Tales of Rockford

Willow had gone to an awful lot of trouble to make Tate a workout mix, even to the point of actually buying him the ipod and loading the mix before strategically planting it under his bed pillow. He was always giving her crap about having her headphones on but he had made an agreement to give in and take up her suggestion of this music mix while he ran. The noise would be a good distraction to the usual sounds of the forest given his heightened sense of hearing often prompted him to stop and search out whatever was making noise.

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

“well well, little witch was alot easier to find shame on her mother for letting her wander about so easily” the stranger’s voice announced, the man emerging from the bushes behind Gwyn and accompanied by three other equally menacing men. They were all rough looking, built well but sporting a surplus of scars and scrapes. Their eyes however were different to that of normal people not to mention two of them appearing to have snouts rather then noses.

The man who had spoken lifted his head before taking in a long wafting sniff of air, a rumble from his chest emanating out into the form of a snarling laugh
“stupid little witch, just like her parents”

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

There was no way in hell he was going to admit it but the music was pretty damn good, so good in fact that he had not anticipated the presence of Gwyn in the forest nor her company in advance. Perhaps if he had, Tate might not have almost run into Gwyn and hung back strategically until he had sussed out the nature of the meeting between the five of them in the middle of the forest. Unfortunately however this was not the case and instead Tate slowed as he arrived to see the four men approach Gwyn who did not look as though she were ready to entertain them nor wanted to.
“Gwyn, you alright?” He enquired as he slowed to a stop and pulled his earphones out, tuning into the rumbling from the man’s chest and the look of them. It was hard to immediately respond territorially and for a moment his own eyes flashed a golden glow as he suppressed the urge to shift.

Gwyn looked at the men as they gathered around her and taunted her. What shocked her most is that they knew who and what she was. She had never met anyone outside of her mother's coven that knew the 'family secret' which meant that this was not a good situation for her to be in.

She thought that maybe they were hunters, but their true nature soon emerged, their animal like features shining through. " Wolves.... " she murmured as she felt her heart suddenly shot up to her throat. She watched them all intensely and she tried to think of a plan. She knew she could not out run them and they would probably rip out her throat before she could mutter a spell.

But something struck her as odd, they said parents, plural. Fear left her as she realized who they were and an anger grew inside of her that she didn't even know she had. " You are gonna regret ..."

Her threat remained unsaid as Tate appeared and now Gwyn was worried. Anything she did could possibly affect Tate and she couldn't reveal the fact she was a witch to the boy next door that she was crushing on. She had to get him away from here, keep him safe.

" Yes, I'm fine, just eh do me a favor will you? Can you tell my Mum I will be late home? " she asked keeping a close eye on the men and trying to act like everything was ok but she doubted that a guy like Tate would just leave her there. He was a good fighter and if there men were human he might of won, but how could a human go up against a small pack of wolves. He would be torn to shreds.

The way in which the witch danced about the topic of who she was incited a rough laugh from the alpha, his face soon shifting like his other pack members as his tongue lapped the side of his mouth

“Your not meant to be here” Tate growled at the group, having completely ignored the fact that he was standing in front of a group of wolves and ‘normal’ people didn’t react like he was when it came to seeing supernatural beasts.
“Back to your kennel dog, we’re dealing with the witch” The alpha snarled as Tate flicked his gaze to Gwyn.
“shit...your a witch?” he murmured, looking back when the other pack members stepped towards them, Tate letting off a snarl as his eyes flashed yellow again however remained in their amber state, the rumble just as low as the alpha. There was no way in hell he could leave Gwyn alone with four wolves who clearly meant to threaten her nor was it able to be resolved without him suddenly revealing his true self.
“How about you tell your mum to lock the doors” Tate suggested to Gwyn as he moved infront of her, glad his shirt was off since he was about to shift, at least he’d only lose a pair of jeans. He let out another snarl as the alpha moved towards him, his back rippling as he held back shifting only to speak to Gwyn
“Gwyn....i mean this....run” he murmured, the sound of bones snapping as his form rippled, his muscles bulging as his face shifted, and stature changed, revealing his snout and claws. Tate had rarely shifted to a lupin form, the upright stance of a mortal but features of a lycanthrope. His eyes glimmered amber as he snarled, the bristles of hair on his back which had appeared forming a long line of heckles. The wolves paced as Tate stood between them and Gwyn, giving her a chance to get to safety.

A look of confusion crossed Gwyn's face as Tate spoke to the wolves. They were clearly not human now and Tate did not so much as blink at the sight. Then the wolves referred to him as dog, oh god was he one of them?

No, it was clear he wasn't by the surprise at hearing she was a witch. She said nothing in response to her being a witch. She just looked at him as his eyes turned amber. He may not of been with this pack, but he was not all he appeared to be either.

Tate moved toward her to put himself between her and the wolves and she wondered why he would do such a thing it was a suicide mission. " Tate, I am not leaving you here.. " she said shakily, stunned by the sudden revelation that Tate was anything other then human.

