Chapter 14

DANI, JASON, KIDA, KILLIAN and NEMO gather together in the great
room of the estate. ANGEL has finally fallen asleep in the upstairs room she
and DANI spent two hours decorating, and it’s time for the pack to discuss how
they will manage the little girl going forward. She is obviously a very
powerful being of some sort, and she doesn’t realize the power she possesses.
DANI argues that is precisely why they should be keeping watch over her. They
need to learn more about her. JASON interjects that is why he and DANI were
trying to talk to MASON. JASON feels the ancient vampire knows more about ANGEL
– he could have been her guardian for many years. He references the medical
records NEMO found and how they had been supernaturally altered. Obviously,
someone is trying to cover up her true origins. KIDA worries that MASON will
become a serious threat to the pack once he finds out they have ANGEL. DANI
again states she never had any intention of hiding this from MASON. She doesn’t
feel like the dark knight would be angry if the pack explains how they found
her and help him understand the pack took her in to protect her until they
could find MASON. KILLIAN suggests ANGEL could be used to help the *Noble Court*. It is obvious the nightmare
creatures are drawn to her power. If the other *Uratha* in the city could see that, perhaps they would see the *Noble Court* in a different light. She
could even be used to set a trap for the nightmare creatures, drawing them all
to one place so they could be obliterated by the combined force of all the *Uratha* in the city and MASON. DANI
staunches dismisses that plan – she does not like idea of using a child as
bait. ANGEL currently has no control over her power, and they would be putting
her in danger. KIDA wishes out loud that DOM was here to provide another voice
of reason, but DOM has been otherwise occupied for the last two days –
something involving the *Bahala Na Gang*
(BNG)*.  In the end, the pack decides the first thing*
they should do is track down MASON and see what he knows. They leave JASON to
watch over ANGEL and head to *Alcatraz*.
DANI explains if they properly announce themselves at the edge of MASON’s
territory and give him the opportunity to invite them in instead of just
invading, it should satisfy appropriate protocol.

A while later, the pack stands at the edge of the pool with the
underwater tunnel leading into MASON’s lair, and howls their arrival. He does
not respond. They wait, trying again twice more - still to no avail.
Eventually, they attract the attention of the park rangers, who are coming
their way with flashlights. They easily avoid being discovered and use the
opportunity to eavesdrop on the rangers’ conversation. They find out MASON has
been missing for three days. The rangers are beside themselves, wondering why
their “dark master” has abandoned them. By feeding on them, MASON has blood
bound them, leaving them craving his attention, and a few of them are already
suffering withdrawal. The pack wonders if MASON has been searching for ANGEL.
It would certainly make sense. KILLIAN volunteers to enter MASON’s lair to find
something to help them track the dark knight. He advises DANI, KIDA and NEMO to
stay behind since they have already invaded the vampire’s lair on more than one
occasion. If MASON does happen to be down there, pointedly ignoring them, he
may not be as forgiving of yet another invasion by the women.  As soon as he disappears from sight, though,
NEMO dives in after him, leaving DANI and KIDA shaking their heads.

KILLIAN surfaces in the center of the cavern pool. He looks
around, taking in his surroundings. Just as KIDA and DANI had said, it feels
like he is in the middle of a museum. “Hello!” he calls out, his voice echoing
eerily. MASON doesn’t appear to be home. He is about to head for the edge of
the pool when NEMO surfaces next to him. “What the hell are you doing here?!”
he snaps at NEMO, “I told you to stay behind!”

She dismisses him flippantly, “You’ve never been down here.
Thought you might need a tour guide. Besides, it’s way more exciting this way.”
The two of them climb out of the pool together, KILLIAN less than thrilled, but
resigned. They head for the pipe organ, looking for the MASON’s sketchbook, as
DANI had suggested, but it is not in its usual resting place. They split up to
cover more ground. NEMO can’t help herself, and pockets a few of the smaller
trinkets as she searches. If KILLIAN notices, he doesn’t say anything. He
eventually settles on the cushion where MASON sits at the pipe organ. The dark
knight seems to spend a lot of time here. KILLIAN cuts off a small piece of the
material covering the cushion, then flips it over, hoping MASON won’t notice
later. He nods to NEMO that it is time to go. The two rejoin KIDA and DANI
outside and they head back to the mainland. They are able to pick up MASON’s
trail outside the children’s hospital. It traverses through nearby
neighborhoods and eventually leads them down to the docks. As they track along
the wharf, they suddenly hear the sound of metal rending, gunshots and shouts
coming from a ship docked behind them. Before they can investigate, a shadow
leaps over their heads and disappears behind some nearby shipping crates.

