Chapter 11

*Prelude:*
After completing their trials, DANI, DOM, JASON, KIDA, KILLIAN, LALEH and NEMO
work together to become an official werewolf pack in San Francisco, including
completing a totem quest together, where they attract the attention of a Spirit
of Balance known as UMBRA STALKER. She is a white snowy owl with flecks of gold
and silver throughout her plumage and a sinuous “S” that connects her wings
across her shoulders. The tips of her talons are pure silver. Balance is a constant battle, one
requiring great sacrifice and unswerving diligence. As a pack, whose purpose is
one of maintaining balance, this constant struggle is represented by one member
of the pack at a time accepting the totem’s reminder by way of one aggravated
wound as her silver-tipped talons mark the member’s shoulder. The member who
bears her mark changes every three days. Currently, JASON bears the mark.
Having formed their pack, the next step is to establish their territory. Before
meeting with JACK IN THE GREEN, the pack members spend a day wrapping up some
loose ends.

DOM and LALEH spend some time at the
FBI gathering some more information on DANI’s brother, who is currently going
by the name of SAM. DOM doesn’t trust SAM and feels he could prove to be DANI’s
weakness and a danger to the pack. Historically, she has been very protective
of him, so DOM ponders what would happen if DANI is forced to choose between
her pack or her brother. They confirm what LALEH already knew, that SAM’s real
name was ALEXANDER MIKAELSON, just like DANI’s real name was ASHTON MIKAELSON.
He has been living in San Francisco under the name SAM for the past three months.
Until recently, he was seen with local gang members whose rap sheets included
Assault, Trespassing, Larceny, and Credit Card Fraud, among other things. SAM
is currently known to hang out with a group of “outsiders,” who came to San
Francisco about the same time he did. They have moved around the city a bit,
mostly loitering in public parks. There are several local businesses SAM is
known to frequent, usually diners, bars and night clubs. A bar known as
Mikkellar’s seems to be one of his favorites. DOM and LALEH decide to start
there since they want to confront SAM again and see if they can discover his
current intentions.

KILLIAN is doing some shopping around
town with MEAGAN. He has a very specific shopping list and there are only
certain places you can get the things on his list. MEAGAN seems to have a
wealth of knowledge about where to look. Since MEAGAN is a hedge witch, and so not
affiliated with LEIDECKER and the Council, KILLIAN trusts her enough to reveal
that he is a werewolf. She doesn’t seem bothered by the fact. She is aware of
the other supernaturals in the city as well. It is nice to be able to spend the
day with her.

DANI, KIDA and NEMO head back over to
the children’s hospital. DANI wants to spend some time with the young girl
MASON is so protective of and see if she can figure out a way to help her. The
three manage to sneak into a laundry room and steal some nurses’ uniforms
before proceeding to ANGEL’s floor. NEMO breaks off to the records room to see
if she can get a look at the girl’s file. KIDA stands guard just inside the
door to the children’s ward where ANGEL is located while DANI proceeds to her
bedside, drawing the curtains closed around them. She sets a vase of fresh
flowers on her nightstand along with a book of children’s stories before taking
a seat next to the little girl and grasping one of her small, frail hands.
After a few moments, DANI gently places her hands on either side of ANGEL’s
face, touching her forehead to the girl’s and closing her eyes. DANI has a gift
that allows her to see into someone’s dreams and gain insight into significant
memories. She is hoping by peering into the little girl’s dreams, she might be
able to determine what happened to her that put her into a coma. No one is
prepared for what happens next.

