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Chapter 72: Trials of the Mind

Nathanial waved his paw to dismiss the spell, but the tentacles remained, "Eh?"

Marcia screamed, "Get rid of them!" He noticed the tentacles prodding the edges of the office, wherever they touched the paint began to crack and peel, as if it was aging at an insanely accelerated rate. Even the cement walls of the fortified structure began to crumble.

He yelled back, "I tried! They aren't dismissing!" He grabbed the pen before jumping aside as one of the tentacles tried to grab him. He studied the spell as he dodged around the lunging appendages, heading toward the office. "Oh, phooey." He found the problem, the extra Darkness he imbued them with was supplying power to them, meaning they didn't rely on him to keep them active. Eventually they'd run out of power, but eventually was too long to wait. He felt Snow becoming anxious, 'I'm fine, Snow. Wait there.'

"Child! What did you do!?" Zelda sounded terrified. Nathanial changed his mind and headed toward the core of the spell, at the centre of the room.

'Light or anti-magic?' Nathanial pondered, using telekinesis to help him jump over a tentacle that attempted to grab his head. Another one lunged at him, moving with more purpose than any had before. He gathered in a quick surge of magic and released it in a telekinetic bolt, slapping the tentacle aside. 'Light seemed to nullify the Weaken spell, without blowing anything up, but this is more powerful. What if it doesn't counter it, but makes it stronger? Or blows something up, this time?' The tentacles began smashing at the office, the Darkness in them gave them far more destructive power than would be expected, it made the concrete rapidly decay and fall of in large chunks. The screams became piercing as Marcia hit the microphone to try to yell at Nathanial to work faster. The two Mages raised the standard purple shield around the structure, but it just seemed to draw the attention of all of the tentacles within striking distance. Each blow caused black cracks to spread across the shimmering surface. 'Anti-magic it is. I don't have time to take a chance on Light.' He activated his mother's amulet. A tentacle lashed out at him, but faded away as it hit the edge of the aura. The remaining ones stopped attacking him and edged away. "Heh heh. Gotcha." A tentacle grabbed the desk and threw it at him, "Crap!" He ducked. The desk crashed to the floor behind him and broke apart, the ward on it having been destroyed by his aura. Several tentacles grabbed the wreckage and threw it Nathanial.

"Hurry up! Get rid of them!" The shield collapsed and a tentacle breached the office walls. "Now!"

'Marcia doesn't sound happy,' Nathanial thought wryly. He ducked to avoid the surface of the desk, but nearly jumped up into it when a crack of thunder resounded, accompanied by the flash of lightening. The probing tentacle fell limp, smoking, having been struck by Zelda's spell. He rolled aside as several more pieces of the desk were thrown with deadly speed and accuracy. He surged to his hindpaws and went to jump up to bring the aura into range of the core of the spell, but a piece of the desk hit him in the thigh, knocking him off balance. He growled in fury, "Fine!" He focused and expanded the aura, pushing as much magic as he could into it. The aura was rapidly growing outward when Nathanial suddenly saw the head of a... rooster? It had tattered feathers and patches of bruise coloured scales over its diseased looking head. Eyeless head. It squawked at him and Nathanial momentarily froze, remembering the last time he saw this thing. It had been perched on Inquisitor Lara May's back, its tentacles burrowed into the back of her head as it ate her magic, and the magic part of her brain. He screamed and dropped the anti-magic aura. The head pulled back before it's opening to wherever vanished. The tentacles faded out in less than a second, the Darkness powering them nullified by the aura. Nathanial curled up on the floor, whimpering and shaking, 'N-no, Snow. S-stay the-there.' Nathanial stayed where he was until a shaking paw touched his shoulder.

Marcia was pale and trembling as hard as he was, "Are you all right, Nathanial?" Her words barely registered, but after a moment he nodded. She sighed, "Good." She slumped to the floor beside him, "Gods, I need a drink." Other than the office and the desk, there was surprisingly little damage. The periphery of the room had very little paint left on it and the concrete was pitted and brittle, as if it had been exposed to the elements for over a century, but it hadn't faced direct attacks like the office. The wards that used to surround the room were gone, destroyed by the Darkness or the anti-magic aura, as if it made a difference which took them out. The windows and the computers in the office were surprisingly untouched.

His paw shook as he passed Marcia then pen, "H-here, your pen is still fine." He had no idea why that seemed important, but his mind told him it was imperative that the pen be kept safe. Marcia nodded and slipped it into her pocket. He looked around with wide eyes, "Its gone. Its gone."

