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Chapter 94: Crushing Spirits

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Nathanial sat on Faelen's bed -- facing away from the Wolf -- and periodically winced as Faelen's brush found a new clump in his back-fur. Sleeping with wet fur prompted the formation of a lot of tangles. He had his own brush floating behind Faelen, gently working through the smoke-grey fur. Nathanial sighed with contentment, despite the occasionally painful tugs.

He glanced over his shoulder at his friend. "Did you, um, hear anything about what Liam and Conor were talking about?"

Faelen paused slightly before answering, "No. I heard my name mentioned, something about privacy, and your name. I wasn't trying to hear and they weren't talking loud. If we're supposed to know, they'll tell us."

"I know, but it's..." He paused. "You're right. Liam will tell me if he thinks it's my business, but he seems to be restricting information about stuff he thinks will upset me."

Faelen leaned forward to rub his nose along the bottom of Nathanial's ear. "He has reason to, pup. You have far too much going on, and your heart can't take any more stress. Let us help you as we can so you can relax. Trust us."

Nathanial twisted around and licked Faelen's nose, smiling softly. "I do, Faelen. I trust the three of you completely, but...I..." He chuckled and turned back around. "I worry too much. I'm so used to taking care of Nick and Mike that I have trouble sitting back and letting other people do things. I've done everything, or oversaw it, in my family for almost my entire life; sitting out and letting other people do things for me is almost as stressful as taking care of it on my own."

The door clicked open and Liam walked in. He paused in the doorway, meeting their gazes for a moment before his eyes travelled over them in appreciation. A small smile teased the corners of his mouth, partially driving away the signs of grief. "This room has given me some very pleasant views." He walked over and stopped by the bed. "Good afternoon to you both." He nuzzled Nathanial's ear before turning to Faelen. He grabbed the Wolf's scruff and gently pulled his head back to give him a deep kiss. "It has become a better afternoon now that you have awoken, my love." He kissed Faelen again before releasing him.

Nathanial could still see the deep pain in the Rottweiler's eyes. That and the suit reminded Nathanial of the funeral beginning in a little over a half-hour. If only there was something he could do to help. He thought of all the magic he'd heard of and one relevant topic -- one constant across many genres -- came up: Resurrection. Whatever name it used -- Resurrection, Raise Dead, Revive, Life, Phoenix Down, what have you -- it all amounted to the same thing. Usually the hard part was convincing the soul to return, but if he could get Muireann's body to function, Liam should be able to call her soul back. Between the two of them there shouldn't be any reason why Muireann couldn't be revived.

He looked at Liam, noticing that the Rottie was looking back at him cautiously. "Um, Liam... I was just thinking..." He trailed off, uncertain of the best way to ask this. Liam just waited, so Nathanial blurted it out. "I want to raise Muireann from the dead. Can you call her soul back?"

Faelen nearly fell off the bed, shocked and aghast.

Liam just drooped. His ears sank onto his head, tail fell limp, and his head slumped to his chest. His voice was barely audible. "No. You cannot bring her back, nor can I recall her soul. She has died and will stay that way."

Nathanial wasn't willing to give up that easily. "But if I can..."

"No! It cannot be done! It should not be done! She is gone, Nathanial! If I thought, even remotely, even knowing how many magical laws you can break, that she could be returned, I would have sought you out immediately! My daughter is gone, Nathanial! Do not torment me in this fashion."

The anguish in his voice hurt Nathanial deeply, cutting off his retort: 'Why are you so sure, Liam? What harm can trying to revive her do? She's already dead, it's not like she can get any worse.'

Faelen climbed off the bed and hugged Liam, rubbing his back. "I don't understand your refusal to try any more than Nathanial seems to, Liam, but we'll let it be. It's just too bad she didn't go with the other O'Conall women on that kayak trip. The Fates weave as the Fates will."

"And not even the gods -- or Mages -- can deny them." Nathanial could barely hear Liam's response, it was so faint.

