[M] The Unknown in London

[BenitaEllen]

London, June 1894.

The city goes on as usual above ground. Men, women and children mill about the streets. However there is a dark truth to the city; it is littered with supernaturals. Or supes as they prefer to be known.

Above ground the humans have discovered witches. A few naive women and men thought regular humans wouldn't notice the affects of the spells on the places around them. But they did, and now their busted. Witches are being burnt left right and center. Even though they have not yet discovered the other supes, they hide in an underground sanctuary away from the humans. Vampires, werewolves, faeries and supes of all kinds from London cengregate in the underground tunnell system and caves.

No one knows how long it will be until the humans discover them, but everyone is sure that sometime in the future there will be a war between the humans and the supes.


Rated: M

[BenitaEllen]

As Lauren wound her way down the different tunnels as she tried to reach the main cavern where she had been a thousand times over, she trailed her fingers over the cold smooth surface of the brick walls that lined the tunnel she was walking through. She had had the urge all day to shift to her alternative form, but she held back as she was in the centre of London and didn't want to bring attention to either herself or the rest of the supes living below the city.

She was so glad for this place, without it she would probably have gone the same way as her parents; and they had been so careful. She still didn't understand to this day how the humans had found out about them. But they had, and they were now dead, like a lot of other supes and their parents.

A few minutes later she finally gave into her urge and began to shift. Her bones rearanged and her skin stretched and moved, course hair grew all over her body and she was no longer human. For some unknown reason, when werewolves shifted they didn't have to shed their clothes, maybe the magic just took care of that. Whatever the reason it was very helpful.

[Lady]

Nat took one last look at her apartment. Her little friend was stuck in a cage for no one must know of the bird's existence. Julie yearned to be free, and Natalie wanted to let her. But the alicanto could be easily killed in these times where humans were hell-bent on proving everything was a product of witchery and every man was a wizard with a witch as a wife. The redhead herself couldn't care less, the others were people too. They deserve rights as any other.

No time to dwell on such subjects in this world. Nat waved her hand at Julie and closed the door to head for another day at work. Her life had slipped into a monotonous routin but she couldn't change it. Her incapability to make friend left Natalie lonely and without a friend in the big metropolis.

Just as she left the house the woman saw a flash of gold in the air. Panicked, she looked at the window and saw it open and a what was once the cage reduced to a scrap of metal.

"Julie! No!"

But the bird was too quick. Luckily Natalie kept up with the energy bundle because she knew what to look for. A gold alicanto with little feathers of silver. The woman couldn't believe her luck. Today of all days! She had a meeting! She had work and she had a multitude of other things, she couldn't afford to miss a day!

The bird dodged the people, but Natalie had to push others and so was slower. Julie entered a tunnel, what was the bird doing?!

The redhead streaked past anything and the population got considerably thinner. What could be hidden in there?

Finally, she saw Julie land in front of a wolf. A little wolf, maybe it was a cub but still a wolf. That certain feeling whenever she would shift to gargoyle form started to creep in but the years of practice acted and Natalie stopped the proccess

Julie happily chirped, glad to be away from that steel prison once again. She nudged the wolf with her beak, the mythological creature really knew it was a supe. It couldn't communicate with humans and so did the next best thing.


Nat was wary of the creature, but Julie seemed to like it.

[BenitaEllen]

In her wolfy form she heard a whoosh from behind her, obviously something large coming down the tunnell. She reacted like any other wolf would, she turned to face the treat and bared her teeth. Whatever the wolf had been expecting it wasn't this. A huge golden bird. As it nudged her she growled and backed away slowly until she was far enough away to shift once more. The wolf grunted slightly as it's bones rearagned once more, and a moment or two later Lauren pushed herself up from the cobbled floor and stared at the massive beast infront of her.

Up until this point she hadn't noticed the stick thin red head stood behind it, but now that she was in her human form once more, she glanced behind the mass of gold and glared angrily at the red head.

"Do you want us to be discovered?" She demanded. She could smell that this woman was a supe already, and no human would be able to 'control' a creature like this. "If your going to have one of... whatever this is! Learn to control the damned thing." She added as her gaze shifted back to the creature, that was now intently staring at her.

[Lady]

"Don't talk about Julie like that!" Natalie spat back. What was wrong with this...woman? Sure, the redhead was quite shocked there was another supe here, but it was overridden by anger. No one insulted her life-long friend, no one!

"She's always kept locked in a cage, waiting for me. How'd you feel, locked up like a test subject only let out a few hours a day out? Contained, chained down?" She didn't know why, the woman felt the need to explain herself. But Nat did know that she needed to defend the alicanto's honor.

[BenitaEllen]

Placing her hands on her hips she stared at the woman. 'Julie' seemed nice enough, after all it hadn't ripped her to bits when she was in her wolf form, and that was a good creature in her opinion. As nice as Julie seemed, she wasn't convinced by the womans answer. They had a whole tunnel system designed exactly for supes like them, so it seemed weird for her not to know about them or use them.

Raising an eyebrow she shook her head and tutted. "Why keep her locked up? This is what this place is for." She said, shaking her head some more. "You know. People like us. Supes." She added, removing her hands from her hips and crossing her arms over her chest instead.

[Lady]

Natalie shook her head "Alicanto's aren't known for their patient nature. They're mischevious and bundles of energy, who knows in what trouble she'll get? Or maybe another will think she's the pet of no one and claim her. The security seems pretty lax here, if I could find it if I didn't even know about it. Who knows who might stumble in here?"

Seriously, it was as if these 'supes' had no sense of preservance. It was just a tunnel, but some human may get curious. Or one of those teenagers that got drunk in a pub down the street might fall in here and report witchcraftry later if he remembered. No gates, no doors no nothing.

"And this place is far away from home. I had to run after Julie to catch up with her. I was lucky no human spotted us."

[BenitaEllen]

Lauren just about fell about laughing. No supe was that naive to think that no humans might come and find this place, which was why they had whiches place a cloaking spell on it. Instead of laughing, she just had a quick chuckle before she began to explain.

"Theres a cloaking spell. No human can notice this place, and if they try to enter without realizing, they physiclly cant." She explained as she raised an eyebrow again. "We are safe here. Otherwise I wouldn't live down this dank hole." She added.

The tunnells obviously weren't the nicest place to live, but it was the only place she knew what safe for definate. She didn't like living down here, but needs must, and so she did.

[Lady]

"But I don't have to live in a dank hole" Nat said, slightly exasperated. She had a nice home and a nice friend. She wasn't going to give up the first for a damp, dark, wet tunnel with whatever critter crawling about carying one thousand and one diseases.

"My secret is not in constant fear of being exposed. I have friends up here" liar liar pants on fire "a nice home and my friend. I don't want to give up most of them up. Sure, if Julie was in danger of getting captured I'd hide somewhere else but now is not the case."

[BenitaEllen]

Considering what she had said for a moment, if the woman did indeed have friends, she didn't look happy for it. She looked stressed, exaservated and tired. All the things that Lauren had felt before she moved down here.