DOM and LALEH enter Mikkellar’s. SAM
happens to be sitting at a corner table with an older bearded gentleman,
possibly one of the “outsiders.” The older gentlemen is dressed rather simply,
almost rustic. His hair is streaked with gray and tousled and his beard and
mustache are untrimmed. SAM currently has his back to them. “This is my
chance…” DOM suddenly finds himself thinking. “A strong enough blow could take
him out right now… problem solved. He wouldn’t even see it coming…” then shakes
his head. Where did that come from? The older gentleman looks a little confused
and is tugging at his beard nervously as DOM and LALEH start heading their
direction. SAM reads the older gentleman’s body language and turns toward them,
standing guardedly. Before DOM and LALEH reach the table, all three of them
suddenly find themselves sprawled out on the floor of the bar as the room
shakes and the support beams tremble as pieces of the ceiling start to fall.
One of the support beams collapses on top of SAM, pinning him underneath. The
rest of the patrons start to scream as the room shutters around them and they
are hit by falling debris. They realize they are caught in the middle of an
earthquake. LALEH and DOM scramble to their feet, managing to keep their
balance on the trembling floor. “Even better,” DOM thinks. “Now he’s trapped.
Can’t get away…” Wait…What? LALEH rushes over to help SAM. He looks at her
warily as she kneels down beside him.

“It’s okay,” LALEH starts as she
struggles to lift the beam. “We did come here to talk to you, but right now I’m
here to help.” As LALEH lifts the beam, SAM slides out from underneath it and
manages to regain his footing. He doesn’t appear to be too badly injured. They
turn to help the other patrons as another section of the ceiling collapses,
this time bringing a nightmare creature with it. It looks just like the one
they encountered down in the boiler room of the hospital. It hisses angrily and
skitters to its feet. The patrons that can move start scrambling away in
terror.

“What the hell is that?!” SAM demands,
drawing his gun and taking a few steps back.

“Get these people out of here!” DOM
barks in response as he prepares to confront the creature. “Bigger threat…If I
move fast enough I can take it down before it knows what hit it,” DOM’s inner
dialogue continues, “End of the line, bitch!”

Unfortunately, there are a bunch of
patrons too injured to move. The older gentleman steps up next to LALEH and
SAM, looking at the carnage around him. “Cover me so I can help these people,”
he says, rolling up his sleeves and drawing a ritual knife from is belt. He
then uses it to slash open both of his palms and starts splattering blood
around the room, chanting. LALEH can feel his magic building as she and SAM
both fire their guns at the creature.

KILLIAN and MEAGAN are driving home
from their shopping trip when MEAGAN loses control of the vehicle. Brakes
squeal as other cars around them lose control, careening into each other as the
ground shakes violently beneath them. The car spins as it gets hit on multiple
sides and the driver’s side is crushed, pinning MEAGAN between the steering
wheel, the seat and the crumpled frame of the door. She loses consciousness.
Blood pours from a large gash in her forehead. KILLIAN manages to extract
himself from the vehicle and stands unsteadily to his feet as chaos erupts
around him. He is surprised to see JASON hurrying over. Apparently, he had seen
the accident happen as he was heading back to his office from a break. He was
kneeling on the sidewalk waiting for the tremors to subside when he recognized
KILLIAN and MEAGAN. Together, JASON and KILLIAN move to the driver’s side of
the vehicle and start pulling at the door, trying to free MEAGAN.

ANGEL’s eyes fly open, but her pupils
are rolled back, exposing only the whites of her eyes. DANI convulses and her
hands go rigid against ANGEL’s temples. She seems paralyzed, her eyes locked.
At the same time, the hospital floor goes dark and starts to shake. KIDA
hurries to DANI’s side as some of the other children start to cry. She grabs
DANI by the shoulders and shakes her, trying to bring her back to reality.
Finally, DANI’s hands drop limply onto the bed as the girl slips back into
unconsciousness. “DANI! You okay? What happened?” KIDA asks as DANI’s eyes
slowly focus on her. Before she can answer, though, an all too familiar hiss
reverberates through the room. The children’s cries turn to screams as the
emergency lights start to flicker dimly. DANI recovers herself quickly and
moves into the center of the room.

“They will not hurt these children…”
KIDA hears DANI growl under her breath. Then the growl turns into a much louder
aggressive snarl, which is answered by two distinct hisses. KIDA steps up
behind DANI. Two of the nightmare creatures are stalking toward DANI, their
attention having been drawn away from the terrified children, which KIDA is
certain is exactly what DANI intended to happen. The first one attacks and DANI
retaliates with a rake along its side, moving past it in an attempt to draw it
out of the room away from the children. Her ruse works and it follows her into
the hallway. Once she is out of the children’s line of sight, DANI shifts into
her battle form.  NEMO comes out of the
record room triumphantly and sees DANI in the hallway staring down a nightmare
creature. KIDA faces down the one that remains in the ward. All three of them
peripherally realize that for some unknown reason they are all standing in the
pale of a very powerful locus that wasn’t here 10 minutes ago. And there are a
lot more nightmare creatures on the way.