Marcia sighed, "Yes, you managed to get rid of the tentacles. What happened? Why couldn't you dismiss them?"

Nathanial shook his head, "No. Not the tentacles. It. The thing." He shook violently, his mind still empty except the sight of that hideous head. Nothing seemed to register properly, he couldn't focus on anything else for more than a few seconds, "It... it was coming out again. The thing... it ate her magic, her brain. She was there, lying on the ground, it sat on her, eating, laughing at us." The thought of the rooster laughing struck him as funny, making him giggle, "Laughing at our magic. It was here, now. It wants me, they want me. The key, I am, the key to their prison." He looked around, the lights flickered as the wires supplying power to them had been aged and frayed by the tentacles, they were about to burn out any moment, "Like stars, they are. Twinkling little lights." A bank of lights went out, an omen of what was to come, "Beyond light, beyond dark, beyond it all. They wait, they sit, they plot." Marcia began edging away, Nathanial giggled at the futility of the motion. When they were free, there'd be nowhere to run, "Twinkle, twinkle. Little stars, they are so little, so young, children to them. Even the stars."

Zelda limped over, "Child? Marcia? What are you doing sitting on the floor? Let's go sit somewhere comfortable, at least." She cackled, "You better start calling in someone to replace me, Marcia, I won't be in to work. I'm taking a sick day, I may take a week. Hells, I'm getting far too old for this, I'm going to look to see if I can retire." Nathanial shook his head and tried to stand. His leg gave out and he fell to his knees. Zelda helped him stand, "Child, Nathanial, I've seen it all. I've been in this business my entire adult life. I've seen spells gone haywire, I've seen them backfire, I've seen anything you could imagine go wrong, go wrong. I saw one child cast Chill on his glass of water and set himself on fire!" She cackled, "Oh, that was something! He somehow screwed it up so he only cooled off the oxygen in the water, causing the molecules to separate. In that time we used metal pens, not plastic, and he was obsessively clicking the damned thing out of nerves. He made a spark, somehow, or heated it up enough that he set the hydrogen off." She shrugged, "It even might have been some static electricity, but he blew it up anyway." She fixed him with a dark glare, "But you, child, you didn't cause spells to mutate like most do, where the spell is far more likely to go wrong than right. You alter them, make them stronger, different, but they always work." She looked around, "Not necessarily the way you want, but it works." She waved at Marcia to get her to stand, "Fix the office, there. You both need to sit, and I can't carry him far." Marcia stood up, edging farther from Nathanial as she did. She cast her spell and the office began piecing itself together. It looked like the lingering Darkness in the damage was resisting it. Nathanial sighed and added extra Light energy to his spell and released it. The room pieced itself back together, and he saw the window flash as his magic was registered. Zelda snorted, "Child. Please, no more magic from you." She looked around, "Well done."

Marcia looked a little flushed. Nathanial noticed her body temperature and heart rate were higher, according to the office window, "Why wasn't my spell working?"

Nathanial felt his body start to shiver again; he felt cold, but his mind seemed to note the air was actually a bit warm. He limped alongside Zelda, one arm over her shoulder, "Too much Dark energy still in the cement. I added more Light energy into the spell to overcome it. Oh, I guess I know that one, too. Don't know what it's called, though."

The two Mages looked at each other, at the room, then back at him. Zelda hesitated, "Then how did you learn it? The grimoire you learned it from should have had a title on it. Mending isn't a Light spell, though. It's Earth."

Marcia glanced at Nathanial, "Repair and Augmented Repair are Earth and Light combined, they're primarily used by the law enforcement and cleaning squads. Agents use Repair frequently."

Nathanial nodded, "I learned it from Agent Ella." He noticed the paint was discoloured in one corner, "Oh, I need to fix that. The paint doesn't match the rest." He stepped away from Zelda and nearly fell on his muzzle.

Zelda caught him and pulled him back over, "Shush, child. We'll fix it later."

"But it's wrong! We have to fix it!"

"No, no. Not now. You need to help me to my chair, I'm old and I need to sit. Be a good pup and help this old woman to her seat."

He nodded and thought, 'That's right, I'm a good boy. She needs to sit, I have to help her sit. I must bring her to a seat so she can sit. I don't want Mom to be mad, I'm a good boy.' His good leg trembled and nearly gave out before he got it under control. They began to walk, slowly, and made it to the office.