"Maybe your not in danger of being exposed. But she is." She said, motioning to Julie as she spoke. "What about the next time she escapes? And you know she will." She said as she moved to lean again the side of the tunnell closes to her.

[Lady]

Great, this woman did her no favor. Here was Nat worrying about bringing the Alicanto back here and this werewolf talked about getting caught with 'witchcraft'. They won't let Julie die, that's for sure. They'd first experiment on her and then breed her with a common bird in hope of producing more alicantos if they discovered her powers. And then it was off with more torture for the bird until it died.

"J...Julie is quite large for her species. I can ride her off to somewhere reclused. I don't want to live in here, hiding from humans. It's just as bad as living in constant fear. I have to be careful about what to do, what to say. I'll probably be teased for not knowing anything and wanting to live a relatively normal life.

[BenitaEllen]

"You'd be surprised." She muttered. Most of the people down this place, all they ever wanted, longed for was a 'normal' life. Herself, she liked her life just the way it was, she just wished that the humans would get over their superiority complex. Their were so many diferent beings on this planet, and they couldn't see past themselves. She almost felt sick to think that she used to be like that, thinking that she was normal and the only thing out there.

Stepping away from the wall again she raised a hand to Julie, not touching her, just held her hand a fraction of an inch away from her beak to see what she would do. When the bird didn't lunge for her or bite her hand off, she let her hand touch the smooth surface of her beak. She did seem quite large, but then again, Lauren had never seen another Alicanto, and there was pretty much a few of everything down this pit.

[Lady]

Julie enjoyed the attention lavished upon herself and took action. That is, to act like a cat and pet herself against the werewolf.

Natalie giggled at the bird's antics. "You were really lonely, weren't you?" the woman half-cooed to the alicanto.She put a hand on the scruff of the birds and started 'massaging'. It was a soft spot for the pet.

"I'll call in sick today, say I caught the flu or something. I can spend more time with you then" the aviator chirped happily in response.

[BenitaEllen]

Once the woman had somewhat agree'd, Lauren held back a smile. One more supe off the streets, she thought to herself. Anything outside the tunnells and caverns, that she now called home, were considered the streets to her. Although she often had to go out to get herself some suplies and things for the others that could never leave, she was always glad to come back to this place.

Removing her hand from the bird she turned on her heal and began to march down the tunnell until she turned left at the end of it. Not even stopping to call over her shoulder, "Follow me."

[Lady]

Natalie quirked a brow in the woman's general direction. She didn't state that she was going to live here, just stay with the alicanto for a while. Then, when no one would be awake at an ungodly and unholy hour she was going to move Julie.

But it wouldn't hurt to play along.

She gingerely stepped over a slab of stone. Probably there weren't many willing to make repairs so who knew what rock was loose here. She tried to catch up with the werewolf, but Julie mocked her by flying alongside Nat. The redhead stuck her tongue out at the avian.

[BenitaEllen]

Once she had gotten to the end of the tunnell she had just walked down she turned left again, then right, before stopping and waiting for them to catch up with her. She knew that the girl hadn't been here before, but she couldn't see any reason for her walking so slowly. Maybe she was scared of falling over the loose cobbles of that some of the loose bricks might fall from the roof and hit her on the head.

When they finally caught up with her, she had began to tap her foot impatiently, but stopped when she saw them. Thrusting out her hand for a hand shake, she kept the other arm crossed over her chest. "You can call me Lauren." She said, not even making an attempt at a friendly smile. "And you are?" She asked, raising an eyebrow as her foot began tapping on the cobbles again.

[Lady]

"I'm Natalie, people call me Nat" the redhead replied, shaking Lauren's hand out of politeness if nothing else. Her amateurishly-painted nails contrasted with the rough claws of the werewolf

"I believe you already met Julie" Natalie pointed to the golden bird flying in all sort of odd paterns. The bird thrilled, acknowledging that her human spoke her name

[BenitaEllen]

She gripped Nats hand firmly and gave it a good shake before letting go and tucking her arm under her other across her chest.

"If you need or want to know anything while your here, just ask." She said, this time she did smile and her foot stopped tapping away again. "I'm the supe thats been here the longest out of choice. I know almost everything that goes on down here." She stated.

There were others, unlike her, who didn't have a choice about staying down her. Giants, some faeries and others who have no choice because of the way they look, move or eat, they have no choice but to live in this place for however long they survice.

[Lady]

"If I'm confused, I'm sure I'll go inquire to you Oh Great Mistress" Natalie replied. No reason not to make light of the situation. "I'll need to visit my home a few times to transport all the things... but otherwise I shall be fine" now she was speaking mostly to herself than the woman...Lauren.

She still didn't believe all that shite about 'protector spells' or whatever. Didn't spells fade over time? And what about the more...blunt creatures, what about them?

[BenitaEllen]

The red head seemed a little sarcastic when she spoke, but Lauren put it down to her being scared. The thought almost made her chuckle. A woman with a huge beast was scared of little old her, a bit rediculous really. She was under no dissolusion that the woman would stay too long, she was obviously under the idea that the outside world was safe. But she knew different, she had learnt the hard way.

"Anyway," She mused. "Follow me." With that she turned on her heel and walked down the last of the tunnell she was stood in until she reached a large metal door. Some of it had rusty patches on it, but never the less it held strong. Knocking hard on the door she waited for the hard metal slab to slide open slightly and one eye to peer out through the gap. "Let us in Cedric." She said, she was a little annoyed that they had left him to man the door, she knew what he was like and he didn't make a good watchman at all.

[Lady]

Who was this... Cedric? A troll, fairy, or gnome? Or perhaps a cruel Goblin. A nymph, dryad or naiad? No, these needed trees and water to live. A Nemean Lion? It was possible. Cyclops? That might be too much. Wizard? Uh... maybe.

She waited to see this 'Cedric' before being remotely polite to him. After all, if he proved to be an alcoholic swine like the men down the bar she'd be done with it and go outside, secrecy be damned.

[BenitaEllen]

As the tall cyclops slid the door open with a weak apologetic look plastered to his face, Lauren tried her best not to give him a good kick on her way past. Waiting until Nat had walked in behind her she stopped just to the side of Cedric and placed her hands on her hips. Her usual stance when she was dealing with this particular one eyed fool.

"Where's William?" She demanded. William being the faerie who had been assigned to day watch of the door on this particular day. She didn't wait for an answer. "Tell him to sort himself out." She said before she began to walk off further into the main cavernous hall that dripped slightly from the ceiling and was filled with all manor of supes.

[Lady]

William? Natalie wondered when she was going to get a propper introduction to all the beings in here. This Cedric was... interesting to say. His head was almost touching the ceiling and his single eye was concentrating on the woman before him. Poor thing, probably its eye was bigger than its brain. Even so, Nat thought amusedly where is the telltale club? . Humans had an over-active imagination. For example, Gargoyles had funny faces and guarded houses. Pshh.

Nat felt something wet land on her head. She looked up to see water. The redhead didn't realise until now how big was this room. It looked like one of those evil lairs she saw in picturebooks when she was a little kid.