Even though TEDDY and BLACK FURY were successful in their mission
to find and rescue two missing children, the *Harbingers* are not happy with TEDDY for stealing back her
belongings and abandoning her training. She is allowed to keep her belongings
since even DAMIEN KINGSLEY can’t argue her ingenuity and is quite impressed by
her methods. As penance though, they task her with investigating reports of
human trafficking along the docks. It is early evening when she starts her
investigation. She slips in and out among the various ships and barges and
sniffs around the many large shipping containers, utilizing her smaller, less
conspicuous *Urhan* form. The few dock
workers that catch sight of her dismiss her as a stray dog looking for scraps. Finally,
a particular scent stands out. It is the scent of human sweat and tears mixed
with the smell of… death? She follows it to a large ship and sneaks on board.
That is where she encounters one of the most primal beings she has ever met. She
rounds a corner after going below deck and comes face to face with a large
beast of a man dressed in full plate mail with a holocaust cloak shadowing his
features. His long, sharp claws are dripping with blood as he drops a crewman
limply onto the floor and snarls at her, “Leave now, *Uratha*! This is not your affair. I won’t ask again.” TEDDY obeys
without even thinking, turning tail and running back down the hallway. As she
vaults off the deck onto the pier, she can hear the shouts of men and gunfire
erupting behind her. She barrels back down the docks, almost running into a
group of shadowy figures grouped together, but manages to leap over their heads
at the last second.

“What the...” KIDA stalks over to the crates, the hair on her back
bristling. DANI, NEMO and KILLIAN form a half circle behind her as she suddenly
leaps over the crates. There are sounds of a brief struggle, and as they close
in on the prey, they can see KIDA has pinned a young *Urhan* female under her much larger *Urshul* form, forcing her to submit. They don’t recognize her as
being from any of the local packs. “Who are you? What are you doing here?” KIDA
asks her in the *First Tongue*.

The other *Uratha* struggles
against KIDA’s grapple, “None of your business!” she manages to gasp out, then
shifts back to her *Hishu* form,
attempting to shove KIDA off of her.

“Let her up.” DANI says from behind. KIDA relents enough to allow
the girl to sit up. “All the way... Come on, where’s she going to go? We have
her surrounded.” KIDA allows the girl to stand and brush herself off. She is a
gorgeous young woman with dirty blonde hair and bright blue eyes. She is
wearing a black hoodie and sporting a lip ring. KILLIAN immediately finds
himself attracted to her. “What *are* you
doing here kiddo?” DANI asks.

“I’m here on a mission from the Harbingers,” she finally answers, “I
was investigating suspected human trafficking, then ran into…” She gestures to
the ship behind them where the sounds of gunfire and metal rending still
continue, “whatever *that* is.”

DANI smirks, “Sounds like MASON. Tall man in full plate and a
holocaust cloak?”

“Yep.” TEDDY nods.

“The man we came here to find, in case you forgot…” KILLIAN interrupts.
“We should get going.”

“Right,” DANI agrees. TEDDY turns to leave, but KIDA stops her.

“Oh, no you don’t, Missy. You’re staying with us. This
conversation isn’t over. What’s your name?”

“TEDDY.” The pack makes hurried introductions before continuing toward
the ship. Most of the chaos seems to have died down. They can’t hear any more
shouts or gunfire. As they get closer, KILLIAN holds up a hand.

“You guys stay back. MASON doesn’t care for you much. Let me
handle this.” He continues forward a couple hundred feet. Stubborn as usual,
DANI follows behind while KIDA, NEMO and TEDDY hang back. “MASON!!” KILLIAN
calls out loudly. Moments later, MASON’s dark figure appears on the deck of the
ship. He leaps toward KILLIAN, almost completely covering the distance between
them. His claws are dripping with blood and glowing wickedly. Behind him, the
pack can see terrified women and children filing out of the ship, keeping as
far away from the dark knight as possible. Human trafficking ring…busted.
KILLIAN decides to cut right to the chase. “Are you looking for ANGEL?” MASON
stalks toward him, a murderous look in his eyes.

DANI intercepts him, fearing for KILLIAN’s life, “She’s safe.”
MASON releases a deep guttural growl and attacks DANI, effortlessly sending her
crashing into a pile of shipping crates several yards away, bleeding profusely
from her abdomen. TEDDY is sure she can see some of DANI’s insides oozing out.
Growling, she shifts to her *Urshul*
form, preparing to attack as MASON grabs KILLIAN by the neck and lifts him up
over his head. KIDA and NEMO both shake their heads at TEDDY, trying to keep
the young *Uratha* alive and hoping KILLIAN
is able to control the situation.

“Where is she?!” MASON demands of KILLIAN.

“If you kill us, you’ll never know.” KILLIAN chokes out.

DANI staggers to her feet, holding her abdomen. “We came here to
find you and tell you she was safe. We know how much she means to you.”