KILLIAN and JASON work frantically to
free MEAGAN from her metal prison. Unfortunately, their human forms are not
quite strong enough. KILLIAN knows the Oath, but his concern for MEAGAN
overrides his sense of propriety at this point. He shifts to his battle form
and digs his claws into the metal door. JASON follows suit and together they
wrench the door off its hinges, casting it aside. Shifting back to his human
form, KILLIAN gently picks up MEAGAN. “We should get her to a hospital,” JASON
says, shifting back down as well, “The closest one is the children’s hospital.”
KILLIAN nods in agreement and the two of them head in that direction.

Over the next few hours, the city
erupts into chaos in the aftermath of the earthquake. There are a lot more
nightmare creatures revealed than originally suspected, and the highest
concentration of them is at the children’s hospital. Apparently, before ALEXA’s
death, the magic WAHNSINNIG infected her with brought forth a lot more of them.
They seem to be attracted to magic, so when the locus appeared in the
children’s hospital, they were drawn to it like moths to a flame. Fortunately,
the locus disappears as the earthquake subsides. DANI, KIDA, and NEMO are
joined by JASON and MASON at the children’s hospital. They all work together to
turn back the tide of nightmare creatures and keep the children safe. KILLIAN
takes MEAGAN to another hospital after realizing the children’s hospital is
infested with nightmare creatures. SAM joins DOM and LALEH in destroying the
creatures at the bar, refusing to leave after LALEH tries to persuade him to
get to safety. He even keeps his gun to himself when both DOM and LALEH have to
shift to battle form to defeat the nightmare creatures. For now, they are
fighting alongside him. The older gentleman’s magic helps stabilize the patrons
that were injured until the paramedics arrive.

That night, the pack prepares to
approach JACK IN THE GREEN. MEAGAN is recovering in the hospital. First, they
need to *find* the elusive Fae. They
begin their hunt in Golden Gate Park with KIDA leading the way. Shortly, a
single coyote bars their path. It barks expectantly, then disappears into the
gathering fog. The pack realizes it is inviting them to hunt it. If they are
able to track it in its home territory, they may be worthy of an audience with
JACK IN THE GREEN. As they hunt, several more coyotes appear and weave in and
out of the fog surrounding them, keeping pace with them. KIDA swears she sees
small humanoids riding them, but no one else can see it. Eventually, the pack
succeeds in tracking down the lone coyote that started the hunt at the top of a
hill. As they approach, the rest of the coyotes surround them, appearing out of
the fog. They do not appear aggressive, more…intrigued. The original coyote,
much larger than its brethren, approaches the pack, revealing a small sprite
astride its back. “HOLD *Uratha*!” the
sprite bellows, somehow managing to make his small voice echo ominously, “What
business do you have in our park?” His voice is joined by several other titters
and whispers atop the other coyotes surrounding the pack.

“I told you!” KIDA mutters under her
breath, “Little people…”

JASON steps forward, “We seek an
audience with JACK IN THE GREEN.”

“AAAHHH,” the lead sprite says
importantly, then more quietly, “Umm, FYI, he really doesn’t like being called
that.”

Without breaking stride, JASON
responds, “Very well then. How *should*
we address him?” The lead sprite takes a deep breath, then sits taller and
puffs out his chest.

“You shall address him as…THE…GREAT…AK!”
he announces grandiosely. “Wait here please. I will see if he can be bothered
to speak with you.” With that, he wheels his coyote around and disappears back
into the fog. The other sprites remain at their posts, making sure the
intruders don’t wander. A few minutes later, a fresh fog rolls in as the lead
sprite reappears. There is a tall figure a few paces behind him. “MAY I
PRESENT…” he starts, but is quickly interrupted by a strong, gentle voice.