He did hear about the kayakers. "These ladies, are they back? Will they be here for the funeral, or did they even hear about it?"

Liam gently pushed Faelen back. "Get ready, please. I am well." He looked at Nathanial sadly. "They have heard, but they are in Northern Ireland at the moment, rounding the tip of the island. They have stopped for the day and will be listening to the funeral with their wireless phones. Spirit funerals are quite short -- correction, the Cork Clan's funerals are quite short -- I do not know how they are done elsewhere. There will be extensive socialization, eating, and drinking in her memory for the rest of the day. The O'Conall women do not have passports -- nor any other identification -- and are thus incapable of returning swiftly." Liam's despondent expression lifted. "Incapable without the assistance of a Mage who routinely breaks magical laws, that is." He stepped past Faelen to put his paw on Nathanial's shoulder. "Please, would you be willing to open a portal to bring them back? If so, I can inform Conor so he may phone them with the news. They may or may not wish to terminate their trip, but they would most certainly wish to be here for this."

Nathanial immediately nodded. "Of course I can do that. It would be a one-way trip unless someone stayed behind, but I can easily get them and their gear back." He looked at Faelen. "Is my fur all right? I can get Nicholas to get any remaining clumps later tonight; I just want to make sure it's not sticking up or anything." He felt a pang of worry as he thought about his brothers. He really hoped they were okay -- not just okay but happy. Did they get through the weekend alright without him? Did they cause any trouble? Did... Did Gordon find them, or Beriatana? He desperately pushed his worries aside and focused on the now -- helping Liam.

Faelen shook his head. "No, it's fine. You'll have a lot of knots to work out, though. But why the rush? It'll take them ten minutes or so to get ready, anyway."

"He is right, Nathanial." Liam gently pushed Nathanial into a seated position on the bed. "Sit, get brushed, and I will fetch you when they are ready."

The Rottie went to leave, but Nathanial stopped him. "Liam, one second!" His friend paused just outside the cubicle. Nathanial quickly cast Drying on him. "Your suit was wet from when you hugged Faelen. You're good to go now."

"My thanks." He bowed then turned sharply and strode out of the room.

Nathanial and Faelen waited until Liam was out of earshot. Nathanial spoke first. "How bad is he?"

"Hmm." Faelen sighed and shook his head. "It's really hard to tell, even for me. That he showed as much as he did means it's really wearing on him. When you asked about reviving Aunt Muireann his pain broke through, but Liam has buried most of his emotions so deeply that he can barely feel them. I know he hurts more than he's showing, but I can't smell his emotions when he buries them and I'm having trouble reading him through our link. It's like he's trying to hide them from me." The Wolf sighed again and resumed brushing Nathanial's back. "Which may be the case. He said he could feel his emotions through me when he couldn't really feel them himself, so in order for him to not feel his grief, I have to not feel it."

Nathanial was about to ask something else, but Faelen's muzzle quirked into a mischievous smile and he kept talking. "Probably because Hades doesn't like people coming back from the dead. How often did the great heroes ever come back or bring someone else back from the dead? I think it was less than a pawful out of thousands of years of recorded history. Liam's pretty serious about that sort of thing...at least where the Lord of the Underworld is involved."

Nathanial's tail wagged as he laughed. "I guess you're getting to know me pretty well, too. That was what I was going to talk about." He sobered up. "You're right, about both of them. Even the number of times a hero went to the Underworld to try to bring someone back is rare." He tapped his muzzle in thought. "Huh. It's true -- not that I'm an expert on the ancient texts -- but in every case of someone getting brought back, didn't a living person have to physically enter the Underworld to retrieve the soul?"

"I think so. The Christians claim they've had people come back without that, but they claim lots of farfetched stuff in their myths. Orpheus and Hercules are the only two who went to the Underworld that come to mind right away."