“WHERE?!!” MASON demands again, refusing to release his grip on
KILLIAN. He glares at the rest of the pack, and a horrible fear erupts from the
pits of their stomachs, washing upward and seizing their hearts. KIDA holds her
ground, but both TEDDY and NEMO’s knees buckle as they grip their chests. They
stagger backward, and then turn and run, trying to put as much distance between
them and the dark knight as possible.

KILLIAN forces himself to remain calm, “At our house… sleeping
peacefully…. We can take you to her.”

“Address!!” MASON growls. KILLIAN tries to withhold the
information, intending for all of them to go together, but can’t seem to hold
his tongue. He gives MASON the address. With that, the dark knight drops him unceremoniously
and disappears. KIDA calls JASON, ordering him to leave the house immediately
and disappear into Golden Gate Park.

“We need to get there first.” KILLIAN says as he and DANI rush
over to KIDA. “Let’s go!” Together, they turn and bolt away from the docks.
They are joined by TEDDY and NEMO, who have regained control. When they make it
back to their estate, JASON is sitting on the front lawn with ANGEL, having
decided to hold his ground as well. The pack surrounds JASON and ANGEL,
protecting them as MASON charges into view. JASON stands with ANGEL, and the
little girl reaches up to grab his hand. She does not seem frightened by MASON,
but obviously doesn’t want to leave JASON’s side. The dark knight stops at that
point, staring down the pack. This time, they all hold their ground resolutely.

“I told you she was safe,” KILLIANS says simply. “She is under our
protection.”

KIDA steps up next to KILLIAN, “MASON,” she addresses him firmly,
locking her eyes with his. The tone of her voice demands the dark knight’s
undivided attention, “What exactly do you want with her?” At that moment,
something shifts in MASON’s dark soul. In the moments that follow, MASON
reveals that he only wants to protect ANGEL. He doesn’t understand why, but he
has been inexplicably drawn to her from the moment he first laid eyes on her
eight years ago. She has remained in a coma, without aging, all this time. There
is a bond between them MASON can’t explain and he has watched over her ever
since. He doesn’t know who… or what… she is, or where she came from, only that
he must keep her safe. KIDA assures MASON the pack has the same goal, but
refuses to allow him to leave with her, which is obviously what he wants to do.
She is to remain at the estate, under the pack’s protection, but MASON is
welcome to visit her at any time. MASON is not happy with the arrangement, but agrees
to KIDA’s terms, much to the pack’s amazement. KIDA steps aside, allowing MASON
to approach ANGEL. MASON kneels before the little girl and says something to
her in a language the pack does not understand, at which point ANGEL
reluctantly releases JASON’s hand, and reaches up to hug the dark knight. He
picks her up gently and holds her for a moment before setting her back down.
Then he turns to leave.

“I’ll be back…” is all he says before disappearing once again into
the night. The pack breaths a collective sigh of relief, and DANI collapses
into unconsciousness, her adrenaline finally giving out. KILLIAN picks her up
and carries her inside. JASON, KIDA, TEDDY and NEMO follow behind with ANGEL.
NEMO has her arm around TEDDY and invites her to stay the night. KIDA looks at
her questioningly, but says nothing. KILLIAN continues upstairs with DANI and
places her in bed. Her wounds are grave, and he does his best to sew her back
up. When he returns downstairs a while later, he finds KIDA and NEMO in the
kitchen talking with TEDDY. JASON has gone upstairs with ANGEL to try and get
her to go back to bed. Apparently, TEDDY is only in training with the
Harbingers, not a member of their pack. She has lived in San Francisco her
whole life, but has just recently become an *Uratha*.
NEMO wants TEDDY to join their pack, but KILLIAN shakes his head.

“And why not?” NEMO asks “I’m adopting her! DANI got one, so I
should get one too. I choose TEDDY.”

“It doesn’t work that way,” KILLIAN continues. KIDA nods in
agreement. “What do we really know about her? She needs to prove herself, first
– show that she is committed to becoming a member of this pack.”

“I’m sitting right here…” TEDDY mumbles under her breath, annoyed
they are now talking about her in the third person. They don’t seem to notice.

“And how is she supposed to do that?” NEMO asks.

KILLIAN thinks for a moment, “Tomorrow is when we are supposed to
return to the druids, and DANI is undergoing their ritual. TEDDY can come
along. We’ll see how she does. Okay with you, TEDDY?”

TEDDY nods, “Absolutely.” At least they were including her in the
conversation again. That decided, the pack turns in for the evening. TEDDY
bunks with NEMO. JASON falls asleep in the chair next to ANGEL’s bed. KIDA and
KILLIAN retire to their rooms. KILLIAN, however, finds himself unable to sleep.
Eventually he gives up, and heads back downstairs. He can see the TV flickering
in the family room. He walks in to find MASON flipping awkwardly through
channels. It’s as if he’s never seen a TV before. He appears fascinated.
KILLIAN tries not to think about how easily he slipped back into their home
unnoticed as he sits next to him on the couch. There is a large duffel bag on
the floor next to MASON. Apparently, the dark knight was moving in. *Great… a vampire roommate.* KILLIAN is
almost ashamed at how cool that sounds in his head. DOM was not going to be
happy.

