to protect not just from the mumps but also to protect the magical system."

"So, it's a hybrid of the usual vaccine, then?"

"Essentially, yes. He just finished it overnight, so it is completely untried. He believes it should be safe but he hasn't tried it yet."

"And what do you come to me for? Humans refused any vaccines to my kind."

"Robert doesn't," Angus said. "He will provide you and your entire pack any vaccine free of charge, just as they're free at St. Mungo's--and that includes the new mumps vaccine."

"You'll excuse me if I don't jump for joy, wont' you? My kind has done well for the most part without your human medicines. I admit you were a huge assist this summer with the illness that went through my pack, but to give them a vaccine? We've never done that. And an untried one at that? I have reservations about it."

"Understood," Angus said.

Jack listened to Fenrir and took a cookie from the tin. Standing as he ate it he listened to Fenrir talk and sighed looking at him " would it help if one of us had the vaccine first ?" he asked as he finished his cookie. He looked to Angus and Edward. " I discovered I didn't have my booster" he said some what shyly to them. " not sure how Jess missed that" he brushed the crumbs from his shirt and waited. " ethe that or Chris could, he's about the right age for his booster?" Jack then stayed quiet letting every one decide among them selves but he could see several women a the back of the long house not looking too well.

Moving to Edward he spoke softly to him " I see two women and one child already" he said and motioned to where they sat. Standing back up he looked to Fenrir

"Do you have pack members who have symptoms already?" Angus asked gently.

"Alas, yes. We do. It just started late yesterday afternoon," Fenrir sighed.

"Do let us treat it, then," Angus said. "We don't need it running through your pack like wildfire. We did take one of our cabins and we made it into an isolation medical facility to treat anyone here on the grounds who became ill. With your permission, we could take them there. They would be with our own people. You could visit, so long as you're willing to perhaps stand outside at a safe distance and talk through an open window. Or, you can use our owls and send messages if you like. They would return to you the moment they are no longer contagious."

"Fenrir, the consequences can be most severe to you and your pack," Edward said. "Untreated, it can cause deafness, brain infection, arthritis, sterility, pancreatitis, and, we believe, infection or damage of the body's magical system. Angus can tell you from his own experience that the damage we're speaking of us devastating and excruciatingly painful. Suzanne caused him to have that issue a couple years ago. He was one of the few who have had that happen and survived to tell the tale. Take your time and consider the vaccine but do let us treat those who are already ill."

Fenrir thought a long moment and then he looked at Jack. "You may take them for treatment." He looked at one of the older women. "Have them only what they find absolutely necessary for a few days." The woman left to go talk to the ones who were already ill. Fenrir looked back at Jack. "You can take them yourself?"

Jack listened as Edward spoke to Fenrir after Angus and he nodded letting him know it was the truth. Listening more he nodded again " I can" he said and looked to Edward and Angus " you guys can stay while I take them and come right back" he said to them then walked dover to the women . Talking softly he picked up the small girl and had the women hold hands before porting them to the cottage where the nurses took over. Once done he quickly returned back to Edward and Angus.

" There on their own side, the nurses are tending to them as we speak" he said walking over to where they sat. " they will have the best care, Jess is looking after them too." he said smiling now waiting for Edward and Angus to be ready." shouldn't be too long before we se some sort of improvement." he said

While Jack was gone, Angus got out the newspaper from his back pocket.

"I have something to show you. I thought you might like to see it," Angus said. He opened the newspaper that had pictures of the Valentines ball, and he pointed out images of Anise and Ginger in their evening gowns at the ball. "I thought you might like to see them in their evening gowns." Fenrir looked at the images in the newspaper.

"It is hard to see those beautiful females as the same little freckle faced cubs we had here," Fenrir said. "Do they seem themselves as humans now?"

"Both. They see themselves as humans who have werewolf abilities," Angus said. "They will always have loyalty to their pack."

"Tell them we are pleased they are being successful," Fenrir said. "Be sure you show these to Dennis, won't you?"

"Certainly," Angus said.

"And your cub? How is she?"

"Advanced for her age," Angus said. "Would you like to see a couple pictures?

"Certainly," Fenrir said. Angus got out his pictures and showed them to him.

"Who is this frail little one? Not yours, surely," Fenrir asked. "She does not look like she will survive."

"Oh. That child is the product of the marriage of Tom Gelding and Suzanne Tyler, now Suzanne Gelding. Her name is Diamond."

"A direct attempt to provide some sort of emotional wounding to your female, no doubt."

"Exactly so," Angus said, "but I told Ruby that the ruby has been valued far more by kings because is it rarer."

"You are wise," Fenrir smiled, amused at Angus's response to Suzanne's attempt to demean Ruby. "And your female? Did she believe you?"

"Why not? I told her the truth."

"How did you come to have the child?"

"Tom and Suzanne attempted a couple months ago to break into the ministry, and Suzanne was stupid enough to bring the baby with her. We caught them, and with the Geldings in jail, there was no one to care for the child, except Ruby and me. Her brother Jessie could have, but we were far better equipped to do it. That was taken shortly after we took Diamond in. Here. This one was taken last week." He showed Fenrir the more current picture."

"This is the same cub?" Fenrir asked.

"Yes."

"She should live now. She surely would have died if you hadn't taken her in. Give her back to Geldings, and she will still likely die."

"That's my thought too."

"If you want the cub to live, you will have to fight for her," Fenrir said.

"I know."

"You have raised him well, Donohue," Fenrir told Edward.

"Thank you," Edward said.

"Bring them for me to see when the contagion is gone, won't you?" Fenrir said to Angus. "And let me see that other young one--the male cub. I haven't see him since he did so many remarkable sketches when the pack was ill this summer."

"Jack, maybe you and Jessie can do that when this mumps thing is over," Angus suggested.

"And you said I can send owls? How will I know the messages are from my people?"

"We can assign Pip and Archangel to do that, can't we, Jack?" Angus asked.

"Which ones are those?" Fenrir asked.

"Archangel is Khaat's eagle, and Pip is the little pygmy owl. He is very good at messages, and Kate says it gives him a sense of purpose."

"She speaks to birds?"

"Birds of prey," Angus said.

"I know both those birds. They will suffice," Fenrir said.