It was obvious the woman, Lauren, was upset at the cyclops. She placed her hands on her hips like an upset mother hen. Natalie would like to see her beat up this Cedric. But the redhead learned not to underestimate people because of their size. A werewolf could take a good chunk of his foot and leave him relatively useless without movement to aid him in dodging.

She sent a soft smile at the cyclops. He was quite dumb by the looks, but he had a kind heart if he wasn't already raging over the werewolf's comportament. Natalie waved a hand as she left to follow Lauren. Julie followed, not at all fazed by the short spectacle that took place in front of her.

[BenitaEllen]

Looking around the place Lauren could see so much that needed fixing, or replacing. They did their best, but sometimes it wasn't good enough. They had to use what was in their means, and usually those means went on repairing the sleeping quarters. You could live in damp conditions, but if you slept in them even the most magical creatures could get sick.

Walking through the disperesed crowd, she glanced behind her every few seconds to make sure Nat hadn't gotten lost amoungst the variety.

Once again she stopped, this time in front of a particularly dissinterested vampire who was sat behind a large table full of different foods. He glanced up for a second, taking in their faces, before he returned his gaze to the old tattered book that he held in his hands.

[Lady]

Natalie was starting to get a little scared now. She had seen it all: faes, hags, trolls, gnomes, vampires and she was sure she had spotted a naiad too among all this wetness. They had looked in her direction disinterestedly before turning back to their activities. The gargoyle was glad no one took an interest in her. Sure, she could turn into stone at will but even stone could break with the right amount of force.

She didn't like this place at all. Nat wanted back her nice, dry bed and boring house and fluffy carpet. Her books and worn teddy bear.

She stopped when Lauren didn't walk ahead anymore. She stopped in front of a table who groaned under the weight of all that food. On a chair was a pale being, a vampire. He was bored. Of course he was bored, he probably lived longer than her parents and read all those books before. The book in his hands was tattered as if someone had read it dozens of times.

Natalie didn't know what to do and so remained quiet.

[BenitaEllen]

Waiting a moment to see if the vamp would do anything, when he didn't she tutted, and that got his annoyed attention. Slapping the pages of his book closed he got up from his rickety stool and dropped the book ontop of it with a loud 'thud'. He didn't seem too happy about being disturbed, but it didn't bother Lauren one bit. She had dealt with this vampire many a time, and he had been exactly the same, plus he still refused to tell her or anyone else his name.

With a teasing grin she swung back and forth slightly and gazed down at the food before back up at the vamp. "What've you got for me today then?" She asked in an annoyingly sweet voice that made the vamp grind his teeth together, but he didn't speak. Instead he reached under the table and pulled up a paper bag that looked like it was about to fall appart. The vamp held out the bag and Lauren peered inside. A cabbage a few potatoes and some kind of beans, with a slab of meat wrapped up in paper.

Grinning again she took the bag from the vamp and watched him skulk away back to his stool and his old book.

[Lady]

Once they departed Natalie got the courage to ask one question

"Who was that?" the redhead whispered. He was a curious thing. Easy to annoy it seems, and extremily bored. She guessed the werewolf could annoy everyone with her attitude. Nat didn't like her one bit, but if the woman left her alone then alone she would be. No one to guide her and the other mythical beings would probably make fun of her for not knowing anything about this hideout at her age.

What was so special about this anyway? The walls looked like they would collapse at any moment and the stairs were not just a little rickety. Natalie had lived with her secret for seven years and not even her parents figured it out. Why should they know now? Sure, some creatures could not leave like the fae or the trolls. But the kind of the faerie belonged to the forest, not to a grotto. The trolls and cyclops resided in mountains not in an underground cave.

Nat had a warm bed at home and she was damned if she'll let it go for this so-called 'safety'

[BenitaEllen]

Glancing over her shoulder at Nat she half smiled. "I don't know his name. No one does. But he's a vampire." She explained as she held the heavy bag to her chest and began to move through the crowd again.

She could understand why Nat would be scheptical. Some could live with their secrets and go on, but she could not. It was true that trolls, faeries, giants and all the others had their own places to live. Their own habbitat. But some had been born in the city and had no way to leave, and so were forced to live down in this place. Most longed to have the freedom to live their own lives without fear of being discovered, but that seemed like a very distant dream.

[Lady]

So, mysterious tall dark stranger? That sounded more than a little cliche.

"Does he have a reason for not giving his name out?" The redhead asked softly. She must be annoying, asking all these questions. But if she didn't ask, how was the woman meant to learn?

Julie remained quiet, sensing this was not the time to chirp happily and rub herself against her owner like a common household cat.

[BenitaEllen]

Shrugging she stopped in a small doorway and placed her paper bag down for a moment. Even if she was quite strong for a werewolf and a woman of her size, carrying that damn bag for so long was giving her a krick in her back. She rolled her shoulders and turned her neck left and right until she heard a loud click, then she picked up her bag again, but didn't move yet.

"Uh... not a reason. Other than he likes his privacy. He never really talks to anyone either. I've never heard him utter a word other than swearing." She said with another shrug. She wasn't particularly bothered that he didn't talk, so long as she could still get her daily food it mattered very little to her what he did in his own free time.

[Lady]

Strange guy.

Time to pester some more. "I'm sorry for annoying you with so many questions, but where will I be staying if I do have to relocate my accomodations here?" fancy speaking was something Natalie didn't grow up with. Being a farm girl Nat didn't know how to write or read, but had to quickly learn to integrate in the British society.

Julie's wings were growing tired now. She slowly descended on the ground, fluffing up her feathers for warmth. It seemed such a thing was unknown for these caves.

[BenitaEllen]

"I'll show you." She said as she watched Julie decent to the ground.

Picking up her bag again she decided to enter through the larger door across the 'corridor' from them so that Julie could follow. Turning the slightly larger door knob with her free hand, she entered the large room that smelled of well kept wood and clean sheets. It was lit by only candle light, so it was quite dim, but with her wolfy sense of vision she could see quite well. There were a series of little doors that lined the very large room, and a few larger ones.

Walking over to one of the smaller door, she pushed it open, dumped her bag of food inside and closed the door again before motioning Nat to the door to it's left. The only room left in this particular 'dorm'.

[Lady]

Not too shabby but not too magnificent either.

The creeping coldness urged her to turn into stone, to preserve warmth. Natalie laid a weak coat of granite across her skin. These caves gave her an advantage: she could blend in like a chameleon. Nat could change her skin in all kinds of stone, from marble to quartz.

Back to the room. There was a bed pushed into the corner, covered with linen sheets and a measly pillow. Natalie would bet her alicanto feather pillow was one million times better. The headboard was made from cypress so it was reasonable to think the rest was, too. Next to it was a small bookcase made from... was that mahogany? Yes, of course there was the distinct brown-red color. It waited to be filled.

In another corner rested a... lauan desk (unmistakable nuance) with four drawers evenly distributed.

It would have to do for the short while she was here.

"Thank you" Natalie's voice was barely above a whisper, but it was filled with a little gratefulness.