"There, that's good. Now, we sit." Zelda lowered him into the seat closest to the door. Nathanial pulled his grimoire to him, put it on his lap, and kept a paw on it.

'I'm a good boy, see, we sat. See, Mom, we sat and she said I was good. I'm good, so you won't leave, not like Dad did. Why did he go? Wasn't I good? Don't leave me, Mom. It's dark. Why is it dark? Why did everyone leave me alone? I don't like the cupboard, leave me on the altar instead, I don't like the dark. So lonely.' Marcia came in behind them and closed the door, the click disrupted Nathanial's chain of thought. Marcia began moving along the wall to get to the far side of the office from Nathanial. Zelda sat in the other chair while Marcia leaned against the far wall. The shiny lights of the window display attracted Nathanial's attention. He smiled as he looked at the readout of his spell, "Heh, Bill Gates made this? He better, or you're in trouble for copyrights, you have a windows operating system." He chuckled, "Windows, 'cause it's, like, on a window."

Marcia shook her head, "I'm not the only one who needs a drink."

Zelda put her paw on Nathanial's head, her bracelets jingling as they slid up her arm, "Did you hit your head, child? You're acting... different."

The window beeped softly, it showed a rapid acceleration of Marcia's heart rate, "He's been... off since he screamed. Something about a thing coming after him."

Nathanial put his head in his paws and leaned down, whimpering, "They're there, waiting. Ever since they died. I killed them, they're calling them to get me. Him, the Priest, and Jezebel, the Hunter. They're the worst. The fall and the gun." He took a few deep breaths, he could see the Mages exchanging their bloody glances, again, behind his back. "It's... fine." His mind was slowly starting to... clear? No, not really, it was rather empty before. He was feeling a bit more normal, anyway, he couldn't even clearly remember what he was saying or thinking since he dropped the anti-magic aura. He sat up, shivering again. Liam said that was to be expected when a state of shock wore off. He looked at the computer display, and found the replay button. He set it to show the time period where the Binding Tentacle spell ended. It began to replay, but he wasn't on the screen, it showed a blank spot where he was supposed to be. He put it on slow motion, he saw a piece of desk fly into the empty spot, the spot fell a bit, and then began expanding. He advanced it frame by frame until he saw it. A slight distortion in the read out at the edge of the anti-magic aura. "There. That's where it was."

Zelda cleared her throat, "This... thing?" He nodded. "What is the blank spot?"

"An anti-magic field or aura. It's magic made by the Hunters or the Priests, by the ones who are after me, anyway." He advanced it a bit farther until the aura vanished, it showed him barely balanced on one hindpaw, mouth open in a terrified scream. The distortion where the thing was became less pronounced, but it still hid the details of what lay inside it. It was obvious there was something in there. "This is the same creature that ate Lara May's magic. You said you had a recording of the fight? It should be on that, I think. I don't remember it at all, I just remembered this much when I saw the thing again."

Zelda's voice was quiet, "There's nothing after you pulled... Gordon Ahjee, I think his name was, out of the pool."

He shrugged, "Oh. I should've left him in there. I don't know how long it was after that that Lara got hurt."

Marcia sounded hesitant, "How could you forget something like your fight? Was... were you... Does this happen... often? Where you... see things?"

Nathanial rolled his eyes, 'Another person thinks I'm crazy.' He kept his voice level, "I see things all the time, Marcia." He suddenly noticed they were underground. There was a river overhead, and the Parliament buildings were just a bit off to the side, "We're under Parliament Hill? The Rideau Canal? They let you build these offices under the Parliament?" He sighed as they exchanged glances, "You two have to stop doing that. I see magic, I also see everything around me. The range and stuff depends on if I'm actively looking, or how distracted I am. I wasn't looking around till now, and I was pretty distracted, but... Doesn't matter, I guess. I forgot the fight because I was made to forget it, the memories were sucked out of me." He reached his mind out to the magic of the computer, 'I wonder if I can clean up that image.'

"Your memories were taken? By whom? An Agent?" Zelda sounded horrified, "That's not for them to decide, if it's deemed dangerous to your mental health then it should come to us, Children's Services, to determine how to proceed. That's the only reason to alter a Mage's memories, it's not like you're a Fur."

"Furs should have just as many rights and protections as anyone else. They're people, too." He idly commented as his mind probed the surprisingly intricate magic of the screen; it seemed this was just the display, all of the main computing power lay elsewhere. He sent his mind out to look for the main computer, the server or mainframe, he guessed. He didn't think he could do anything to enhance the image here, though he knew it could be done. He saw it done on TV enough.