"Hercules was there to fetch Cerberus for one of his labours, not to bring someone back. Orpheus did get Hades to surrender a soul, but only because Orpheus charmed Persephone with his beautiful music. Orpheus was a demigod, like Hercules; he was the son of Apollo." Nathanial stood up to let Faelen brush his legs. "Anyway, it upset Liam, which is the opposite of what I wanted to do. I just hope we can help him through this; I don't like thinking that he's hurting and there's nothing I can do."

Faelen worked the brush over Nathanial's rump and was silent until he finished tending to them, though he did seem to take a little longer than necessary and used his paws more than he did on Nathanial's back. "I think being here with him is all he needs." They fell silent and finished brushing each other.

---

Geoff rose from his seat in the amphitheatre and stretched. He was glad the ceremony wasn't a long one because he felt really restless. He didn't have time to work out before it and now he really needed to burn off some energy.

The amphitheatre was in a gigantic cave that formed a nice bowl-shape; it easily seated the entire clan. The McDougals always had preferential seating, along with the O'Conalls and any family members of the Council. Everyone else sorted themselves out, usually by rank. Nathanial, Liam, and Kiera (as an escort) were seated way up in the 'rafters' and, looking up at them, he could see that there was a large empty space all around them where no Spirits sat.

The O'Conalls had all filtered out first, as was the right of the grieving family, and the McDougals made their way out after them, with Alpha McDougal leading the way.

Geoff could feel his tail twitching in irritation at the 'stately' pace they had to take to make their way out, and heard Faelen chuckle behind him. He muttered quietly enough that only Faelen could hear him, "Oh, be quiet. You know I hate stuff like this."

Faelen leaned in to whisper in his ear, "You look like Ms. Paul did whenever she had to talk to Mr. Harper."

The image of the Lynx -- their homeroom teacher -- with her fur all bristled and claws flexing as she tried to stare down the much larger panther, made Geoff smile. 'Gods, it feels like months since the last time we had school. What a crazy few days.'

They eventually made it out into a cavern beneath the main entrance. The two caverns were of a similar size (though this one didn't have huge blast doors blocking a tunnel to the surface), and the one they stood in had several gardens and fountains scattered around. Each 'floor' had a similar cavern that served as the central point for their respective level of the caves. To Geoff's left were the ramps that served as the main means of transiting between levels. They were broad, gently sloped, and curled around in a large corkscrew as they delved hundreds of metres into the Irish rock.

Geoff had just started trotting over to them when he heard his name being called. "Geoff! Hey! Hey, Geoff!" The Wolf turned to see Bran Ap Dafydd waving excitedly as he stepped out of another exit from the amphitheatre. The young Spirit ran over with two more of Geoff's friends, Laurentia (Lauren) Cadogan and Irwyn O'Donovan. Bran shouted back over his shoulder to the two older Spirits. "See! Told you he'd be here!" He seemed oblivious to Lauren's nervous attempts to shush him, and to how his excited shouts echoed in the nearly silent cave full of mourners.

Geoff's family went on ahead when he stopped to let the three Wolves join him. Faelen, of course, stayed behind to watch over him. It had been over a month since he spent any time with them and he hoped to have a chance to talk with them before he had to go back to Nova Scotia. 'Talking,' however, usually just meant Bran and him talking while the other three threw in occasional comments.

Lauren was a petite girl, a shade taller than Bran, with white fur that darkened to cream and then a pale yellow-grey on the backs of her paws, arms, and back. She was quiet and timid due to the nature of her powers and the grief inflicted on her because of them. She was a Daisy Spirit; she was considered to be very weak and of no true value to the clan except as a mother. Geoff had acted as her protector for well over a decade, but her other companion, Irwyn, had started taking over that role as he courted her. She only had eyes for Geoff though, much to his exasperation.

Those brilliant green eyes were now fixed on him as she ran over. She dropped her gaze to his hindpaws as the three stopped in front of them. She blushed as fiercely as Irwyn scowled when she murmured, "Hi, Geoff."

Bran's nose twitched and wrinkled in disgust as he looked at Geoff and Faelen. Geoff restrained himself before he punched the aggravating little twerp.