“Hush now PIPPIN. I can introduce
myself.” The elusive Fae now known as the GREAT AK steps forward. He is an
elderly gentleman with a long beard that resembles moss, a rustic flowing robe
and long tousled gray hair intermixed with twigs and leaves. “I am the GREAT
AK. Why do you seek audience with me, *Uratha*?”

JASON bows respectfully, “We are
claiming Golden Gate Park as our territory, but know you call it home, so we
come seeking an alliance with you.”

The GREAT AK raises a bushy eyebrow,
“Indeed…And what do you have to offer me in exchange for allowing you to claim
territory here?”

“We offer a partnership in protecting
this park. We will patrol and protect its borders from those who seek to do it
harm.”

The GREAT AK looks around at the pack
skeptically, “And how am I to know you are capable of accomplishing such? How
do you intend to prove yourself to me?”

JASON gestures broadly, encompassing
the park, “Tell us, GREAT AK, are there any problems you are currently having
in the park that we may assist with?”

The Fae ponders for a moment, “As a
matter of fact, yes. There are some…humans that have taken up residence in the
park. I do not care for them, and I want them gone, never to return.”

JASON nods, “And if we get rid of
these…humans, you will agree to ally with us?”

“If you rid me of these humans, I will
consider an alliance with you.”

“Give us a moment to discuss,” JASON
responds. The GREAT AK nods and steps back, allowing the pack to come together.
After a few minutes of consideration, the pack agrees to investigate the
humans. JASON approaches the GREAT AK.  “Very
well then, where do we find these humans?” JASON asks. The GREAT AK smiles
mischievously.

“That is for you to discover, *Uratha.*” The FAE steps back,
disappearing into the fog. Only the sprites remain. JASON looks over at PIPPIN.
“Do you know where we can find these humans?”

The little sprite looks at JASON
incredulously and harrumphs, as if insulted. “Of course, we know where they
are. We are the GREAT AK’s eyes and ears. Nothing happens in this park without
our knowledge. I could take you to them… what would you offer me in exchange?”

JASON growls a little under his
breath. The Fae and their “deals” - there was no *free* information from these creatures. “What do you want?”

Without hesitation, PIPPIN exclaims,
“Pizza!”

DOM rolls his eyes, “Give me a phone.
I’ll order the little guy a pizza.”

NEMO holds up a hand, smiling just as
mischievously as the Fae, “No wait… I got this.” She fiddles with her cell
phone a minute, then pulls up a tantalizing picture of large pepperoni pizza,
showing the little sprite, “Here you go!” After all, he didn’t specify he
wanted a *real* pizza. A picture is
worth a thousand words, right? The sprite takes the phone from her, licking and
drooling all over it for a few minutes, then hands it back.

“Done! Follow me!” Shaking their heads
in amusement, the pack follows PIPPIN across the park to an archery range.
There, sitting around a campfire, is a group of men smoking pipes and talking
amongst themselves. LALEH recognizes one of them as the elderly gentleman that
was with SAM in the bar the other day when the nightmare creatures attacked. He
seems to be the leader of the group. After she had helped protect him, he had
offered his hand in friendship and respect to her, saying he owed her one. He had
introduced himself as WILLIAM REID.

“Hey, I know that guy!” she proclaims.
“He owes me one. This should be easy!”

DANI growls softly, “I know him too.
And I know why they are here.” The pack looks at her expectantly and she
continues, explaining that they came to San Francisco with her brother.
Somehow, they convinced her brother they have a cure for lycanthropy –they can
make her human again. DANI of course, views their claim as ridiculous. It’s not
a disease, after all – it’s genetic. You are born with it. She tried to explain
that to her brother, but he still pleaded with her to meet with them.
Reluctantly, she had agreed to the meeting, but had not yet agreed to go
through with the ritual. Given the task at hand, it could potentially be used
as a bargaining chip. DANI could agree to undergo the ritual if they could
agree, whether they succeeded or failed, to leave Golden Gate Park and never
return. It would also give her a chance to prove to her brother that there was
no cure, and perhaps he would finally accept her for who…and what she was now. Not
to mention, hopefully he would realize it was time to sever ties with these
druids, since they could not give him what they promised. DANI has always felt
there was something off about them and wants her brother out of their clutches.