Zelda sounded patient, "Yes, Nathanial, but they just don't understand our world, they're safer and happier not knowing. Look at the Knights, they find out about us and they want to kill us."

"Actually, no, they don't. They find out about us, see how we treat them and think of them, and they want to protect themselves from us. Most of them, anyway. Certainly not all. Then, as a counter argument to the bad Knights, look at the Monks. They want to bring the two worlds together in harmony. Also, how do you know Furs are safer and happier not knowing? Have they ever been given the chance to live with us, as equals? It's not like anyone could be happy living as a slave or a lower class citizen, if they're lucky enough to be a citizen." He was moving a little cautiously around, he figured there'd be traps or something to keep people from tampering with the main offices, but there was surprisingly little magic. Sure, almost all the offices had minor wards to prevent eavesdropping and to alert security if there was trespassing, but nothing big. Then, he found it. A huge chunk of magic sat in a large air conditioned room, it nearly made him collapse, well, if he'd been standing he might have.

Marcia looked at him closely, "Are you all right?"

Zelda was also watching him, "What are you looking at, now? The computer?"

Nathanial barely heard them, "Um, huh? I mean, pardon? Yeah, yeah. Hephaestus must be impressed with the server you guys have. It's... wow." He moved in to examine it more closely, the way he did when he looked at Principal Davis' or Lara May's minds. He didn't hear the alarm go off in the office warning of high levels of stress, or the Mages' exclamations of warning and surprise. He was drawn into another realm. Sort of.

He found himself in a blank, grey, world, with a sign floating in front of him. It was the only thing visible from his position to the horizon. It read "User Name", below that "Password", and "Spell Key". He frowned, "I don't have one."

There was a ding noise and the sign flashed "User name and password incorrect" before returning to the input screen. He could faintly feel his body being shook and Zelda saying, "He's unresponsive! Should we call security or a healer?"

Marcia cursed, "He must be trying to access the server, or have been trapped by it somehow. Damn that pup! How does he do this? I have no idea how his magic is going to interact with the computer systems! Let me see if I can still log in and check if there's an unauthorized access."

The screen flashed the word "Analyzing..." for a second, then popped up "User Identified: Nathanial Cheiron Marks. Child of Registered Mage: Garret Wallace Marks. Processing..." Nathanial tapped his muzzle and tried to pace around the floating sign, but it rotated to keep facing him. Remaining constantly behind the sign he could see a birth certificate, with his name on it, and a form registering him as Garret's son. The sign went ping and a new message popped up, "User Name Generated: MarksNa95." Beneath that it had "Password: MarksNa95." Then, "Spell Key: Chill." There was another line break then "Please change password on initial login. Confirmation e-mail has been sent to [email protected]"

Nathanial growled slightly, "How do they have my e-mail address? I never gave it to them." The computer pinged, again, and the login window flashed up, "Fine. User: MarksNa95, Password: MarksNa95." He thought for a second and cast Chill on the sign; he had trouble casting his magic like this, so he applied a bit more power to it.

The window chimed and flashed up, "Processing..." The ellipse kept cycling through, going from one dot, to two, then three, before going back to one dot. A second window appeared, "Compiling User Data. Please Stand By." Behind the two windows he could see data being compiled; his school records appeared for a split second, videos of the test he was just doing, a glimpse of him facing Gordon Ahjee across the pool, security camera footage from the high school, and more. The scenery shivered around him and he was jolted out of the system by a splash of cold water on his face.

Zelda lowered her arm, the window behind her showed Summon Water was recently cast. Her voice, however, was dry, "Welcome back, child. What were you up to?" Beneath the analysis of the Summon Water spell was a small message box with 'Processing...' on it.

He cast Drying on himself, "I was looking at the server out of curiosity. He kinda brought me into a... mental depiction of himself, the same way that happens when I get into people's heads. He recognized me and created a user name for me." He tapped his muzzle, "How do I cast a 'spell key' on something?"

Marcia sighed, "There are forms to be filled to get an account on the server. On acceptance of the request we'd send you a package explaining it all, along with a USB spell tag for you to cast the spell on. When it's plugged into a computer, or anything with net access, it'll allow you to access our server."

A soft ping sounded behind her, the box briefly showed "Data Compiled, User Account Generated." Then it was replaced by, "Analyzing Data. Processing..."

He nodded, "That sounds handy, I was wondering how you handled communications. So, um, the test. What now?"

Zelda held her paws up, "Any more 'now' will be without me. I'm going home."