Irwyn nodded shortly to them. "Hey." He was the same height as Nathanial and a little bulkier, with grizzled-looking brown fur. Geoff noticed the cream stripes that ran from his head down to his tail were fading as he grew older, leaving his 'piglet' stage. He was a Boar Spirit and was 'ranked' in the upper-middle tier, as Geoff thought of it. Bran and Irwyn were both friends and rivals; Bran had a more common trigger -- all corvids, which included ravens, crows, and jays -- and had far more energy than Irwyn, but the larger Wolf was far more dangerous in combat. When Irwyn went into a berserker rage he was extremely difficult to take down, giving him far more respect in the clan than someone of his trigger's rarity and his energy level would otherwise get.

Geoff and Faelen greeted the three of them warmly, though Geoff made sure to keep a slight distance from Lauren. Faelen didn't have to worry about angering Irwyn, so he greeted Lauren a little more warmly than Geoff did.

Irwyn's dark eyes glittered. "You guys stink."

Lauren blushed. "Irwyn, please, Bran told us they have friends here. Don't make a scene."

He snorted. "We're their friends. Mages have no business being in clan lands."

Geoff growled but Faelen cut in before he could say anything. "Irwyn. They're here at Geoff's invitation, to do a job for Conor McDougal, and with permission from Alpha McDougal. The alpha met with them personally Friday night. Do you still think they shouldn't be here? Mind your place, O'Donovan, you 'have no business' questioning a McDougal."

Geoff shook his head. "Stop it, both of you. Faelen, you know I don't care about rank, status or family names. He can question me all he--"

Faelen interrupted him, taking everyone by surprise, including Geoff. "He can't question the alpha or your father. I don't care what race someone is -- Spirit, Fey, Mage, or Fur -- but once they are invited into clan lands no one has any right to say they shouldn't be here! They aren't trespassing; they're guests and should be treated as such."

All of the Spirits in the cavern were milling about now, giving the five a wide berth, but their curiosity was piqued.

Irwyn glared at Faelen, his teeth lengthening into tusks as his anger let his Spirit powers leak through. "Shut it, fog-brain, go back to licking Geoff's hindpaws and stay out of this. You're too stupid to know what you're talking about. Mages never have any business in clan lands! They're the ones keeping us oppressed, keeping us prisoner here! We should kill them whenever we find one!"

Lauren jumped between Faelen and Irwin, paws out as she tried to keep them apart and attempted to calm them. Geoff couldn't hear a single thing she said over the blood pounding in his ears. He barely noticed the tiny smile that danced along Bran's muzzle, marring the expression of concern.

'Nathanial.' Geoff had the sudden image of Irwyn standing over his gored boyfriend, blood rushing from holes ripped into that gorgeous body and matting the downy fur. "No," he whispered. His muzzle curled back into a vicious snarl. All the lights in the cave dimmed into flickering points of light as he drew the darkness out, letting it soak into his body and rouse his powers.

A few Spirits shrieked when the deep gloom engulfed them. Scuffles like this were very common among Spirit pups and rarely caused any long term damage -- regenerative abilities were very common when a Spirit was exposed to their trigger -- so no one tried to stop the looming fight. In fact the crowd formed a ring at a good distance to watch.

Irwyn was in his full manifest state, now. His tusks were as long as Geoff's pawspan and his muscle mass had doubled. The deep grunts coming from Irwyn told Geoff that the Boar Spirit was close to going berserk, but he wasn't quite there.

Geoff felt he was almost berserk when a singing voice rang across the cave, coming from several places at once. His blood ran cold as Nathanial chanted, "This little piggy was a bigot. This little piggy should've stayed home. This little piggy will be toasted. This piggy's chances are none. This little piggy will cry 'wee wee wee;' now piggy, you'd better run!"

Nathanial dropped from the ceiling and landed on all four paws between Irwyn and Geoff, his fur cloaked in darkness. He slowly rose to his hindpaws, giggling, and stared into Irwyn's eyes.