[BenitaEllen]

Although the 'bedrooms' in this place weren't brilliant, they were somewhere warm to sleep that didn't leak and could be defended if need be. Lauren didn't have too much time to think as she heard a comotion outside and was quickly drawn to it.

Walking back out of the large door that lead to the dooms she quickly scanned the cavernous room and found where the comotion was coming from. There was a circular space amoung the crowd, and it looked like someone had collapsed.

Pushing her way through the crowd she finally made her way to the center. At this point she didn't care where Nat was or her creature. When she saw another of her kind laid on the floor with a large arrow through his chest instinct took over. She knew it was here, the war, the war they had all been anticipating was finally upon them.

Hurrying forwards to the old male, she crouched down beside him and took out her small knife she always carried with her. She cut one end of the arrow away, gently turned him and cut away the other end but didn't yet remove the central bit. He would die if she did it now. She scanned the place for a vampire, but could not see or smell one right near her with all the other scents overpowering the vamps.

[Lady]

This place would need a woman's touch, badly...

Natalie's musings were intrerupted by the commotion outside. What happened? Did someone crawl over and die? Or perhaps it's just the afternoon roundabout of gossip. No need to exclude possibilities.

The redhead walked towards the main chamber, careful not to get lost. Julie had a wing in that, since she remembered things a lot better than her master. What she found was a mass of mythical creatures crowded around something... what did happen anyway?

She was just mildly surprised to find an injured man, and Lauren crouching over him. Oh, so she was some kind of magical nurse now?

[BenitaEllen]

Arseholes, she thought as her mind swirled with different emotions. Anger, disgust, fear and most of all anticipation. They had probably seen him change, or so something to make them suspect he was some kind of warlock.

Grabbing a near by crate, she tossed the few things in it onto the floor, and upended it. Standing on the top of it she looked out over the crowd. Everyone was staring in their drection now, everyone was looking. And that was exactly what she wanted.

"It's finally happening everyone." She said, her voice booming through the room. "They've finally gone too far. Those bastards have gone too far. They've shot one of us, one of my own kind." She stopped speaking as she heard the old werewolf on the ground whisper, and those that could hear around him gasped with shock. Lauren didn't gasp, her face just twisted with anger as she looked over the crowd again. "They've killed a family. The Hunters are all dead." She announced, and an audiable gasp and noise of sadness could be heard through the crowd. The Hunters, well that was the name they used, were a particularly well loved family of half faerie and half goblin. They looked like particularly humanoid faeries, but had all the traits of goblins.

[Lady]

Once again she was surprised by the weakness of other species. Gargoyles, trolls and cyclops could withstand ten arrows easily, the puny wood breaking off at the species' resistant skin. Knifes could only make small gashes. The only effective weapon was fire.

Anyway, Natalie was unsettled by all this. All this... this was like a conspiracy. They lived underground, they lived in secret, they're now planning on harming normal humans. That is it. All she wants is a quiet, peaceful life. Adopt two kids and die later with Julie by her side. Natalie didn't want much. But she didn't want to take part in a medium-scale war.

She'd ask a witch to transfigure her bird, or charm her appearance, or something.

[BenitaEllen]

Taking the peice of ribbon she carried around her wrist she tied her hair back in a loose ponytail as she thought. They all had known that this was coming, but none of them thought it would be in their life time.

"We all know they may have witches on their side. Cooperating in excange for their lives. If they lead the humans here, were all dead." She said, everyone knew it was true, she was just voicing everyones thoughts. "Somehow we need to find a different place to live, for now atleast. Those who want to stay and await your deaths are free to do so, anyone else, start packing." She added, rubbing a hand over her eyes she stepped down from the crate she had been stood on.

Turning to walk away and pack her own things, she almost walked face first into Nat. She narrowed her eyes at her, she could tell she didn't like her, this place or anything about what was happening, but she was a supe, and she had a right to choose.

"Right, you have a choice. Join us, we'll protect you. Or do as you wish and eventually die at the humans hands. If you chose the second, leave now and never try and contact any of us again. We want safety, and regardless of what you think of me, this place or any of us, you have to choose." She told her before she pushed past her and went to hunt for her bag that she had stashed somewhere and her missing boyfriend.

[Lady]

Natalie wanted to tear her hair out. Who did this woman think she was? The werewolf treated her as some kind of alien, ridiculing her beliefs and guided Nat with a nonchalantry and now Lauren wanted her to help?! She didn't even know half of these creatures! Screw half, the only one she knew was Lauren, and that term was used very loosely!

Julie sensed her mistress' distress and so perched her being on Natalie's shoulder. The alicanto started re-arranging the redhead's hair in an effort to soothe her.

And again, Lauren was making promises she couldn't keep. Protect her? How could the werewolf protect Nat when she could barely protect herself!

And there was the problem that Lauren... and everyone else for that matter... treated humans like despicable beings that didn't deserve to live on this earth. Natalie's mother was normal, her father too. Her grandparents and grand-grand parents.

Nat was raised to do what she thought was right. And right now what the supernaturals were doing was wrong. They talked about how humans were killing them, how they kept the witches captivated, but what about the deaths attributed to mythical beings? How many people die at vampire hands? At the mercy of naiads?

[BenitaEllen]

Walking into her part of the 'dorms' she slammed the door like an angry child would if they were sent to their bedroom. Punching the door once she swore under her breath, but soon her fists were flying at the door and she was swearing louder and louder. After a minute or so, her hands had gone numb from all the punches and she slumped to the floor and rested her head against the cold wood of the door and tried hopelessly to stop herself from crying.

Of course the humans had a right to live on the earth, but they weren't persicuted, weren't driven into dark holes in the earth. They thought anything that wasn't like them was wrong, was a product of witchcraft. It made her sick to think about it, to think about what they did to her parents. She wished everyone, supes and humans could all just live together. But of course that was a ridiculous idea.

Finally getting up, she swipped away a few stray tears and pulled her old tan coloured bag out from under her bed and began packing the few belongings she had with her. Picking up a ring that lay on her little table she smiled at it for a second before tucking it into the front of her dress. She wasn't going to risk leaving that in her bag, no chance in hell.

[Lady]

Nat stopped a full five minutes to curse the air blue including in Romanian and German, briefly reffering to this group of supes as 'Arschloches'. Sure, she was a lady and raised better than that but damn manners to the deepest level of hell. She was already undermined at work for being a woman and now this group wanted her help in decimating humans! Humans!

She has had enough. Natalie approached what appeared to be a witch... or a hag... no matter, if she had magical powers then it was perfect.

"Excuse me for disturbing you... do you think perhaps you could charm my pet here to look like a swallow?" The redhead asked, trying to put on a mild puppy look.

"Of course dearie!"

Natalie walked out of that groto with a slight smile on her face. Finally Julie could fly around without being shot.

Julie was now a swallow. What was odd that she was a swallow with golden feathers, but to anyone who asked the bird had been genetically mutated and crossbred. People just nodded sympathetically, but Julie was a happy camper. An extremely happy camper. And now Natalie could take her to work under the pretext that the alicanto needed special care.