Marcia sighed, "I have a lot of work to do, but I'm in no shape to do it right now. I'll have to get started first thing in the morning, before the server is shut down and a replacement is installed. The techs are going crazy trying to back everything up."

The sign on the window blinked off for a second, before a new one said, "New High Priority Data Received" then, "Processing..." appeared.

"So... how long will it be before I can expect some sort of analysis of the test? Or will there be more tests done first?" Nathanial scuffed the floor with a hindpaw, then caught the chair as he started to slowly spin around.

Zelda cackled, "Analyze this?!" She gestured broadly to include everything, "Child, child, child... we could be spending years trying to work out some of this, mostly because of all the paperwork we'd have to fill out, but still, I have no idea what to make of your fiascos."

A second, larger, message box popped up, "Analyzing..."

Marcia noticed this box, "What's this? What is it analyzing?"

Nathanial shrugged, "My tests, I guess, he said he was analyzing right after Zelda said, 'analyze this', he probably thought it was a command."

Zelda shook her head, still amused, "First the rat, now the computer. You don't need to think of everything so... compassionately, child. Thinking of the rat that way was endearing, but it's a computer, not a living creature. It doesn't have feelings."

Nathanial smiled bashfully, "I suppose, but I don't want to get in the habit of treating things rudely. Who knows, maybe he will get feelings at some point, like Data on Star Trek: The Next Generation."

The window made a louder musical tune, "Analysis Complete," appeared, followed by, "Analysis: High magical aptitude, little control, no detectable training. Conclusion: Potential asset. Threat level high. Recommendation: Immediate enrolment in intense training focused on control. Alternate Recommendation: Immediate neutralization."

Zelda hissed as she finished reading, "Delete alternate recommendation! There will be no further suggestion of 'neutralizing' a Mage child! Ever!"

"Command Not Accepted. User: KyreaZe. User Not Permitted to Delete/Alter Recommendations."

Marcia rubbed her temples, "Nathanial? What did you do to the server?"

"Me!? I didn't tell it to neutralize me!" Nathanial was aghast, both at the suggestion that this was his fault and that the computer wanted him dead. The window pinged and the text 'alternate recommendation' was highlighted and flashed for two seconds.

Marcia growled softly, "Remove the alternate suggestion from the analysis and send a copy to my manager, user... BelivJP. Also send a message stating I'll begin my analysis tomorrow, if I'm well enough to work." She turned to Nathanial, "I'm taking you home, now. I need to relax and get a drink before I can do anything else. I need to make sure this is logged and the techs know about the new... quirks of the server, maybe they're trying out the new operating system on a test run tonight. I don't know what to think of it."

The message box blinked a few times, Nathanial nodded and waved at Zelda and the computer, "Bye." Marcia put her paw on his arm, and that disquieting compressed feeling happened again. They appeared on the front porch, and Nathanial opened the door. He stepped in and held the door for her, "Please, come in. I'm sure Dad had some things he still wanted to ask you, I can get some wine for you, too, if you want. Or Dad can get you something harder, I don't have access to that."

Her lips quirked into a tiny smile, "Does he know how to massage?"

Nathanial shrugged, "One of my friends does, but he's probably busy. I can ask, I have to let him know I'm safe, anyway. He may ask you to pay his fee, since he's a licensed therapist. Dad can probably help you relax, even if his not a professional masseuse. We have a massage table in our gym, or he can bring you upstairs for more privacy." He gently put a paw on her arm and drew her inside, closing the door behind him. He sent his mind out to his father, who was sitting on the couch playing Mario Kart with Nicholas and Micah. Nathanial frowned, *Dad!* Garret jumped, guiltily. *They're still grounded! Marcia's here, I think she wanted to talk to you about the hells I put her through. Send them back to their rooms, now.*

Garret ducked his head, "Sorry. I'm on my way. Sorry, guys, Dad's home, you've got to go back to your rooms. Sounds like he had a rough day, so you better hurry." Nicholas briefly smiled, but looked a little worried as he shut everything down and they scampered off to their separate rooms. Garret quickly jogged up the stairs.

Nathanial led her to the sitting room, where Garret was just bringing out a tray with some chocolate covered strawberries, two wine glasses with a bottle of Canadian ice wine, and a small assortment of tarts. Marcia smiled, "Hello, again, Mr. Marks. I brought your son home, safe and sou... sooner than I expected."

