The Cracked Twilight

steven heard the comotion from the barn and ran as fast as he could he burst in to see Khaat stood holding her fathers wand at the hypogriff, moving to teh stal steven looked him in the eyes gently talking to him and moving his head like him "come on " he said gently as he slowly drew closer to the creature with his hand low he slowy reatched up it the hippogriff stroking its mane as he shushed it, calming the creature as he lead him out the stall and into the paddock before returning inside .

Steven moved back to Khaat and robert "ya ok?" he asked kneeling next to Robert "I'll take a look at him in a bit once ya settled in the house , Im guessing a stone in his shose he don't like, there temprmental things" he looked at Khaat and smiled as if thinking something to himself that would only gain a slap from her.

"I like Daddy's idea better. That animal ever does that again, and I'll turn him into a teacup myself," Khaat muttered under her breath. She knelt down to her father. He had taken a substantial hit to his head, she could sense that. She could feel that there was something wrong with his right knee too. "I have to get him back inside," She looked at Cordell. "Where is my mother!" Khaat demanded of her father. "Um.."Robert, most unusually, had to think, and it hurt his head to try to think. "I don't remember," he finally decided.

"You are not well," she told him, "You just lost control. I"m in charge now." "Oh heaven help us," Robert muttered disgustedly. "Is that not what you called me for?" she bickered back at him angrily. "Oh, just get on with it," he sighed, resigned to her. He knew from too much experience that he would not win with her while he was in this shape.

"I'm going back to the house with him,' She told Cordell. She apparated her father back to the house, arranging it so he was on the living room sofa.

Steven headed out to the hippogriff thre hemanaged to get a look at its hoof a large stone sat wedged in one taking ot a small knife he scooped it out picking it up and holding it , he glanced around wondering how such a large pisce of stone was wedged in so tight when the stone was not from the farm it was black as ebony the rocks they had were normal gray stone.

Quickly he moved back to the house the stone in his pocket as he entered the living room quietly watching khat and her father."is he gonna be ok, the hypo griff had a stone wedged in its hoof " he held it out to her "not from around here i can tell ya" he said concerned.

"Let me see it," she said, taking the stone from Walker. Hematite. Her blood ran cold for a moment. She pocketted the stone and went back to tending her father. "Khaat? What is it?" Robert asked. "Nothing, Daddy," she said, "Just a stone in it's hoof. Just an ordinary stone. Cordell, could you get me some ice for his head, please? Make that two ice packs. The muggle freezer has some already made up."

She set about removing Robert's pain for him. He sighed deeply in relief. "Thank you, my dear," he sighed with relief. "I'm not done," Khaat said, quietly, all business. She worked for awhile on his bleeding from the bang on the head he took, that and the swelling. Maybe after some sleep, he'd be able to think again. She set her most powerful healing spells in motion on that.

Then she set about checking his knee. It seemed to be messed up in just about any way it could be. She cast healing charms on it and wrapped it securely--over his dusty jeans for now. She'd fix that later. When Cordell brought the ice back, she put a pack on Robert's knee and the other on his head. She watched him sink into sleep, his pain eliminated for now. That was all she could do for the moment, but she had work to do now. Perhaps a lot of it.

Reatching into his pocket he showed her the stone, he saw by the look on her face she thought he same as he did. Leaving it with her he moved to the kitchen taking out two ice packs from the frezzer she had told him about and quickly moved back into the living room, "here ya go" he said holding ou the ice packs.

Noticing Robert was asleep he placed them next to him "Im gonna check out the barn again" he said heding for he back door and down to the barn where he could see the hyppogriff calmly moving around the barn Looking around the ground he looked at the foot prints that were there he recognised his own as well as Khaat and Robert's but one caught his eye right by the back door a soft impreshion .

Moving over to it he bent down and looked "Humm" he said and looked out away from the barn before closing h door and heading back upto the house once more .

While her father slept, and while Cordel had been out in the barn, she changed to her black travelling clothes--black boots, black slacks, black sweater, with her long back cloak. She had to go back and make sure all the stones were there that she and her father had hidden. They had counted them so she knew exactly how many there were supposed to be. She used her powers, closing her eyes, and summoned her mother. She heard her returne at once into Khaat's sitting room.

"Your call was so strong," Katherine frowned. "What's wrong? " "Daddy's been hurt. Jett kicked him--his knee and his head. He was lucky he wasn't killed," Khaat said. "Guard Daddy. He's sleeping. Someone tried to kill someone here. Either him or you. I have to go. I have to go check the stones." "Nobody's going to hurt your father. Dazed or not, he can defend himself. And I am not that shabby with a wand either," Katherine said, her temper risen, her wand now drawn.

Khaat went back out into the living room. Her father's forehead, near his hairline was bruising badly, but the swelling was obeying Khaat's command. "Looks like you've done a fine job," Katherine told her quietly. "What set Jett off? That's not like him.'' "Someone buried a piece of hematite deep in his hoof,"Khaat said. "That would certainly do it. I'll talk to Jett. Maybe he can tell us who did this." "Good idea," Khaat agreed. "Find out all you can."

he walked into the living room giving Khaat a raised eye brow as he saw her stood in black "goin some where ?" he asked folding his arms across his chest as he looked to Katherei "maam" he said giving her a quick nod acknolgeing she was there "found a print by the barn door looks like a man , 5'10 130lb" he said "but who'd want you folks hurt " he said glancing down at Robert "nice job by the way Khaat"he said seeing the brusing and lack of swelling on him.

"Thank you," Khaat said, "I've seen those sorts of stones before. If they weren't meant to be a calling card, they could have been any old stone from right out in the paddock itself. But this was a deliberate choice. I have to run an errand. When Daddy gets his mind back in order, he's going to be hunting who's behind this, and I better not have lain idle during his absence. Can you help my mother look out for my father? He'd be quite a prize in his disabled condition. That level of wizard, helpless? He's not usually ever vulnerable like this, If I wanted to stir up trouble, now would be the time to do it. His protection charms around the farm may not hold with him in this reduced state. Obviously someone knew how to slip through them without Daddy's knowing. And that's nigh onto impossible to do. Whoever they are, they're good. They're very good."

cordell nodded as she spoke "don't worry I took a look around if hes still here hes no where near the farm house" he drew his wand from his boot and held it "just to be on the safe side" he chuckled "yeah yur not the only one who keeps it there " he grinned then it faded from his face "I'll guard him with ma life" he said "go do ya thing, well be safe " he said moving to look out of the window something telling him they ahd not see the last of who ever it had been, he looked at Khaat hoping she picked upon his concern and who not be long.

Khaat had no intention of being gone more than a few moments if at all possible. "Be safe, Khaat," her mother said quietly. "I will.'

She apparated to the Cavern of Curses, deep inside the cavern itself. She didn't see a soul. Didn't detect anyone's energy signatures here except Remus's from long ago, her father's, and her own. Remus's signature, even after all these years, was still strong here. Well, a werewolf's signature was strong. Not necesarily his human form, but his werewolf form was strong.

Khaat went over to the hiding place where the stones were and sat down on a rock and took a large count of all the quartz crystals and hematite stones. They were still all there. That just didn't make any sense. Well, those stones were available any place weren't they? But what if they had been used to draw her away from the house? She couldn't lose time. She had to get back.

She apparated back to the house quickly.