[BenitaEllen]

~26 months later~

Lauren tramped through London city center with her heavily scared arms wrapped around her super pregnant stomach. Of course no one could see her arms, her long cloak hid her arms, her face and most of her body, everything down to her worn black boots. The past year and a bit had changed her. She was harder, but sweeter aswell, she was scared, and battered, but she felt so alive.

All the supes that had chosen to leave with her and the others now lived in a large forest around 40 miles away from London. It was safeish, but not safe, however, it was safer than the tunnells. She had a son now, and had another child on the way. Shortly after leaving the tunnels, she had married William, the faerie that had been supposed to be watching the entrance on the day she had met Nat. She hardly remembered what the woman looked like, other than red hair. However she remembered the bird, the beautiful golden bird.

Before they had left the tunnels compleatly they had flooded them to remove any evidence. They had later been told that the witches leading the humans to the tunnels had been killed when no 'hide out' had been found due to 'water damage.'

Their movement was gathering support fast. Even some humans had joins, 'sympathizers' as they had become known. Usually they had a relative or loved one who was a supe, but there were a few that had no connections other than the ones they had built whilst living with the rest of them. There were just over 1,500 supes and sympathizers living in the forest now. They were growing fast, and the war was going to come to a head soon, and at the moment it looked like the humans were going to win. But Lauren would do anything to make it happen the other way around.

[Lady]

Currently, Natalie was enjoying some quality time with her children and Julie. And Julie's offsprings, of course.

Much has changed in the time span of two years and a half. Two months after she left the hide-out war was waged against magical kind. Natalie wasn't surprised.

Four months after that she adopted two children, aged four and five at the time. They were boy and girl and their names were Russel and Alicia. They were two sweethearts. Russel was the five year old, brash and blunt and his mouth always spoke before his mind could think. He was overprotective of his mother and her bird. And his sister, of course.

Alicia was quieter. She was always smiling and nattering about something, ranging from birds to the sunlight to the green grass tickling her feet. She sometimes remembered her dead brother, Andrew, but those moments passed as quickly as they came. Alicia was her little alicanto.

Julie at some point hooked up with a nice bird. She had one batch of little birds that were so cute you could eat them! They were small, like swallows (Natalie guessed the charm took effect and altered the alicanto babies as well) and had golden feathers like their mother. Natalie sometimes wondered if the daddy was an alicanto as well, but quickly dismissed that thought. Some of her neighbors loved the babies and demanded she give some out. Nat was quick to comply. As long as her so supposed 'nephews and nieces' got a home...

Today she was free from work and the redhead woman planned on spending quality time with her kids.

[BenitaEllen]

As she reached what she remembered to be Nats appartment, she rearanged her cloak to hide most of her huge belly before she rapped on the door. Some mystic woman who was now living with them had told her she and William were having twins this time. She didn't care what or how many she had, just that they were healthy and survived. Her son, James, had undergone his first change at just under 13 months old. It had been just as traumatic for herself and William as it had been for James to go through. He had been a tiny little golden coloured wolf cub. However, when he was in his human form, he looked like his father. Fae like. Very fair skin with silverish hair and a skinny little body and limbs. She loved that boy like she loved no one else, and she would be damned if the humans were going to kill her babies just because they didn't understand.

And that was why she was here. To get Nat on board, no matter what it took, she wasn't leaving until she had her onside. No matter what she had to do, she would do it. She didn't care if she had to resort to violence and black mail, if it was needed to save her little family, she would do it.

[Lady]

"Mama! Someone is knocking at the door!" Russel's voice bellowed from his room. Natalie frowned, who could it be? The woman didn't get a lot of visits, and the neighbors called in advance to let her know they'd be here. Could it.... no, it couldn't be. Never. She wasn't willing to expose her perfectly normal children to the mess happening between the two species.

Alicia looked up at her mother. Why did mommy take an expression so angry and sad at the same time?

"Come on sweetie, let's see who it is" Natalie coaxed. Surely it was just some co-worker who wanted to dump more work on her lap. She rose from the couch, taking Alicia by her little hand. They walked across the blue plus carpet, past the children's rooms and finally to the door. The knocking became more insistent.

"Coming comin'!" the redhead replied. She took one breath before openning the door....

...and came face-to-face with the same woman who introducted her to the tunnels.

"What are you doing here?" Natalie asked. Her arm coiled instinctively around Alicia's shoulders, pulling the little girl closer. Russel peered out his head from his room to see who exactly had angered his mother. And probably deliver a kick to the shins, but that was another story.

[BenitaEllen]

Expecting it just be to the bad tempered redhead, she was a little shocked when she came face to face with two young children aswell. They looked sweet, just like children ought to look really. She could barelly imagine her James being the size of the little boy stood infront of her. But if he followed in his fathers foot steps he would probably be over 6ft by the time he was a teenager.

When Nat pretty much spat the words at her, she put on her best smile and tried to be nice about what she was doing.

"I wanted to come and talk to you. Tell you about what's happening. After all, someone with your... condition. Should know about what's happening." She said, trying not to seem too pushy right now. "Could I come in. I think this is hardly the place to talk about such things." She added, giving her stomach a rub as one of the babies kicked her in the ribs.

[Lady]

Natalie could feel a headache coming.

She kneeled to Alicia's level, which was quite low for a six year old. How could she have this discussion? Her children were known to eavesdrop from time to time... and she'd have to stop Russel from waging a war against Lauren once he heard she made mommy angry...

"Look sweetie, mommy and the woman over there need to talk about things. How about pestering Russel to read you something? Or you can play with Julie, if you want" Natalie suggested. It was not much a suggestion as it was an order.

Alicia nodded, her blonde curls bouncing up and down. She ran to the swallow-alicanto and picked her up from the perch. The child then headed to her brother's room.

Russel frowned. Usually they could be around their mother when she had guests over. What could have her in such a worry?


Natalie rose back up, getting out from the doorway. From what she could see, Lauren was a pregnant woman. She had experience with Mrs.McKinnon, so it should be okay.

"If you'd please leave your shoes at the entrance..." Even with all this going on, the redhead didn't want her carpet stained by mud and dirt and whatchamacallit. And gum... Natalie forbid gum from ever entering her house when Russel dropped some on the furry carpet.

[BenitaEllen]

Smiling sweetly at the kids, she was aware that it was probably scaring them even more, but it was better than snarling at them, or revealing what their mother was to them. Stepping into the house, she kicked off her boots by the door, before stepping further into the house. She realized that the little bird the little girl had been told to play with, was Julie, the Alicanto she had had an 'incident' with on the day Nat and herself had met. That was the same day everything changed, for good.

Looking around the house, she felt little for the place. All it reminded her of was her previous life, the life where she lived with her parents and was a happy little teenager. But now, all those memories brought were pain, pain and horrid rememberance of the day her parents had been burnt.

"When did you have kids?" She asked politley, trying not to just delve into asking her to join up. Obviously she had had them within a two year time period, but they were much older than they should be if she had had them herself, so she had obviously gotten them from somewhere else. Perhaps a childrens home. She wondered why Nat hadn't just found herself a nice man and had children with him. Maybe that wasn't her idea of happiness, after all, she had strange ideas of safety.