She flinched as Tate snarled in front of her as her mother's constant warnings about wolves had bred a fear into her. Yet Tate wasn't like her mother's horror stories. He turned to her once again to tell her to run and then he changed before her. Skin tore and bones cracked as the Tate she knew disappeared and was replaced by what her mother dubbed a monster.

Her courage left her as she knew she was in no position to get involved in a dog fight and for all Gwyn knew there could of been other wolves at the house. She reluctantly took Tate's advice and ran. She ran as fast as she could and she looked back and found no wolves were following her. " Shit Tate please be ok. " she muttered as she ran and crossed the boundary into her yard.

She panted but there was clearly no wolves around and all the magical precautions were untouched. She panted as her lungs burned from the exertion. She could see her mother in the kitchen but where was Grace? She looked over at Tate's house and heard giggling, oh my god Grace had gone over to Willow's and their house did not have the protection that her's did. Willow and Grace were defenseless.

Instead of staying where it was safe, Gwyn went through onto Tate's property and ran in the back door shouting for the girls. " Grace! Willow! " she called out unfamiliar with the house and hoping the girls had heard her.


Grace flicked her I-Pod comparing music with Willow as they spoke about school and the possible love interest that was the dreamy Matt Blythe. But girl time was interrupted by a disturbance downstairs. " What was that? " Grace asked suddenly recognizing the voice. " Is that my sister? " she asked sliding off the bed and making her way towards the door wondering what had her sister in such a panic.

Tate could not argue with Gwyn after his shift, his voicebox having shifted to what he would have naturally had given he was wolven. The only sounds to come from him now were territorial threatening snarls as the pack encroaching on his claimed territory and threatening Gwyn seemed to move out towards them. It was a standoff as the wolves seemed to slow in their movements, watching eachother before the alpha had taken a beeline for Gwyn as she darted away from the group. As the alpha took off after Gwyn, Tate launched, tackling the alpha just as the remaining three wolves crashed ontop of them, sending earth and dust upwards as their figures clashed, an entanglement of snarls and howls erupting as they fought. Tate had latched his jaws around the alpha’s neck while his claws wildly swiped at anything that moved, his left hind leg hindered by the clamping down of a mouth, canines sinking into his flesh and a clawed hand ripping at his lower torso.

------------
Willow had been so engrossed in talking about Matt with Willow that it was only until Grace stopped and asked what it was that Willow focused in on her surroundings. She shrugged as she listened, soon widening her eyes at the panicked yelling of Gwyn. She had only known the Williams girls for two weeks but Gwyn didn’t seem to be the type that would be easily worried about something. Dumping her ipod Willow followed Grace with a little worry
“that doesn’t sound very good”

" Girls! " she called out wondering around the house until she found the girls coming down the stairs. " Grace, Willow. You need to come with me right now ok! " she said reaching out to take Grace's hand. " It's not safe here. " she said insistently. She didn't have time to explain, not until they were safe.

Grace looked on scared and confused. " Gwyn, what's going on? " she asked looking at Willow clueless. " Please Gracie, come home. You too Willow, please just trust me. "

Her sister was on the verge of begging her, Grace had never seen her like this. " Come on Willow let's go! " Grace said following her sister and taking her hand not letting go till they reached their home. " Mum! " Gwyn called out as they entered the house. " Mum. "


Rosalina heard the call of her eldest and turned the heat down on her hob and wiped her hand sin a cloth. " Gwyneth what is it? " she asked looking at her and the panic on her face. She looked to Grace and her new friend Willow trying to figure out what was going on.


" Mum, there are wolves in the forest. They know who we are, Tate, he's one of them but he is trying to fight them off. " it all came spewing out of her as her mind was doing ninety miles an hour. It never dawned on her that she had in fact brought a wolf into the house by bringing Willow.


Rosa's face went from that of concerned mother to that of a fierce woman. Her eyes darted over to Willow and she looked her up and down and then she looked back at Gwyn. " Gwyneth, we will discuss the matter of bringing a wolf into our home later, for now. stay in the house with Grace. I will be back. Under no circumstances are you to come after me. " she replied and she left with out listening to argument or saying another word to her girls as she headed into the forest to deal with the wolves herself.

Willow could only look in disbelief at Gwyn as she told the two of them it was not safe. Not safe? What the hell was Gwyn on about? For a moment she figured that maybe Gwyn was playing some kind of prank, afterall Tate was not home and she had no idea of what possible threat had been about to make Gwyn so insistent. She was reluctant to move until Grace urged to go, taking after the girls though far less worried then they both seemed to be
“you haven’t been doing drugs or something have you? She innocently asked as Gwyn and grace rushed into their house, Willow standing rather awkwardly as the following ensued.

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

Mrs Williams scared the shit out of Willow already, not used to having a strong female role in her life nor a mother and Rosalina filled both of those roles like an absolute queen. So it was no surprise when combined by the sudden revelation of Tate being a wolf, Rosalina’s stare at her prompted Willow to take a very large step back towards the door. She finally twigged that the William’s were no normal family, it all sounded to informative by her standards for them to be innocently human.
“wait...Tate’s in trouble?” Willow asked as she looked between the girls and Mrs William’s wondering in panic if Tate was okay. “hey!” she frowned as Rosalina left, the backhanded comment on bringing a ‘wolf’ into the house sounding somewhat cruel. Suddenly vary weary Willow looked back at Grace and Gwyn with wide eyes
“who are you?....what are you?”