Nathanial caught that, she didn't want to say 'sound', as if she was sure he was crazy. For some reason that didn't bother him too much, but Garret dropped the paw he had just lifted for a kiss. His tone was a little sharp, "You think my son is crazy?" He glanced at Nathanial, who got the hint.

"I have homework to do, if you'll excuse me, Marcia."

She was frowning at Garret, but glanced at him, and nodded, "I'll probably be in touch with you early next week. Have a good night."

"Good night." He turned and trotted downstairs, closing the doors on both ends of the staircase. Marcia continued, "He was talking about some thing coming out of somewhere, something that ate... Lara May? The Investigator he fought?" Garret nodded. "Ate her magic and her brain."

Garret paled, "It came back? It's real, it isn't a hallucination."

Marcia paled, too, but she continued, "When he started talking about it he wasn't... lucid. He started going on about stars and twinkling. And how he was the key to their prison, these things are after him to try to get out."

Garret shivered, "Gods, that rhyme's going to keep haunting my nightmares. The Hunters said he was the key, too. He's been really traumatized this month, but on both those counts, it seems he's right. He needs rest, Marcia, time to recover from everything he's been through. If I had a choice, I would've insisted this test be delayed, it isn't helping. I have the best healer in the area looking after him, he's sees him daily, in fact, but the only real help he can get is a break from all of this stress." Nathanial put his grimoire on his bed and stripped down to his boxers. He sent his homework out to the table and pulled out his phone. Garret poured a small amount of wine in their glasses, then pulled out a lighter to light some candles.

Marcia smiled, "Nathanial had a good idea, when I said I needed a massage, and something stiffer than wine. He said we could go upstairs for some privacy, if you're willing to give me a massage."

Garret smiled, his tail wagging quickly, "I'm willing, but I'm not as good as the healer is. I'll show you some of the other drinks, and then send these upstairs."

Nathanial pulled his mind away and called Liam as he began his homework.

---

Liam glanced at the empty seat next to him as he got up from his desk after the last period of the day, Nathanial having gone with that Knight Templar police officer for the job shadow. Nathanial had been most temperamental this morning, his emotions swung wildly the entire walk. They had managed to extract his tale of the previous evenings events, including the disturbing recommendation and unusual behaviour of the Arcane Society's computer 'server'. Liam was unsure as to what it was 'serving', presumably information, but he did not wish to ask. However, it was merely a computer, it could not do anything on its own. Liam found himself dwelling on the reappearance of this magic eating planar monstrosity The damage it had inflicted upon Lara, while deserved, was still... unpleasant. He was also concerned about Nathanial being in the presence of a Knight for such a long time. Then, there was his own problems, Muireann and the rest if his family. He was about to leave the classroom when Ms. Paul called to him, "Smith, a word."

"Yes, Ms. Paul?" He stood aside and let the remaining students through.

"Here is Nathanial's French homework. Are you all right? You looked... distracted today." Ms. Paul leaned back against her desk, arms folded over her stomach. Her left hindpaw was crossed over her right.

He sighed, "I am. Things are getting complicated, again. I do not entirely approve of Nathanial going on this job shadow, it is too soon for him to have those wounds reopened."

Ms. Paul smiled, "I agree, but Mr. Ryhorski thinks it might be good for him, and he's the professional. Is that the only reason you've been having trouble, today?"

Liam hesitated, "It is all I wish to speak of. There are family issues, with extended family, and it is occupying much of my mind." He thought of his upcoming visit home. No, not home, to Cork. It was no longer home. If any place of his past was home, it was his old monastery in China, but he saw Muireann in his minds eye, and doubted himself. In his mind, she was there, as she was every day, holding his paw as he continued to slip away from them. She would read to him, help him eat, care for him for hours on end. She had her flaws, all of his children did, everyone did, but she had so many good qualities, too. The thought of her being... silenced because she could not exercise restraint and common sense was painful. Yet he knew he would not protest against the will of the new Alpha, he could not.

He nearly jumped as a paw touched his shoulder, "Very well, Smith, I won't pressure you, but I think you need to talk to someone. You aren't yourself. And, please, don't forget that my offer still stands to help you try to understand why that choker means so much to you. I've been talking to the elders and learned some of our rituals to help you, if you want it."

He smiled and bowed, "I am grateful, but my answer is still the same. My friends need me, and, until things are quieter for them, I do not wish to have yet another distraction upon my mind."

She smiled as she fondly shook her head, "I know, but remember there are times when you need to look after you first."