Irwyn seemed to have trouble seeing Nathanial, but he could hear him and smell him. "Who's there!? I smell you..." He trailed off, confused. "What are you!?" Fear was fighting with anger...and winning. "Geoff? What's going on!? Who is this?" Irwyn stepped back only to bump into Snow, who'd appeared out of nowhere behind him, and turned around with a squealing howl.

Nathanial caught the Boar Spirit's arm when he swung at Snow and held it fast. The Mage leaned in to whisper into his ear, "Your worst nightmare if you ever think of hurting my friends."

Irwyn tried to pull his arm away, but the darkness seemed to soak into his muscles and he couldn't make Nathanial's arm move more than a few centimetres. The Spirit had never met another teenager able to hold him like this, and it served to unsettle him more.

"Little piggy, little piggy, I will win..." Nathanial's voice echoed from the throats of a half dozen Shadow Mastiffs and the cavern erupted in screams of terror.

The alpha's voice overrode them all. "NATHANIAL MARKS!" Silence descended across the crowd and Geoff saw the Mastiffs fade away.

Nathanial muttered, "Damn. That smelt really nice, too."

The alpha rose up out of the stone floor beside them, fully manifested and furious. The force of his power made Lauren and several other weak Spirits sink to their knees, struggling to breathe. Even many of the stronger ones, like Irwyn, looked a little shaky. Alpha McDougal glared at Nathanial. "Give me some light."

Nathanial shrugged. "It's not me."

Geoff jumped, surprised. "Oh! Right, sorry sir." He let the shadows retreat and the cavern was bathed in light again. The crowd gasped at the sight of a second Dark-cloaked Fur standing in front of them.

Irwyn's eyes bugged and he yanked his arm from Nathanial, who let him go. Bran looked intrigued as he sniffed the air, looking from the Akita to Geoff. Irwyn stepped back, closer to Bran, and asked incredulously, "You said it was a Mage here! He... he's a Spirit! A Dark Spirit!"

Bran shook his head, but he looked at the alpha as if seeking permission to talk. The giant Wolf just kept glaring at Nathanial, so Bran said, "No, he is a Mage. He scent is the same one that was on Geoff and Mrs. McDougal yesterday, and it's similar to the stench of the Mage twins at school. Similar, but definitely different. It's even farther right now; this is...really odd. I smell death on him. Not corpses, but it's still death...maybe with a capital 'd.'" The young Raven Spirit cocked his head and stared at Nathanial curiously. Geoff really wanted to slug him.

Nathanial smiled toothily at the pup. "Sing a song of sixpence, a pocket full of rye. Four and twenty blackbirds baked in a pie."

Poppy Luke growled, "Shut your pie hole, pup. I told you to behave and stay out of trouble. I'm guessing O'Donovan threatened Geoff?" Irwyn jumped guiltily. "Dumbass. You know Geoff can trounce you in a fight. Are there any pigs down here, pup? No! Use your fucking brains." The Boar Spirit suppressed his powers and cowered before the angry alpha. In turn, the Elemental seemingly dismissed him as irrelevant and turned back to Nathanial.

The Mage, still swathed in Darkness, hummed merrily and sang,

"Silly, silly Rock Dog

Orders me in vain.

Fighting is so naughty,

Little I may gain.

_ _

Yet Fire alone is banned,

So Piggies are fair game.

Swine attacks my Wolfies,

Dark and Mist I claim.

_ _

Regardless of the peril,

Quickly it doth fade,

When wrath of the 'mancer,

Descends to give his aid."