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

The alpha had a large chunk of flesh under his throat taken by Tate’s long canines, one of the wolves having been wounded during the fray by landing on a sharp branch with force, the branch piercing the hounds side before he had fled. It was welcomed by Tate who was suffering from a multitude of gashes and bites, now faced by three wolves rather than four. He hoped Gwyn hadn’t decided to try and be a hero though the thought didn’t last, occupied as he felt the impact of being slammed into a tree take the air from his lungs

Gwyn had to admit that even she feared her mother a little when she was like this. Only wolves got her mother like this and even Gwyn would not of crossed her in this state. But still the way she treated Willow bothered her. She was just a kid, wolf or not. She hadn't done anything to them, that they knew of anyway.

" Mum please! " she called out but her mother was gone, just like that off to face a pack of wolves. Strangely she felt sorry for the wolves.


Grace was frightened, she had never seen a wolf in her life. All she knew was that wolves had killed members of their families before she was even born and that they were to be feared.

So as the realization that her new found best friend was a wolf she looked at her pale and scared. " You're a wolf? " she asked moving toward Gwyn expecting a snarling wolf to appear instead of her friend at any moment.


Gwyn sighed knowing that the girls had become practically inseparable and now something like this would tear them apart. " Grace it's ok. " she said trying to reassure her and then offering Willow a smile as she would of had any other time.

" Willow, you don't need to frightened, you will be safe here. " she said softly hoping she believed her. Tate and Willow had made her think differently about what she knew about wolves. " We're witches Willow. " she said simply thinking that the term was pretty self explanatory. If they knew anything of other beings then they should of known about witches.

Rosa made her way through the forest, elegantly running, the wind suddenly picking up behind her back making her move faster. Faster then human could move on their own.

She approached the dog fight calmly and sternly. She had no way of telling her new neighbor from the other wolves and usually this would not of been an issue for her but Gwyn and Grace had grown rather fond of them and she expected that the girls would be upset should anything happen to him. So a curse or hex was out of the question.

She sighed thinking she would have to spare their lives to spare his also. A binding spell would have to suffice. " Mr. Kingston may I suggest you stop your scrapping and let me take it from here. This will most definitely hurt. " she addressed him not knowing what wolf he was but hoping that he would acknowledge her somehow.

By now she had the attention of the pack and that was exactly what she wanted.


She took on an aura as her chant began, it was almost as though the magic she possessed her as she binded the creatures. She would force them to shift into their human form and so long as she lived they would not shift again. She would make sure of that.

The only time Willow had ever had problems with being called a Wolf were derogatory comments at her old school no thanks to her family history and at times where being called a wolf was something sounding accusatory. Coming from her new friend however Willow had preferred to cop the shit at school. Instead she faced Grace as she seemed to suddenly think something awful of her and for the first time Willow felt completely isolated, alone and oddly horrible to be who she was.
“well....okay yeah i am but.....like....your a witch? Pot, kettle, black...” Willow muttered with disbelief, looking up at Gwyn as she told Grace it was okay. She had never been near a witch before let alone two of them. Looking between the two, Willow shook her head “ohhh no, no way you can’t keep me here” she murmured, backing out of the room but not daring to turn her back on the two. She wanted Tate, Tate always knew what to do.
------------

Tate had more injuries then he could bare, beginning to take its toll as he struggled with the alpha and the others. He was outmatched by numbers with the only benefit in his favour being his physical conditioning and ruthlessness. With wolves it was a fight to the death and this was no other fight. He knew he was losing but what he hadn’t considered was the fact that Gwyn had made it safely and told her mother. Rosa.

The excruciating feel of tearing himself away from the alpha as a chunk of fur and flesh was unceremoniously torn from his shoulder produced a squealing howl, Amber eyes locking in on Rosa as she appeared. His snout twitched at her scent, an odd floral odour and rush of wind accompanying her. She sounded oddly confident to be around four fighting wolves and this immediately indicated supernatural. The warning was heeded, he could only surmise she had some kind of ability which she was sure would match the werewolves. The other wolves seemed to stop at the presence of Rosa, the alpha snarling at her rather than continuing the rampage. He could not ignore his injuries, there was too many and he was losing the energy to keep up the fight.

As though time slowed he made his break, hind legs digging into the ground and surging his body forward as he headed for home where the proverbial safety of the den seemed the best place. His breath was heavy as he ran, a trail of blood dripping as he tried to hurry

" Willow, we're not trying to keep you here.. " Gwyn didn't want Willow thinking that they were trying to keep her captive. There was house was charmed, she would be protected here from anyone who meant her harm.