[Lady]

"I adopted them six months after I left" Natalie replied curtly. Frankly, she didn't want the woman around her or her family, the closest proximity being fifty feet apart. But yelling at the woman to get out and never come back again would scare the kids and probably turn half of the supes against her.

Alicia and Russ passed a knowing look to each other and approached the door with quiet steps. They were going to attempt eavesdropping, and find out why their mother acted so cold. The woman came out of nowhere with pointy-toothed smiles and demanded she be let to speak with their mother. They didn't have a problem with it, as long as she left, but their mother wasn't too happy with it.

Natalie gestured to the living room, a nicely decorated room. A couch rested in the middle with a coffee table in front of it. There was a book case, a desk, and a lamp. Photographs were hanged on the wall, depicting various moments of the trio's life. A trip to France, a picnic in a meadow, the two at Nat's work...

[BenitaEllen]

(OOC ~ This is set in Victorian London. They wouldn't have TVs. XD)

When she gestured to the living room, she shook her head. She knew that Nat didn't like her, and just her showing up was putting her under stress, she didn't want to impose on her life anymore. No more than she already was, and was going to in a second. She knew that her children were listening to every word from where ever they were hidden. Kids weren't stupid, and they were usually well aware when something was going on. So she tried to put her words as neutral as possible, or atleast so that the children wouldn't understand.

"Things are coming to a head. We need you, now." She said, her smile faded and long gone from her face. Crossing her arms over her chest, she waited for Nat to spit something else at her, or actually spit at her. She was prepared to do whatever was needed to get herself, her family and all the other supes she could out of this mess. And if it ment blackmailing one woman and her bird, so be it.

[Lady]

"No" Natalie deadpanned. "I have lived very peaceful without you or your small army. I have two children now, I need to put them before any other and that includes you and what you deem important" she didn't need to clarify herself for the woman. Her mind was set, Natalie wasn't going to join them. They could threaten her children, she'd just flee. They could threaten exposing her little alicanto, she'd be called mad. The bird had the shape, form and sound of a swallow. And the story that her looks were genetically altered was supported by several people.

Alicia and Russel raised their eyebrows. Then, the boy frowned. The woman made mommy sad, angry and maybe mad. And now she was talking nonsense. What was going on?

[BenitaEllen]

Small? Lauren snorted and the babies in her belly seemed to jiggle with laughter as though they had heard what the woman had said.

"Think about this before you make your mind up." She said with one eyebrow raised and her arms still crossed over her chest. "If you say no. I will have you exposed. Your bird will be killed, as will you and your children." She said. She didn't like being a horrid witch of a woman, but if that was what she would have to do, then she would. "I have a child, and a possible two others on the way. I manage fine." She said as she drew up the sleves of her cloak to reveal many silverish scars and a fair few slightly pink ones. "This is what I got when the humans captured me a few months ago. I managed to escape, others weren't so lucky. Are you going to say their lives aren't important?" She asked, daring her to say that the lives of others weren't important.

[Lady]

That was it. Russel promptly slammed the door and gave two good kicks to the shins of the woman who said those things to mommy. It didn't help he spent free time roughousing. Alicia watched from the safety of her brother's room. Mommy said to stay here, but she didn't say anything about keeping Russ contained.

"You...you..." Natalie couldn't find the right words "Saumensch" she finally spat. "I thought you are a mother, and would understand if my kids died and were left with no one in the world. I did a little research on you, you have dead parents too. Do you want to inflict the same pain on those kids?" she couldn't believe this woman. Julie was a grown bird, she could fly higher than anything and no human would reach her. But to threaten her kids?! That was going too far.

"I told you I want a normal life. I have lived normal so far. I don't know why you are so intent on ruining my life, but let me tell you something: you can threaten to kill me, but not if I kill you first."

[BenitaEllen]

Ignoring the child kicking at her shins, she snorted yet again. She didn't understand how this woman was so naive. She thought she was going to be the one to kill her. There was no chance of that. When she said that about killing her first she smiled and shook her head, taking out a small knife from her cloak. She took one of Nats hand and placed the kife in it before she could pull away.

"Kill me then." Holding her arms out wide. "Kill me. Just know, that my husband will deffinatley kill you then. I am loved by many people, as are you," She said glancing down at the children. "Yes my parents died. Burnt at the stake. Sometimes I can still smell the burning flesh and hear the cheers of the people stood around. You don't frighten me. I have experienced more in my lifetime than you ever will. So kill me." She said finally, pointing to her chest, her arms still wide.

[Lady]

"I still have kids to raise, Saumensch." Natalie replied, throwing the knife in the space next to Lauren's head. It was embedded in the wall.

"But I still ask you. Why are you so intent on destroying my life? Why should I fight for people who won't remember my face, much less my name? And why do you specifically want me? One less person won't matter in war."

Julie chirped sadly. From her bond she could feel her mistress' emotional distress. All those negative emotions.

Russel could see this was going nowhere. Especially since the woman was covered from head to toe with cloth, which absorbed a fraction of the impact. He still didn't like mommy sad, so ran the short distance to her entwinning his arms around her neck. Alicia was cautiously stepping out of her brother's room. She wasn't sure what to do, and what mommy and the lady talked about. But she obviously wanted to harm all mommy holds dear.

[BenitaEllen]

Pulling the knife out of the wall easy enough, she placed it back in her cloak and rearanged the cloth over her huge bump again before she spoke.

"I have kids to raise. More than you." She said, folding her arms back over her chest again. "I have been tortured, raped, threatened and killed twice. And yet I am not scared. What does that say about you? You have been through nothing. Nothing." She said, spitting out the word nothing like it was a foul taste in her mouth. "One person can make a difference. One person will make a difference. Ask yourself this. Why are you so scared of helping? You can do multiple things amazingly, so why not?" She asked as she turned and headed for the door. Pulling on her shoes, she opened the door just a crack and turned to look over her shoulder. "Meet me at 6am tomorrow at the tavern on the corner with your descision. If you don't, you know what will happen." She said before she quickly exited the house, closing the door behind her and made her way towards the small house she was staying in.

[Lady]

(Note-Had to eat)

Lauren had refused to answer one question: why should she fight for people she didn't even know.

And to have the gallantry! Why she was so scared of helping! Because she could die that's why! She didn't want to fight, Natalie wanted to be random villager #2145 just like in those plays. She wasn't a hero. And the woman didn't answer yet one more question: why did you threaten my children. If Russ and Alicia ended up without a parental figure, then what? Lauren would surely 'adopt' them because she caused Natalie's death, but there was one problem: They would pin all blame on her, and they would be right.

And Lauren did say she was tortured, raped and threatened. Who in their right minds would wish that for themselves?

Unable to cope with all the stress put on her, Natalie slowly slid down and began to cry.



----------------------------------------------------------------------------


Natalie had left the children with Mrs.McKinnon with the instruction that they were not to speak about yesterday.

