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