But Willow seemed frightened of them suddenly. Gwyn sighed and she reached out to Willow to stop her from leaving. She was tempted to go after her, drag her back. But she couldn't leave Grace here alone. There was a chance the wolves would leave Willow alone as she was one of them. But if the wolves got a whiff of Grace or herself again they would most definitely come for them.


" What? What do you mean pot, kettle, black? " Grace asked taking offense to the comment. Witches weren't monsters like wolves. They didn't kill people for sport. Well, there were some witches who had succumb to the dark magic but they did not speak of them. They were shunned by the witching community.

Willow ran out acting as if they were treating her like a prisoner. Grace had tears welling up her eyes as she watched her once friend run off. " Gwyn, let her go, let her go be with her own kind. " she said trying to hold back the tears as she ran to her room to cry into a pillow.
As Rosa's chant continued, blood curdling howls could be heard emanating from the forest. The wolf who she could only assume to be Tate had made himself scarce, heeding her warning. ' Clever boy. ' she thought herself as she focused on the monstrosities before her.

Bones beneath their flesh twisted and broke as she forced them back to their mortal flesh. Their howls became near deafening screams. Their skin and fur almost melted from their bones as fresh pink human skin emerged.

It had been an agonizing few minutes for those who had fallen under her spell. Rosa had stopped chanting and she wandered over to the now human naked bodies. " I will let let you live as a warning. " she said coolly yet an eerie calmness was instilled in her. " You may go and others of your kind that should any threat be made against that of my bloodline again, they should be lucky to only be human. " with that she left the now human men to suffer in their pain and slowly drag themselves away. While, she would go back to her home and have a word with her eldest.

Willow felt the lump form in her throat when Grace told Gwyn to let Willow be with her own kind, feeling alienated beyond belief. The comment did enough for her tears to well and her shoulders to sag, turning and fleeing from the William’s house. She hated it, hated her ‘kind’ and she hated Rockford.
------------

He barely made it to the fence when his energy to allow his shift remain dissipated, the normally secretive shift he would have made now occurring as he pushed through the gap in the fence at the back of the property. His nose turned up at the stench of his own blood, though shock was quick to set in as his adrenaline wore off. As he pushed the loose flap of corrugated iron back over the gap his mortal form returned completely, the slackening and then tightening of his skin tearing at existing wounds as he leant against the fence, his breath heavy and quick. “just a bit more” he murmured to himself, his vision blurring as his head swam with dizziness. He had to at least make sure Willow was safe, now that he knew she had been hanging about with a family of witches who had wolf issues. Naked he stumbled across the back lawn, dropping to his knees as he reached the back steps, oddly feeling as though he was going to fall asleep. His hands searched their way across the back decking steps as moving became harder, his breath shortening.

Panting as he pulled himself across the deck he managed to get to the back doors, reaching for the handles though his hands slid across the glass, missing the handles completely. His head was swimming in vague awareness as he continued to lose blood, a pool forming over the wooden deck slats as he tried to push against the door, eventually losing consciousness as he slid down.


------------
Willow wiped her tears down her face as she ran inside, closing the front door and latching the locks as she cried.
“stupid, stupid. Ugh! TATE!” She yelled but got no response which was odd considering the garage was still open and his car and bike were in the driveway.
“Tate! I HATE this place!” She bellowed, kicking her bag across the hallway from where it sat beside the door, stomping passed the lounge and up the stairs to try and find her cousin.
“WHERE ARE YOU” she yelled as she wiped her face angrily, pushing his bedroom door open. There was no sign of him which only served to make her cry harder. When she made it downstairs nothing prepared her for what she across the kitchen to the back door. Nothing stopped her from letting out a scream of horror as she rushed across to the door and pulled at the handle trying to the open the door but to no avail since it had been locked.
“TATE!” She screamed at her cousin, the door covered in smears of blood as Tate lay on the back deck, naked and covered in blood, bite and claw marks littering his body.
“no no no Tate!” Willow cried as she tried to jiggle the door handle. In a panic she ran back to grab her back, tripping over the door strip onto the carpet with a thud. She pushed herself up and snatched up her bag, opening and scrounging for her keys. As soon as she felt the metal she ran back to the door, pushing the keys into the lock in a panic as tears obscured her view. “no COME ON” she screamed at herself, before finally managing to get the door open and dropping down beside Tate. She didn’t know where to put her hands, so much blood and he was a shade of pale she had never seen before. Was he even alive? She could only try and shake him as she became racked with sobs.

Rosaline had arrived home, unscathed to find the little wolf had gone. She was greeted by her eldest and looked for Grace but it was soon clear that she was in her room, sobbing. Her blubbering could be heard throughout the house.

" Gwyneth, you can relax now. The wolves have been binded, they pose no further threat. " she said as if this was an every day occurrence. " Now we must discuss your dealings with our so called neighbors. " she added wanting Gwyn to stop any further dealings with them in future.


" Mum! " Gwyn exclaimed seeing her mother as immaculate as she was when she had left. She wasn't surprised, her mother was a fierce witch and woman. But Gwyn could not help but worry. It was her mother after all.