If she had to fight, she wouldn't fight for anyone who asked. She would fight for a prize. Maybe the supes would do voluntary work because they were already on the most-wanted list. But if the police found out that Nat worked with them it was over for her and her children.

She was covered from head to toe with black and a cloak shielded her face. Kicking the door open to the shady tavern, The Fox and the Hound, she searched for the Saumensch.

[BenitaEllen]

The next morning Lauren didn't leave her little house until 6:05am, and reached the little place at 6:15am. She did this on purpose, she didn't want to be the first one there. Her cloak covered her face as she leant up against the front wall of the tavern. If she entered the place, she knew she would probably never leave. The men in that tavern had a habit of taking female prisoners, generally to rape, but some of them liked torture along with their sex. She did not wish that on herself again and so waited outside. She thought about what she had said the other day. She had been harsh, she knew that, and she had cried for so long when she had reacher her house. She had cried because of the things she had said about the children, she felt almost disgusted with herself, but she would never let any of that show to Nat. And today she wore her strongest most apathetic face. She did was she did to give her children a future, her half fae half wolf children. She loved them dearly, and would damn herself to hell if it saved them.

[Lady]

The cloak covered most of her body, including her feminine features, and so the men only spared two glances at the new arrival before going back to whatever they had been doing. Natalie took one look around and concluded that the little... woman wasn't here yet. She waited for five minutes before ordering the strongest drink she could find, a White Rat Whisky. Alcohol had no effect on her, as her stomach was made of stone. But it didn't hut to try to get smashed.

"So she doesn't even have the decency to get here on time" Natalie murmured under her breath. If the... woman wouldn't get here in the next sixty seconds there was bound to be an explosion.

[BenitaEllen]

Staying outside, she crossed her arms over her chest as she waited for Nat to emerge from within the tavern. She could smell her, even over the over powering stench of vomit and alcohol. Rubbing a hand over her stomach she almost smiled, but stopped herself at the last second.

She readied herself for anything and everything that Nat could and probably would say. Sighing, she was just glad she had a husband and son to go home to at the end of the day. She felt disgusted with herself and knew William and James would make her feel better about herself, even if it only lasted until the next confruntation.

[Lady]

Done with her White Rat, and impressing quite a few men by gulping it in one gulp, she slammed some money on the table and left the tavern. No dizyness and no sickness, sadly. Natalie looked around for a few moments before spotting the... woman who lured her here. Nat would have given the werewolf a piece of her mind and probably a few hits as well if common decency didn't call to her.

She strode to the woman with large steps, her boots making nary a sound on the cobblestone. Natalie would take initiative this time.

"Make no mistake, I won't fight for your cause willingly, ever. It's only because your imbeciles have the power to kill my kids. I'll join you, but I won't do it for free. I want some kind of compensation for putting my life on the line"

[BenitaEllen]

Lauren didn't hear or see the woman coming, but she sure as hell felt her. She could smell her anger aswell, and her intent. The smell of it made her want to gag it was so over powering, but she helf back and instead snorted at her demands.

"The deal is; you fight or not at all." She didn't remind her of what would happen if she said no, she was a parent herself, so she knew the thought would be drilled into her head. She offered no rewards for 'her' soldiers. The people who fought for her did it because they wanted to, because they felt a duty or because they liked a fight. She didn't encorage the last one, but if it meant more soldiers, then she would allow it. She knew that her 'army' wasn't moral or right, but if they wanted to survive that all had to chip in.

[Lady]

"I won't" the woman replied. Did the werewolf she came here without backup plans? Huh, as if!

Natalie's family had an island, which they jokingly dubbed 'Just Room Enough'. It existed for a long time, it was unplottable, it had natural and man-made defenses. The redhead will just have to convince her grandmother to let her live here. The story that a serial murderer was after her and her grandsons would be credible. After all, the supes did threaten to exterminate her if Nat didn't fight for their cause. Just to show how stupid they were. An unwilling worker could sabbotage and mess up all the things. The supes asked her to fight. They didn't put any restrictions and her, and thus Natalie could immediately alert the police who their leader was. And put a bounty on her head.

You just don't threaten a woman's family and expect to get out unscathed. After all, the saying did go like this 'Hell hath no fury like a woman's wrath'.

"After all you put me through you can't expect me to willingly join you for nothing, do you?" Natalie scoffed "You're despicable." The redhead said as a parting word and turned tail, ready to leave.

[BenitaEllen]

Smiling under the hood of her cloak, she expected for the woman to say something like that, so she had a back up plan. Nothing physical that she could hand over to her, no money or anything of value, just her freedom after this was all over.

"How about..." She began, not saying anymore until the redhead stopped walking away. She knew her 'team' could have her 'taken care of' before she could formulate any plans to escape, although she didn't want to have to resort to that unless it was very nesecary. "After this is all over, all done and settled, I will never bother you again. Never contact you or your children, or their children and so on. None of my family will either. How about that?" She asked. "However, there are some conditions. You will not alert anyone of our presence, and we will cast a sort of spell on you so that you can't blab to anyone about what is happening." She added just for good measure. If she agreed to the 'reward' but not to terms and conditions it was no barrier for her, she could have a witch or warlock thousands of miles away preform the spell and she would be none the wiser.

[Lady]

"How can I even trust you? When one of your own was hurt, two years ago, you told me to never contact you or attempt to find you ever again. I didn't, content to do so. And then you come and ask for my help, threatening me and mine and now expecting me to do whatever you want for your selfish reason. You're demented, woman, no matter how hard others assure you you're not. It's all about you you you your children your husband and so on, you don't even think how it's for me. You expect me to take your shite without complaining. Yes, you were raped, and tortured, but did you think for a moment I don't want that? I asked you once, you didn't reply. Why should I fight for people who won't remember my name? My face? They'll remember me as 'that selfish redhaired bitch'. And you talk about how you care about your children. What if I threatened to kill your children and best friend, cause I wanted to you to dance naked in front of a stranger or something? No, fuck you madam. I'm sick of all of you. The witch that enchanted Julie made sure I knew how to reverse the spell. A nine year old alicanto is huge, for your information. It could carry me and the children easily with the help of her hatchlings."

It felt tiring, but she finally had said it.

Natalie offered one last bitter smile before whistling so loud it could wake the dead. A golden strike came towards her. As she had said before, she was going to live a normal life, and if that meant leaving an army with one woman less then so be it. She was sick of people restraining her against the redhead's will.

[BenitaEllen]

"I am not fighting for just me and my children. I am fighting for all our children. The faeries, the goblins, the giants, the things that go bump in the night, and even the fucking humans, I am fighting so that all of our children can grown up in a safe and just world. How is it fair that we are persicuted for what we can not control. It is no different from executing a child because they have a deformity. Don't you see, even when this war is over I will gain nothing other than the knowledge and happiness in knowing that my children are and will be safer than I ever was." All that she said was true, and she didn't care if Nat believed her of not. She felt like crying, the injustice of everything, the stress and the horrible gut wrenching feeling she felt day in and day out. She knew something had to change before it ripped her appart and she wouldn't see the change.