DOM shakes his head at DANI’s proposal.
It is a huge risk – what if they do succeed? KIDA, NEMO and LALEH nod in
agreement. “How about this,” JASON interjects, “We can keep your proposal as a
back-up, but let’s see if LALEH can solve it by calling in the favor he says he
owes her first.”

“And if that doesn’t succeed,” DOM
says, “We can always force them out.” *Of*
course. *DANI thinks to herself*,
Thereby, proving to my brother we are indeed the monsters he thinks we are.
She keeps her thoughts to herself, though as JASON lays out a plan. He, DANI
and LALEH will approach the druids directly, while KIDA, DOM and NEMO stay
hidden on higher ground, able to intervene if things get violent.

That decided, JASON, LALEH and DANI
head down to the druid’s campfire. As they approach, DANI realizes her brother
is with them, though his back is currently facing them. LALEH raises her hand,
greeting the WILLIAM openly. He smiles warmly and returns the greeting,
welcoming the three of them to sit by the campfire with them. Just outside the
firelight, though, the three *Uratha*
realize there is a ward surrounding the campfire. If they pass through it, they
will lose access to their *Uratha*
abilities, temporarily unable to shape-change or use their gifts. DANI passes
through the ward resolutely, followed quickly by JASON and LALEH. The druids
were protecting themselves. That was understandable, if somewhat unnerving.
DANI tries to sit by her brother, but is effectively blocked by the druids.
LALEH sits next to her WILLIAM and JASON sits across from her. They engage in
small talk for a short while, and SAM does participate. At least he is speaking
to DANI. Eventually, WILLIAM asks LALEH why they are here. “Funny you should
ask that,” LALEH begins. “You remember when you said you owed me one?”

“Of course,” WILLIAM responds, “What
can I do for you?”

“Well…your presence here is upsetting
certain people,” LALEH states, cutting right to the point, “I need you and
yours to leave Golden Gate Park and find somewhere else to call home.”

WILLIAM looks at her, hurt and somewhat
baffled, “How can our presence here be upsetting to anyone? We have done
nothing disruptive. In fact, we have made it a point to mind our own business.”

“There is a Fae that claims this park
as territory. He doesn’t like you and wants you to leave. He has asked us to
assist him in that endeavor. So, what do you say? Will you do this for me?”

WILLIAM laughs, then. “A Fae, huh?
Such fickle creatures. If we are upsetting them by being here, then it is all
the more reason to stay. I’m afraid I cannot do what you ask. Surely there is
something else I could do for you?”

“No, WILLIAM. This is what I am
asking. You said you owed me one. I’m trying to do this nicely. Please don’t
make me force the issue.”

WILLIAM’s smile fades. “We will not
leave this park. We like it here.” LALEH growls then, grabbing WILLIAM by his
lapel and hauling him to his feet. The other druids stand as well, posturing
defensively. DANI and JASON can sense DOM, KIDA and NEMO preparing to advance. DANI
holds up her hands as she stands, moving to separate LALEH and WILLIAM, acutely
aware that her brother is watching their every move.

“Stop this!” DANI barks, “There is no
reason for this to devolve into violence. WILLIAM, I have a proposition for
you.” LALEH releases him as he turns to face DANI. “What if I could offer you
something you want more than to just piss off some Fae?”

“And what would that be?” WILLIAM
asks, his interest peaked. LALEH’s heart sinks as DOM, KIDA and NEMO temporarily
halt their advance.

“A willing subject for your ritual,”
DANI continues, “I will agree to allow you to attempt to cure me, if you will
agree, whether you succeed or fail, to leave Golden Gate Park. Deal?”

“You will voluntarily submit to our
ritual?” WILLIAM asks.  DANI nods. “Very well
then. I will agree to your terms. Return to us in three days, when your moon is
in the sky. We will do the ritual then.” DANI nods again, and the three *Uratha* rejoin the rest of their pack.
Time to make some preparations…

*The*
Story Continues…

Current Developments - Chapter Ten - Chapter 12