Her mother spoke and Gwyn cared not for the other wolves. Her mother could of gutted the beasts with her bare hands for all she cared but what happened to Tate?

" Mother please, what happened to Tate? Tell me you didn't hurt him. " she said looking almost as stern as her mother could have. She feared what would happen to Willow if Tate were not to return home at the hands of her mother.


" Gwyneth, I do not know where your empathy for those creatures has come from. But I can assure you that Mr. Kingston did not suffer at my hand. However, given the wounds he sustained, his survival is doubtful. " she said rather matter of factually, clearly not caring for his life one way or another.

" I presume that should he survive you will keep your distance. " Rosa said knowing that it was not a question but a warning to her daughter to keep away from Kingston's.


Gwyn was shocked by her mothers coldness. Wolf or not Tate did not deserve to die in such a manner. He had saved her life after all. He was dying because he protected her and she would not have his life on her hands. " Oh mother stop it. " she said hearing enough. " You say witches are the scales of nature, that we must keep the balance and yet you would willing let Tate die in my stead? " she asked finding it absurd.

She stormed off into the kitchen and opened a looked pantry. Inside from the floor to the ceiling were jars of potions and concoctions they had made. She scrambled trying to find a particular ointment and when she found it she stormed out of the front of her house avoiding her mother at all costs.

" Willow! Tate! "she called out as she entered the house. She had no idea if Tate had made it back but she heard Willow sobbing and Gwyn followed it to the back of the house where she saw Willow sobbing beside Tate's bloody and shredded body. This may be too much even for her magic.

" By the Gods... Tate! " she said dropping to the ground beside Willow. There was no time to weep, Tate needed help urgently. " Willow, listen to me sweetheart. " she said trying to be comforting. " I need you to help me get him inside. I can try and help him, heal him but you have to trust me ok? " Gwyn said hoping Willow could trust as she did before, for Tate's sake if not her own.

Willow couldn’t work out what to do after all of the lectures she had been given growing up about not trusting mortal hospitals or contacting gp’s. The only person she could even remotely think of was Hector but he probably wouldn’t know either. It was all a mess and she felt useless.
Had she had her wits about her Willow would have seen Gwyn coming but it was only until she dropped beside her that Willow let out an audible gasp and instinctually grabbed onto Tates arm as though he would magically awake and tell Gwyn to get lost. She was angry but her panic overrode any idea of abusing the shit out of Gwyn Williams, instead shakily stuttering
“There’s so much...blood..He can’t heal quickly enough...please help him Gwyn please.” Willow pleaded, trying to wipe the tears away and smearing Tate’s blood on his cheek. She reluctantly complied with Gwyn’s instructions, more concerned with trying to save her cousin. She didn’t have anything to cover Tate’s nether regions with and shook her head. Like any of it mattered in the moment. She stood and stepped across the deck and bent down, lifting Tate’s legs by his ankles “I can get some pillows and sheets if we get him inside the doorway” she suggested, there was no way in hell the two of them would be able to get Tate to the couch in the front lounge room.

Gwyn nodded trying to reassure Willow. " I will do my best I promise. " she said and then focused on getting the big lug in the door. She grabbed him under the his arms taking a majority of the weight.

It seemed a painfully slow process getting Tate inside but they managed to get him as far as the living room. Gwyn panted, this was a workout for her as Tate seemed to weigh a ton. Willow had gotten the sheets and pillows and Gwyn knowing a little first aid elevated his legs and wrapped him in the blankets.

" Ok, Willow do you have any candles? If you do I want you to light every single one you have in a circle around me and Tate. Can you do that? " she asked as she pulled out a jar of the potion she had gathered from the pantry.

She unscrewed the lid and then propped Tate's head up. " Ok Tate I need you to drink this, it will be bitter but you need it. " she said as she slowly poured some of the liquid down his throat. She doubted he would enjoy the taste But if she had to she would force feed him it to him.

When he had drank a quarter of the jar she stopped and given him the chance to catch his breathe. She took a deep breathe as she checked on the candles. " You did brilliant Willow. " she said smiling knowing the hard part for her was about to come. She had never done a healing like this, where the wounds should of been fatal. This would require a lot of focus and attention.

" Now Willow I am going to start a chant and I have to concentrate. You make sure we aren't disturbed and that the circle isn't broken. This could take some time. " she said as she sat her legs under her and she shut her eyes, almost trance like.

The candle directly in front her suddenly brightened as it was charged and enchanted. An aura surrounded Gwyn as she drew on every ounce of magic she had. With her blonde hair, she looked almost angelic but what she wouldn't tell Willow was that although she looked powerful, right now was when she was most vulnerable.


It was a two part spell. Every candle had to be spelled and then she would have to draw on it's energy to heal Tate. It was a long , energy consuming process and as she began she placed her hands on Tate. There wasn't a part of him that wasn't covered in blood but that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. It provided a good conductor for the magic and Gwyn could use all the help she could get if she was going to save Tate's life.