"All I ask is that you fight. If not for my reasons, then for your own. Fight because you hate me, because you want to have a 'normal' life, because you want to get rid of all the hate. Whatever your reason, just fucking fight." She said, she took a deep breath and placed her hands against her stomach. The babies were wriggling furiously, like they were angry, or like they agree'd with everything she had said.

[Lady]

"I've lived a 'normal' life until you came along! My children were safe, I was safe, Everyone around me was happy! And then you came along demanding I fight or you'll exterminate me like a pest! Don't you see your hypocrisy! I don't have a reason to fight! I don't want to get injured, I don't want to die. I don't care about your fucking children! All that hate is generated by you, and unless I kill you with bare hands, that hate won't go away! Let me live in quiet and peace for fuck's sake!"

Really. The bitch complained that the supes were persecuted, but they don't see any other escape than killing all that disagreed with their ideas. Couldn't they get a witch to charm the ones that wished harm to get physically hurt if they have ill intention towards the supes? Of course not! That would be too humane, let's eradicate the haters and have our way! Couldn't they see there was a balance? The world wasn't made for them. Werewolves were okay, vampires were not. They drained blood. Naiads and nymphs had no place. Trolls and cyclops were created for destruction, and humankind of course was compelled to destroy the threats before they got killed, accidentaly or not.

Natalie wasn't sure about gargoyles. They didn't do any harm to humans, and came as close as possible.

"Gahadi Dormea Tolo Julie" The woman spoke, embarking on the now free alicanto before all the humans saw them.

"I don't want to die, nor my children to remain alone. Your children can go fuck themselves to the deepest level of hell, I'm a mother and the priority are me and mine."

Julie wasn't sure what her mistress has been doing was right, but chirped along. The alicanto was large, very large. Larger than two years ago. Ten years was the reach of maturity after all.

One, two, three, five fluffballs came. They were all golden with streaks of silver, hatchlings of Julie.

[BenitaEllen]

"Kill me then you fucking idiot. I hand you a knife and you throw it past my head, I give you every oppertunity to do as you wish to me and yet you turn it down. I stand here now, telling you to kill me if that's what you want. If that is what will make you feel better than kill me. Do it! I wont fight back, I won't try and stop you. So why don't you do it? I'm serious, I have enough guilt and pain in me to want to die, yet I don't. So kill me." She said, her voice almost a scream by the end of it.

She was angry, and she didn't care who saw or heard. If she left, her her children and her bird would be dead by the end of the day. It was the part about her children that got her, she was so protective of her own children that she hadn't bore herself, and yet she damned someone elses children to hell. Fair enough she had treatened her children, but she never wished them to hell.

"Here, shall I do it for you." She asked, cocking her head to the side she pulled out her small blade, rolled up her sleve and dragged the blade along her wrist. Red liquid sprang forth and joined the silver and pink lines that littered her wrist. She almost laughed when her blood began to drip onto the cobbles. She didn't care anymore, if she died others would fight on, others would take her place. She didn't care if she was remembered or not, she just wanted this horrid feeling to go away.

[Lady]

"I don't want to be the one to blame if you go and get killed like the idiot you are" Natalie said, oddly enough calm. Why get angry for the bitch? She didn't deserve that much. "I'll even tell you why I won't fight! Aside from the fact that you want to kill me if I don't want to join in on the clusterfuck, you don't care what happens to me. You want me to fight. What if I die? Oh well I'm just another casuality of war. And I ask you again, why are you so intent in getting me in special to fight? I heard you have quite a few sympathisers in the humans. I'd commit suicide, just to see your face when another is lost because of your fucking fault, if I didn't have children to raise. "

When was the last time Natalie let free like this? Don't care what others think, do whatever your heart desires.

"I say again, you're fucking demented. You want to get raped, threatened, injured and tortured. Otherwise you'd go into hiding into an obscure country and never hear of anyone again. Nah, you'd make a better home in the insane asylum. But enough of this, I quite miss my grandma. Have fun trying to find my island, it will take you a few years since I won't give you coordinates. And who knows what will happen in a few years?

I'll leave a parting word with you. If you want people to help, don't threaten to kill them and their children. It makes for a bad negotiation tactic"

And with that, the redhead was gone. The birds had darted to the children during Natalie's tirade, and have now arrived with the human hatchlings.


Russel and Alicia were reading quietly at Mrs.McKinnon when some golden, humongous bird arrived. They were naturally freaked out at first, then overjoyed. Ah, childish innocence. The birds were somehow familiar...

Then the birds took the kids on their backs and flied back to their mother. She put a finger to her lips, signaling that they were going to have a long talk.

"Go, Julie" Natalie commanded. That thing was Julie!? It was huge! Bigger than a tiger! And probably just as fat.

[BenitaEllen]

~24 months later~

Lauren now had 4 children, and another on the way. James, Scarlett and Beth; the twins, and Laura. She was glad that he children were now safe, her mixedbreed children were now free. The war had been won, and miraculoiusly by the supes. All the humans that did not agree to their terms were exiled to South Africa where they were allowed to live as they wished.

The war was won with little blood spilt aswell, which was a plus. More supes had died at the hands of humans, than humans at the hands of supes. A few of the more frail races had chosen to opt out of the 'war' early on as they did not feel they would be much use, and they were allowed to go.

They hadn't bothered to look for Nat, her kids or Julie. They mattered very little to the cause now. Now it was all about setting up a government for the two 'sides' to share knowledge, and Nat had been right, she hadn't mattered in the least. Which was why they hadn't looked for her, however there were mussings around London that they would never welcome her back into society, but Lauren doubted she would ever return from her island, so it mattered very little what the supes said at that moment in time.

[Lady]

Natalie was very happy. And that wasn't attributed to the supes.

She did go live on the little island with her grandmother until the old lady had died. It was a sad day, but the woman - Lilian - would not want them sad. They buried the woman deep into the forest surrounding the small house.

After the war was won, 18 months after Natalie left, the redhead was tempted to say 'I told you so, you could do it without me' but no, that would discern her location.

Two months after the war Nat deemed it safe to leave the sanctuary. But she wouldn't move back to Britain. Oh no, there was too big of a chance that the despicable werewolf would find her again, and attempt assasination as promised. Natalie moved to Canada which was not that far from her grandmother's house.

Her kids grew up safely and happy without the prospect that their mother could die at any given moment. The two were sent to school, tough Alicia was more enthusiastic about it than any normal child. Her classmates were a temperamental kid, Igorina, who loved explosions something dearly. Then there was Mikey, the hyperactive kid who brings a smile to everyone's faces. There was Markus, the quiet guy. Serena, the delicvent kid who no one liked. And many, many more.

Natalie finally adopted one more kid. He named himself 'Equilibrium' and had lived at the orphanage since birth. The woman was more than happy to accept the odd name, as long as the child was happy.

Julie's enchantment had been activated so the bird could continue living free along with her hatchlings.



Natalie 'Nat' Davidson was a happy woman. No, correction, she was ecstasic. And she had no intention to change that.

[Kris]

-MOVED TO HALL OF FAME-