"I am aware of that, Ms. Paul. I will not forget, but this is not one such time. My quest for understanding can wait a few weeks or months. My soul is not going anywhere, nor is the choker. Should there be something to find out about this, they will still be there."

She laughed, "And so will I. Have a good day, Smith."

"And you as well."

He began to leave the room when she said, "May the Creator smile upon you."

He answered, without thought, "Until we gather around the Great Fire once more." It was not until he was halfway down the hall that he noticed she had spoken to him in Mi'kmaq, or that he had responded in kind. He shook his now aching head and put it out of his mind as he hastened to catch the bus; Faelen and Geoff had soccer practice today, leaving him alone. It was almost amusing how the thought of being alone upset him after a mere month of their company.

He sighed as he headed back inside the school, his conversation with Ms. Paul and the early arrival of the bus had meant he would be late getting to the Kwoon for Kung Fu. He decided to walk into the office to check on Mrs. Davis, her health had been troubling him. He walked in, nodded to the temporary secretary, and glanced toward the office. The lights were off. He turned to the young hyena, "Mr. Drake, is Mrs. Davis still in?" Mr. Gomeche had not returned since Monday, and Mr. Drake had come in to take his place until the horse's return. His scent was that of a Spirit, and his Chi confirmed it.

Mr. Drake smiled, "Yes, Mr. Smith," His smile faded, "But she's suffering one of those headaches, again." He shook his head sadly, "I hope she finds out what's wrong, soon."

Liam nodded in agreement, lowering his voice, "You are recently arrived in this area, do you have contacts within the local Spirit Clan, yet? I am unsure of the protocol for moving from one Clan's jurisdiction to another's, but I am aware that another family that moved here was obligated to notify them of their arrival. There were other factors in that notice, but I would not wish for you to cause trouble."

Mr. Drake looked confused, but his chi was roiling with fear, "I have no idea what you're talking about. What's a Spirit?" He ran a paw through the longer reddish-brown fur on the top of his head.

Liam smiled, "Very well, Mr. Drake, I will speak no more of it, but be aware I am not the only one who knows you are here. Please note that Mrs. Davis has recently joined the Monks; she is one you may speak to, should you wish, though she will only be able to provide a willing ear to listen. I will speak with her, now, those headaches are causing me concern. Do not call her, the noise of the phone causes pain." Mr. Drake nodded and warily watched Liam walk to the principal's office. He softly tapped on the door, "Mrs. Davis, I am entering." He slipped inside, placed his gym bag by the door, and silently padded to her desk. She winced as she slowly lifted her head, "No, place your head back down, madam." She lowered her head carefully to the desk, next to the wet spots caused by her tears. He gently put his paws on the back of her neck, carefully massaging the tense muscles, and sending small spikes of chi into her system to dull the pain. He gently moved his paws up to her head and began checking for the source of this problem. He involuntarily drew in a sharp breath, causing her to flinch and gasp. He sent more chi into her, smoothing out the disrupted flows around the tumours. "Mrs. Davis, you have seen your doctor, what is his word? Or her word?"

Mrs. Davis sat up, but let Liam continue to rub her neck and shoulders, "Oh, bless you, Smith, you don't know how good that feels. The pain is almost gone for the first time in a week. Dr. Ping doesn't know what's wrong, but it sounds like it may be a concussion or a side effect of the chemicals. I'm supposed to get some tests done in November, an MRI and a CT scan."

Liam stopped a sigh of relief, "Dr. Sara Ping?" Mrs. Davis seemed surprised, but carefully nodded, "I will borrow your conference room to make some phone calls. I will attempt... I will return shortly."

She carefully stood, "What's wrong? You... you pups seem to know a lot of things you shouldn't. Si, um, Si Jo, please, tell me."

Liam glanced at her out of the corners of his eyes, "I am bound by the code of conduct for practitioners of alternative medicines, I cannot diagnose." He held an arm and helped her walk with him, nearly wincing at how frail she felt, "However, I cannot deny you access to an office in your own school while I speak to your general practitioner about my suspicions." He walked into the conference room, Mrs. Davis made her way to her chair and sat down, while Liam pulled out his phone and dialled the number to Dr. Ping's office.

"Dr. Ping's office, please hold." The female voice on the other end was a bit brusque, but still pleasant enough.

"This is Liam Smith, I need to speak to Dr. Ping about Jordan Davis as soon as possible."

"Mr. Smith? Yes, of course. Please, let me put you on hold for one moment."

Thirty seconds later the phone was picked up, "Smith, Ping here. What's did you find out?"