It was extremely hard to make the decision to trust Gwyn considering the sudden events and the realisation of the William’s family being a family of witches. Witches were known to her as being reasonable unless you made them angry but she had also been given the knowledge earlier that this family of witches had a dislike for wolves and there was no changing her dna to resolve that. It was down to the strong connection with her cousin that she gave into letting Gwyn help but apart of her had lost the trust she had made over bonding with Gwyn at the fight the previous weeks before.

Managing to haul Tate inside, Willow tried not to slip over on the pools of blood as she helped Gwyn carry him, their foot prints leaving stained blood patterns over the stone tiles of the kitchen. Once they had made it to the living room Willow paused, finding it hard to leave Tate’s side for fear that when she got back he would be gone. She shakily wiped her face before she inwardly scolded herself, pushing through her emotion to go upstairs and grab the spare sheets, pillows and blankets from the closet. She couldn’t move her feet quick enough, stumbling halfway down the hall before getting her rhythm back.

When she got back downstairs she offered the materials to Gwyn, feeling utterly useless as she watched Tate lay motionless on the ground. Where had these wolves even come from? There were packlaws for wolves including the division of territory which was governed by a collective council. She had seen her cousins papers for them, it dictated their territory and the rights they held in living in the space without invasion of other wolves. Nothing was making sense. She watched Gwyn work, helping to wrap blankets over Tate. The wounds were horrific, some deep and open while others seemed to be less, only claw marks sliced finely compared to bites and tearing. She felt her stomach churn at the sight, not the blood factor but the fact that she was looking at her cousin.
Candles?...Gwyn was asking her a question, at which point willow looked up teary eyed
“huh? Oh...uh..” She muttered in reply, having to think of where they had stashed the candles. She shook her head before realising she had unpacked her own candle collection the week before, not really having noticed the fact that she would have enough until she actually thought hard on it. Turning she pounced back up the stairs feeling like time was moving so slow it would almost be at a stop.

-
Tate had not moved since collapsing, his body in a state of dead weight as the life drained slowly from him, his skin cooling as his breath had shallowed. So when it came to the liquid hitting his throat it was the involuntary reactions of his body which allowed him to consume the liquid, his muscles twitching as his oesophagus rippled. His breathing had halted for a moment to give way to the actions but soon enough they were evident.

In the meantime Willow had raced back downstairs, fumbling with an armful of candles. They were mostly tea lights, none of them scented given the heightened smelling capabilities often made her sneeze when she had incense. It made more sense as she lit the candles as to why she sneezed so much when she was next door. She used the oven lighter to light the candles, too shaky to try and strike a dozen matches. It did work and she made the circle of lit candles as instructed, soon finding herself with little to do but wait and watch. When Gwyn asked her to make sure they weren’t disturbed she nodded, feeling a sense of numbness as she went through the motions of listening and doing what she had been told. Though in the back of her mind she had to wonder where Mrs Williams was. Would she finish her cousin off? God what if she wanted to kill her too?! Willow got up, running to the front door and making sure she had bolted the three dead locks before doing the same with the back. Once she had done so she ran back upstairs to tates room, opening his closet door and rifling through his belongings to find what she had to grab. Eventually she found it, a large baseball bat which was worn and old but made of solid oak. She was small in stature but if she felt threatened and knowing she was defending Tate she would beat the crap out of anyone wanting to intrude. When her fingers wrapped around the bats handle her knuckles whitened with the solid grip of her hand, Willow soon marching back down the stairs and standing at the ready in the hallway doorway to the living room.

The glow from the candles caught her eye at one stage, the illumination of the room amazing her and scaring her at the same time. She quietly prayed that she had done the right thing, hoping Tate would live. He looked pale and she couldn’t work out if his body had even started to heal itself as it normally would have. She couldn’t think clearly, evident when she looked back towards the door, then over where they had moved about, tracks of blood about the place with which she made a mental note to clean before her cousin yelled at her, if he ever would again.

Gwyn's body tingled as she drew more power from the flames. She could feel the power pour into her like ice water filling her veins, her tissue her every fiber. It was a rush like no drug could give her and she had never had a need until now to channel energy like this. There was a part of her that feared the power as many witches had been corrupted before but there was no denying it made her feel strong, powerful like nothing could touch her, she felt invincible.

Slowly the candles lit one by one until the final candle was lit. A dozen candles surrounded her and Tate and finally she had gathered the power she needed she prepared to finish the incantation.


Saying those words caused the flames to shot up high, licking at the ceiling threatening to set the whole place on fire but it didn't catch. Gwyn's head shot back almost violently as a wind blew through the house.


Her voice took on an almost otherworldly tone, but it was not that of a demons but of a witch channeling Mother Earth's gifts. A light surrounded Tate as Gwyn's spell took effect. The smaller wounds began to knit together leaving only the stains of blood to show where they had been. The larger wounds closed somewhat, they were not nearly as deep as they had been and far less fatal.

Unfortunately, Gwyn wasn't strong enough to completely heal him, not on her own but he would most definitely survive with the few injuries he had with some bed rest . Wolves were known for their personal healing abilities and Gwyn had no doubt that in a few days he would be ready to go back to the ring.