Liam appeared at Nathanial's side so suddenly and so quietly that Geoff jumped in surprise. He noticed that the alpha and Bran did, too. Irwyn was too cowed to react, it seemed. Liam put his paw on Nathanial's shoulder, drawing his attention away from Poppy Luke. "Nathanial, be at peace and return to yourself. There is no purpose in conflict, for neither Geoff nor Faelen are in jeopardy. Even before you left they were in no danger." Kiera came running up, looking quite angry. Liam just held his paw up and she stopped, staring at Nathanial nervously. Liam continued, "Release the Darkness and take a deep breath. Between the alpha, Geoff, and you, there are many Spirits who are being crushed by the weight of your collective powers." He pointed at Lauren, who -- unnoticed by Geoff -- had collapsed to lay belly-down on the floor, breaths coming in short gasps. Her eyes were rolled into the back of her head as she hovered on the edge of unconsciousness.

All three of them suppressed their powers; even the alpha looked shamed as Liam knelt beside the petite girl. Alpha Luke looked around at the crowd and growled out, "As you were, everybody!" The cavern began emptying quickly.

Bran sniffed at Nathanial again, with that smile still dancing on the edge of his muzzle. "Nathanial Marks, was it? Why do you smell so much like Geoff? Faelen, too."

Faelen stifled a growl, though Geoff didn't bother hiding his annoyance. Faelen spoke first, again; something must really be bothering him to make the Mist Spirit so aggressive. "He brushed my fur and I brushed his this afternoon. Is there something wrong with that, Bran?" Faelen's voice started to slowly get harsher as he continued. "It's not like we've never brushed each other's fur after swimming. Or do you think that it's wrong for a Spirit to get his fur brushed by a non-Spirit? I don't give a fuck what you think about that; he's my friend."

Bran looked wounded by Faelen's tone and words, and Geoff could probably guess why. He was pretty sure Faelen had never called Bran his friend, not in the ten or so years they'd been hanging out together. He was pretty sure Faelen had never taken that tone with the pup or swore at him, either. Faelen had gotten angry at Irwyn many times, but not Bran. He felt sorry for the pup; Geoff often found him annoying -- like now-- but he was still good company. His quick wit had gotten them out of trouble almost as often as it caused that trouble.

Bran shook his head sadly. "I guess I know where we stand with you two: left behind and cast aside." He put his paw on Irwyn's arm and pulled upward until he stood. Bran snarled at Liam and snapped, "Get your paws off Lauren, vermin." Irwyn's eyes bugged, Geoff was pretty sure it wasn't because Liam was supposedly a Fur, but because Bran had to be stupid to say that here and now after everything that'd just happened.

Faelen's paw lashed out and almost struck Bran in the throat -- a punch that could have been crippling -- but Liam stood and caught him by the wrist before it connected. Bran stumbled back, scared by the murderous hatred in Faelen's eyes. Faelen opened his mouth, but a deep rumble from the alpha stopped him from saying anything.

Alpha McDougal was shaking his head while a deep growl emanated from his chest. He looked at Liam and asked, respectfully, "She'll be all right, Healer?"

Liam released Faelen, looking completely calm. "Indeed, now that the oppressive weight of your collective powers has abated. She will regain complete consciousness shortly, but will have quite a headache for several hours. She will also be sensitive to powerful auras for a couple of days, so I would recommend she steer clear of any Elementals or powerful Spirits." He glanced at Faelen. "I appreciate you acting to defend our honour, but it was unnecessary. Bran ap Dafydd is young and is speaking from disappointment; he misses the two of you and wishes to spend time with his friends. He fears Nathanial and I are taking you from him and sought to fight for his friendship." Liam appeared oblivious to how close Bran looked to exploding in fury at his sympathetic words. The next few sentences changed that. "Perhaps he could come over to visit us in Nova Scotia at some time or -- once Nathanial fixes the teleporter -- you two could visit him without us. If the teleporter works correctly, the two of you could use it without becoming weakened and could even come back for a few hours at a time."

Bran looked very intrigued by Liam's information and was staring at Nathanial in renewed curiosity. He fidgeted like Geoff had seen him do many times -- like a crow trying to decide whether it was safe to steal a piece of bread. He sounded hopeful as his nearly black eyes searched Nathanial's face. "You... You can do that? You could let him visit me? The teleporter won't make him sick anymore?"