The next morning, the pack enjoys a hearty breakfast together.
DANI comes downstairs. She is moving very stiffly, but seems marginally better,
enough to give KILLIAN a hard time about how sloppy his sutures are. KILLIAN
updates everyone about their vampire roommate. MASON appears to have made
himself at home in their basement. KIDA is not surprised. NEMO seems to think
it’s rather cool. TEDDY and JASON don’t quite know what to make of it. DANI is
relieved someone will be able to stay with ANGEL tonight while they meet with
the druids. They decide to spend the day together. DANI brings up a rather
serious matter having to do with DOM. The pack can all agree he has been acting
strange lately, becoming more aggressive and distracted each day… ultimately
abandoning the pack at a critical juncture to settle a personal vendetta with
the *BNG*. DANI suspects he is displaying
symptoms of being *urged* by a spirit.
That is what was happening to the human influenced by the *Angel of Death* the night of DOM’s *First Change*. If DOM *is*
being *urged* and it is allowed to
continue, DOM could eventually become *claimed*.
At that point, the spirit will completely control him, and there will be no way
to save him. DANI does know a rite that can sever the spirit’s ties as long as
it is only *urging* DOM. She insists on
teaching it to the pack in case something happens to her tonight. They all try
to learn it, but only NEMO and JASON seem to come to a complete understanding
of the rite in the short time that they have.

The day passes quickly, and the time comes for the pack to return
to the druids. As they approach the campfire, they once again have to cross
through the ward depriving them access to their *Uratha* abilities. There are five druids and a dozen human followers
– one of them is DANI’s brother. SAM stands and embraces DANI warmly as WILLIAM
invites the rest of pack to join them around the fire. The pack can sense
several coyotes hiding in the edges of the woods surrounding the archery range.
The GREAT AK kept his end of the bargain. As the moon climbs toward its zenith,
the druids prepare DANI for the rite. Soon, it is time to begin. DANI slowly
becomes incapacitated as the rite builds, her body convulsing with pain. It is
hard for the pack to watch, but they promised DANI they wouldn’t interfere. NEMO
withdraws to the edge of the ward, trying to locate its source. Suddenly,
several spirits appear at the edge of the clearing. “We must stop this
travesty!” their leader exclaims. KILLIAN and KIDA recognize them as *Cahalinum*, the *lunes* representing DANI’s phase of the moon. Their presence is disconcerting.
Perhaps the druid’s ritual is more harmful than they anticipated. They shouldn’t
have underestimated them. The *lunes*
advance on the druids. As they do, *blood*
thorn servants *erupt from the ground around the druids, protecting them. The*
GREAT AK appears on the edge of the clearing as the *Cahalinum* and the *blood thorn*
servants *lock in battle. He holds up the gem KILLIAN gifted him with and*
crushes it in his hand. Immediately, the pack feels the ward drop. The GREAT AK
looks at KILLIAN, “Remember our agreement, *Uratha*!”
he bellows. KILLIAN reevaluates the situation, and comes to a decision. He
shifts to *Urshul*, now that the ward
is down, and attacks WILLIAM, who, though caught off guard, doesn’t seem all
that surprised at KILLIAN’s betrayal. The druid raises his hand and suddenly
all the humans surrounding them collapse to their knees and start coughing up
blood. KILLIAN’s blood begins to boil, driving him to his knees as he realizes
his blood is turning to silver. JASON flanks WILLIAM, and attacks from the
other side. TEDDY leaps at another druid. KIDA realizes the humans are dying,
and moves to pull SAM out of the circle, knowing that DANI would want her to
save her brother. WILLIAM grabs the closest human to him, pulling a ritual
knife from his belt and slitting his follower’s throat. JASON drops to his
knees as his blood begins to boil.

The combat devolves from there, the druids’ callously sacrificing
their human followers to bring powerful magic to bear against the pack. DANI’s
body is completely covered by *blood thorn*
servants*. In the end, the pack triumphs. None of the druids survive, and*
SAM is the only human that survives. JASON moves to extract DANI from the
remains of the *blood thorns*. As he
moves the vines aside, there are two beings lying underneath that smell like
DANI – a human and a *Garou*. The
druids didn’t “cure” her – they ripped her asunder, splitting her into a human
half and a spirit half. The spirit dissipates, returning to the *Shadow*, leaving only the human. JASON
picks her up and KIDA helps SAM to his feet. Their victory is bittersweet. They
have won their territory, but at what cost?

*The Story*
Continues…

Current Developments - Chapter 13 - Chapter 15