Dr. Sara Ping was an elderly Chinese tiger, she was very competent and they had a good working relationship. She must be very busy to skip pleasantries in such a manner. "She has a series of rapidly growing tumours in her brain, running from her temporal lobe to her occipital lobes, concentrated to areas dealing with memory. I want her to see Dr. Solmes today or tomorrow, I will make the call myself if you think it would help. I also want her tests pushed up to tomorrow, I cannot begin my portion of the treatments without them." Mrs. Davis was silent, she appeared stunned.

Dr. Ping paused, "That bad, Honoured Grandfather? Send me a list of the treatments you'll use and you can start. I'll send a fax off to Dr. Solmes, but things will go quicker if you call."

"Very well, thank you, Doctor. Good day." He hung up, "Who can we get to drive, Mrs. Davis? We are going to my office. I will prepare some medication to deal with the pain and reduce the swelling."

"Cancer? I... have cancer?" Her eyes were brimming with unshed tears.

Liam walked over, sat beside her, and put his paw on hers, "Tumours, yes, my girl. But, cancer, no, no. Not quite. Malignant, these are not, but growing too fast. Treatments are needed, and soon, but hope is also needed, yes?" He chuckled quietly, a good disposition and humour from the healer was just as important as anything else. Treat the soul while treating the body and mind. He gently patted her paw and smiled kindly, coaxing out a small, tremulous, smile from the younger cougar, "There, good to see a smile from a beautiful young lady, even at my age, yes?" He chuckled again, carefully rising to his hindpaws as he glanced around the hall for his cane. One of those blasted novices must have moved it, again. They enjoyed teasing him, until he called them out in practice, and showed them that even an old master could still throw them around easily. He carefully walked toward the door, it would turn up, it always did. "Come, come, do not lollygag, my girl. Leaving, now, yes? Yes, yes."

Little Jordan seemed confused, "Honoured Grandfather?"

"Hmm?" He glanced back over his shoulder, she was still seated, "Trouble moving? Foolish, foolish." He carefully began walked back, with his slow, measured steps, "Ignoring patient, no, no, no. Not proper, not at all." She stood up, placing her paws on the table for a second as her chi indicated an intense bout of vertigo, "An arm, for support, yes?"

She took it, still confused, "Smith? Is...? What...?"

Liam shook his head, forcing the echo of Song Li back into his resting place in his soul, "Yes, Mrs. Davis? I was merely distracted for a moment, please, let us make haste. I wish to have you see Dr. Solmes, today if at all possible." He grimaced slightly, "You have been talking to some of the Monks, that is good, it is not so good that they are teaching you those... nicknames. I accept Si Jo, it is my title in Kung Fu, Honoured Grandfather is... not so appreciated." He helped her gather her things from her office, picked up his gym bag, and walked toward the front office.

She smiled, blushing a little, "More or less appreciated than Old Soul?"

He growled, "Much more. Do not use that one again, and please remind those who use it not to. It is not appreciated, in any way, shape, or form." They walked out into the main office, "Mr. Drake, I require your assistance. We need to get medical attention for Mrs. Davis. If you have a driver's licence, I need you to provide transportation for us." He frowned, inwardly, as he kept his face impassive, 'It appears I will not be going to Kung Fu at all.'

Mr. Drake looked extremely surprised, "Mrs. Davis? I, yes, I just got my international licence the other day. We drive on the right side, correct?" Liam glanced at Mrs. Davis, who also looked uncertain, "A joke, we drive on the right side in Sudan, too. South Sudan, now." He smiled broadly. Liam was uncertain if it was due to the joke or the sundering of his homeland. "Let me grab my kit and go." He put on his heavy winter coat, a pair of gloves, and walked out the door. He held it for them before poking his head into the staff room, "Rufus, I'm driving Mrs. Davis to the hospital, no one's in the office." He led them to a... rust bucket, if Liam had the correct term. There was certainly more rust than car; Liam was uncertain what is was when it was still a living vehicle and not a zombie.

Mrs. Davis dug into her purse, "We'll take my car. You can drive a standard, Jon?" He nodded, and she gave him the keys and led them to her Jaguar XK convertible coup. Mr. Drake's eyes lit up, and he slipped into the driver's seat with a chuckle. Liam's ears twitched at the trace of the cackle that echoed within the noise. How he hated that sound.

He pulled out his phone, and was soon greeted by, "Dr. Solmes office." He began quietly arranging treatment for his new patient as the car smoothly slid out onto the road.