Nathanial ducked his head, blushing. "Y-Yeah... I think so. Liam, um, kinda needs to help me, though. He knows a lot more about magical theory than I do. I-I'm sorry if I said anything mean to you two; I get a little...heh, upset when people threaten my friends or family, eh?"

Bran was obviously confused by the change in demeanour and fidgeted a little closer to Nathanial, head cocked to the side as he peered up at the orange and white face that watched him bashfully. His nose twitched rapidly and his brow beetled. "You...smell different, again. Less 'Deathy.' You still stink like a Mage, but I think you might be all right. If you can make it so Geoff comes home more often...and without a crisis taking all of his time."

Geoff opened his mouth to apologise but glanced at Faelen to make sure his best friend wasn't going to cut him off again. Faelen just grinned at him, so he said, "I'll try to visit more, Bran, and I really mean that. I've been so busy back in Nova Scotia that I haven't had much time, but I should've made the time to see you." He gave a lopsided grin. "Just so you know, I didn't come back with Faelen last weekend and he was here for less than a day. You should come over to see us, too. It's your best chance to see Nova Scotia." The pup lit up at Geoff's kind words, making the white Wolf hide a grin. Faelen had told him a long time ago that Bran idolized him and he'd been seeing signs of it ever since...like now. It was sort of nice, but annoying at the same time. He still wanted to punch him for talking about Nathanial and Liam like that, though.

Faelen smiled apologetically at Bran and Irwyn. "I'm sorry if I went too far, but don't use those speciesist terms around me, please. I don't like them and I think there are lots of good people in all four of the main species. I may hate the Arcane Society, the Knights Templar, and the Hunters of the Damned, but the species as a whole aren't responsible for the actions of those groups."

Lauren slowly sat up with her paws pressed against her head. "Ugh...my head."

Irwyn crouched next to the Daisy Spirit and put his paw on her shoulder while Liam knelt behind her. The Boar Spirit glared at the seemingly oblivious Rottie and asked, "Lauren, are you all right? You were passed out for several minutes, but no one knows why."

Liam pressed his claws against a few spots on the pale Wolf's neck and head for a few seconds. She gasped in surprise and relief, lowering her paws. Liam's voice was dry as he looked at Irwyn and began massaging Lauren's neck and shoulders. "On the contrary, people do know why, as I have told them the reason. You, miss, were overwhelmed by the power emanating from several strong people, notably Alpha McDougal. You will have a headache for several hours and should avoid the presence of powerful Spirits. O'Donovan is perfectly safe, as your dark-furred friend should also be -- providing he does not manifest around his trigger. You do require rest, however."

Irwyn looked progressively angry as he watched Liam massaging 'his' girl. He stood up with a snort. "Come on, Lauren, I'll take you home." He reached down and grabbed her paw when she lifted it, then hauled her up. She gasped in pain and surprise, but he just scooped her up into his arms and stalked off.

Bran shook his head and was about to run off after them, but stopped. He sighed. "Irwyn probably won't want me around, anyway."

Poppy Luke made a rumbling noise in his chest, not really a growl, but certainly an annoyed sound. "Hmph... Here comes Faeden. It took him a while to find me...unfortunately." He looked sheepish for a second before covering it up with a scowl. "Go on, pups, but Mageling, you better behave. You nearly caused a stampede here...or a panicked riot. Don't do that again, or I may have to decide you're a threat to my clan and deal with you accordingly." He turned without waiting for an answer and strode off quickly to the tunnel Den was just starting to walk out of. The bodyguard looked pissed.

Geoff shook his head; he'd been in that position often enough to sympathize with his poppy. "Let's head back to my house, guys. We can pack and then go look for food." He rubbed Bran's head, hoping to soothe any feathers that may still be ruffled. "We can hang out for a bit before heading back." Bran's beaming face and the soft smile it evoked from Nathanial let Geoff know he said the right thing.