The flames were quickly gone as the wicks now smoked, the wax now a hot liquid in the foil. Gwyn removed her hands from Tate's body and she placed a hand on the ground to stop herself from falling over. She panted trying to catch her breathe. She felt weak now, her body trembled and she looked to Willow who had gotten a bat from somewhere. She smiled softly at her and nodded. She looked down at Tate and placed a hand on his shoulder. " Tate, come on Tate you big oaf wake up. " she said softly as the room around her spun a little. She hoped that she had done enough to save his life and repay him for saving hers.

As a wind blew through the house Willow stood against the doorway wall her pupils dilated as she looked frightened by the whole ordeal. Purely since she was at a stage where her hormones were all over the place and she was entering adulthood, the stress prompted a minute shift. It was something she had been having trouble controlling, something which was both inconvenient and often embarrassing. She remained mainly in human form, only her wolven ears were evident and so was her tail. She glanced down and cursed, her ears flattening against her head.
As Tate’s body had begun to shut down a boost of energy source began to flow, surging through the minute cells of his body, working to create energy and regenerate more rapidly than his body had been able to. Smaller wounds requiring less energy were the first to heal, though larger wounds were only able to regenerate enough platelets to clot and prevent excessive bleeding and form enough cells to begin the slow process of regeneration. It was slow but after a few minutes of Gwyn’s powerful casting his body colour seemed to deepen a little with an increase in blood flow, more oxygen taken in as his breathing eased.

The room had fallen silent for minutes as Willow stood in the doorway, ears twitching as she watched intently. It broke however when suddenly Tate’s body jerked and his eyelids squeezed before opening, coughing huskily with a weak groan. Willow needed no other indication and despite being hesitant over Gwyn she ran in, her tail flicking side to side as she bent down and hugged Tate tightly
“oh my god thankyou” she whispered

Gwyn felt a wave of relief when Tate came back from the brink of death. Coughing and spluttering as he did. " Thank you Goddess. " she whispered. Her mother had always taught her that their magic was a gift and if abused or ungrateful it could be taken away just as easily as it was given.

Willow came in looking rather odd with nothing but wolf ears and a tail but she was happy, that was all that was important. She smiled at Willow as she clung to Tate. " Don't thank me Willow, I owed him. " she said feeling that her debt was repaid and balance was restored.

She picked up the jar that still had half of the potion left in it and placed it on a table for Willow to see. " Now, this is a herbal remedy, it will help boost his healing abilities. If you mix it and make it with some tea it helps with the taste. " she said hoping they trusted her enough to take it. " I'm going to go home and collect some herbs and cast a boundary spell on the property. It will stop anyone who means you harm from entering. " Gwyn said as she got to her feet and felt even dizzier then before. Her hand reached for the wall that she used to steady herself and she looked back down at Willow and smiled as her nose bled, dripping blood onto the floor.


Rosaline had settled into the kitchen once again. If wolves were in the neighborhood she would need to catch a wider net in terms of protection that would have to extend out into the woods. Then there was the small problem of the neighbors. She knew something wasn't right with them and like all things they showed their true colors. But how her daughters had grown fond of them. Grace seemed to have sense but Gwyneth, she was always the free spirited one, she would be harder to quell.

A shiver ran over her and shook her head. " Gwyneth, all that over a wolf.." she muttered tutting. She could feel the magic that her eldest summoned. It was more the she ever had and no doubt her daughter would suffer the consequences. But there was nothing to do for her now, if her daughter wished to associate herself with those creatures, so be it.

He could barely see as his vision slowly unblurred but from what Tate could make out were flickering candles and Gwyn oddly seeming fine. The last thing he remember was the vague recollection of coming across a bunch of wolves and Gwyn in the forest mid run. His body ached though there was additional warmth from the blankets and his cousin who had bounded across the living room floor to hug him. He wanted to speak but he was tired, eventually closing his eyes while Willow looked up as Gwyn told her about the herbal remedy.

“Gwyn...It’s a bit hard right now to trust someone but please...dont go, your nose is bleeding” Willow replied, still holding onto Tate until she felt him drift off again, sitting beside him.
“I don’t really know what witches are like, I’ve never met them before now but i promise we aren’t bad...” She tried to tell Gwyn, feeling that she had to justify Tate and herself as being ‘good’ rather than having some sort of monstrous nature. She sighed when she finally resorted to a shitty pun
“we don’t bite..”

Gwyn could feel her heart strings being tugged as Willow pleaded with her to stay. She wanted to spell the house to ensure they were all protected but Gwyn just didn't have the heart to leave her, she had almost lost Tate.

" Oh sweetheart. " she said pushing herself off the wall and walking over to Willow and sitting beside her. " I know you don't. " she said hugging her and comforting her as best she could.

She took a deep breathe as what she was about to say was difficult but she felt she owed them an explanation for her mothers behavior. She pulled away but stayed close so she could talk. " Willow, don't blame my mum or Grace. When I was a kid ... wolves killed my dad and my Grandmother. It was brutal and my mum was pregnant with Grace at the time. Grace never knew our dad and Mum was left to raise us on her own so that's why they reacted the way they did. "

It was difficult to explain and Gwyn didn't like talking about it. She had barely any memories of her Dad anymore or her Grandmother and there was a part of her that missed them everyday. She smiled despite her eyes were glassy with tears but she wouldn't cry. She had no right after what happened to Willow and Tate. " I know you aren't going to us Willow, you or Tate and I promise that we aren't going to hurt you. We are good witches I promise. " she said trying to reassure her and build back some trust.

The explanation had made things clear though Willow still hated the fact that Grace now hated her and they had become subject to Mrs Williams’s hate for wolves in general because of what had happened. As a typical teen she didn’t understand the reason for hating a general population instead of the few who had claimed the lives of loved ones. She hadn’t hated a species for her parent’s death so why should someone else? She had not flinched when Gwyn had hugged her, the trust there for the pure fact that she had saved her cousin’s life. Though as Gwyn reassured her she pouted.

“your sister hates me, you mum really hates both of us” she reminded Gwyn though she was not sure how Tate would react later on to finding out about the fact their neighbours were witches.

Gwyn shook her head as Willow thought Grace hated her. " No Willow, she doesn't she's just scared. She has never met a wolf, they have just been the things of our nightmares. " she said hoping she didn't take offense to it. It was simply a fact to her. The Big Bad Wolf was very real in their life.

" Let me make you some tea for your nerves. Tate is resting and I don't have the strength to get him off the floor. " she chuckled trying to lighten the mood. " I will talk to them ok. They might not like wolves but they can't deny that Tate probably saved my life today and they owe him. " she said. There was a code among witches and whether her mother liked it or not, Tate and Willow had done no harm and so they could not do harm onto them.

" Come on show me where the kitchen is and I will make you something. " Gwyn said getting to her feet and waited to be shown the way.

Her ears were still in wolven form and as Gwyn spoke to Willow about Grace they dipped low. She hoped Grace would be okay with her, she really wanted didn’t want to lose the friendship she had made.
“Thanks...I guess I will see her at school some time.” Willow murmured glancing back at Tate
“He won’t feel a thing and he has pillows so he should be okay” She added, standing up and sighing as she felt her tail waggle
“Damn thing” she huffed, walking with Gwyn
“Be careful on the tiles with the blood and stuff, I’ll mop it up as soon as I can” Willow added, glad that Gwyn was going to stay for a little bit.

Gwyn chuckled as Willow cursed her tail. Gwyn wouldn't be so patronizing to say how cute it was but she couldn't help the part of her that just wanted to squeeze her like a teddy.

" No you won't Willow, you'll go get yourself cleaned up while I sort this all out ok. I will clean up the kitchen and cook, in that order I promised. " she chuckled not hearing anymore from Willow. Kids shouldn't have to deal with this stuff and to her Willow was just a kid.

She waved her hands to shoo her upstairs and then she decided that she should make herself useful but not before checking on Tate. She walked over and his color was better and he seemed to be in no pain. " Tate .. you crazy fool. " she muttered thinking only someone like Tate would try and take on four wolves at the same time.

She made her way into the kitchen and began looking for the cleaning products, which there wasn't a lot of. This place was definitely lacking a lady's touch. She sighed and then grabbed a bucket. She filled the bucket with cold water and salt and grabbed a mop. She knew hot water would only set the blood and stain.

She began to clean the floor and she hummed to herself while she did so. it was true she felt weak and drained but she could do this for them. She chuckled to herself wondering if this is what it felt like to be human.

Willow looked hesitantly to the hallway wondering if she could leave the bottom floor to clean up, as though disappearing for a moment would put her cousin in jeopardy. Though she agreed and she felt sick feeling the sludgy stickiness of the blood that was over her skin. She glanced at the back door and its smears before sighing
“yeah your right, I’ll be back in a few minutes” she told Gwyn, glad to have her rather than have been alone. She owed Gwyn for saving Tate, respect and trust at least if Gwyn didn’t except willow owing her. Willow headed upstairs, kicking her shoes off once she had gotten into her bathroom en-suite. She peeled off her shirt which was stained with Tate’s blood, wishing the last hours had never occurred. Her ears drooped as she slipped out of the rest of her clothes, wondering if Grace would ever speak to her again. Gwyn was so not like her little sister or Mrs William’s. Oh what fun school would be as well.

She turned the shower on after stuffing her clothes into a shopping bag. The water had heated a little and she stepped in scrubbing with soap and swiftly washing the blood off her skin. There was a crimson pool gathering under her feet and though it had been present for some time earlier, Willow found that her tail and ears had shifted.

“oh thank god” she mumbled, glad that she felt a little more normal. Spending a good ten minutes in the shower before she could finally get the blood all off, Willow got out, finding a clean pair of tracksuit pants and an old misfits shirt. She combed her hair back and tugged it into a messy ponytail before heading downstairs and back into the kitchen looking a lot more calmer then before.