Midsummer Night

[Fell]

((Warning: We will, in all likelihood, be traveling to the realms of the Fae in this. Be prepared :3 ))

There was nothing for it, absolutely nothing. November dug his claws into the pillow by his side, his teeth clenched together in a silent snarl. He couldn\'t ignore it; this night sang in his veins. He could feel the Fair Realm just there, just out of reach. It was as though he could stand up and find himself there. He probably could, if he tried. It was Midsummer Night. What else was to be expected?

And tonight, of all nights, he had to have been confined to his room. November sat up and watched the sun set slowly, the urge to run free and revel so strong in him that he thought he might burst with it. Midsummer Night... tonight the night that the Unseelie Court would begin it\'s upswing, and the night of peace between the Fae. Peace between the Fae, and trouble for any humans about. Even the Seelie Court faeries caused excess mischief for the humans tonight. November\'s mouth curled up in a smile before dropping back into his grimace. He should be out there, causing that trouble!

The cait sith got out of his bed and prowled, moving swiftly back and forth. His roommate was out, December was away on business... December. November\'s tail lashed angrily. Why had they taken him away on this day, of all of them!? This was one of the four most important days in the year, and December had to be away... "Stupid..." November hissed, turning back to the window. He wasn\'t to leave...

Full night fell just then, bringing with it the wild ecstasy of Midsummer\'s Night. From now until dawn, the Fae ruled the world. The familiar tingle of magic and anticipation ran through November\'s body, and his grimace turned into a maniac smile. Midsummer... the white-haired boy thought, placing both his hands on the windowsill and looking outwards. His tail was several times it\'s normal size, having poofed up in it\'s owner\'s excitement. Midsummer Night! November thought, laughing softly, his eyes so wide and so alive that he looked like a true madman. Nothing could keep him in tonight. Tonight was his birthright, and he would take it or his captors would feel the wrath of the faerie courts.

November turned and padded to the door, putting one sensitive ear to it. He could hear the First Level that they had assigned to his imprisonment outside, breathing quietly. November\'s tail flicked once; no matter. The window it was. He padded over to that, then opened it as quietly as he could. Had he used magic to conceal the noise, the Firstie outside surely would have known. As it was, they paused and stopped their breathing to listen. November was careful not to hold his own; it would have been a dead giveaway.

It was a couple moments before the Firstie outside resumed their steady in-out-in-out, and in those moments November made it to his desk and drew out a piece of paper. He pulled out a quill as well, then wrote his little note and lay it on his bed, grinning quietly. That done, he turned to the window and laughed softly. Nothing... Nothing would hold him tonight. It was exactly as his finely penned, ornate note said - "This is my birthright."

He lept, and disappeared in the air. November was sure that the Firstie would realise he was gone soon enough, and sure that he would be in further trouble for escaping, but none of that mattered tonight, not when he was one of the Kings of the Universe. November reappeared on the grass below, landing softly and immediately ruining the silence by laughing. He was so giddy! Standing, November looked around. It didn\'t seem as though there was anyone there, so he began to make his way towards the forest. He was moving as stealthily as he could, but given the time of year, it left something to be desired. November was sure he would be able to rip through to the Fair Realm here, but it felt so much more natural to step in through the forest - so that was exactly what he planned to do. Now if he could only get there without being noticed and followed...

[Idrial]

Idrial had been only back for a week and it had been very dull for her at the least. She spent most of her time within the library, reading about whatever caught her eye. Though tonight she would be baby sitting as she would have called it, others would have called it a responsibility. Although for being a High Apprentice she did not agree with this statement. Then again it would give her a reason to be outside not that she needed one.

She quickly dressed in her black pants along with her black shirt, one that stuck to her skin, she then quickly swung her cloak over her shoulders and grabbed her black daggers and fastened them to her side. She grabbed her bow and her quiver as well, there would be no need for them but just in case trouble would arise, which she highly doubted that her twin daggers wouldn’t do the job but she felt naked without it. She quickly pulled on her leather boots headed down the hall outdoors were she was to be stationed as a precaution.

A precaution to what?

She wondered this with great interest. As she reached the entrance doors she quickly stepped put and shape shifted into a wolf, it was much easier to cross the grounds and escape prying eyes. As she crossed the grounds with great ease she then stopped to were she was suppose to be station, she looked around and saw a tree all by itself it was wide enough to hide her body yet close enough to were she was suppose to spend most of the night. She shifted back into human form and gracefully walked over to the lonely tree.

She kneeled on one knee and concealed herself with her cloak, knocking her bow. She took a look at her surroundings, a forest was near by, and it was thick and full almost in a good way. Looking up she saw a window with a shadowy figure going back and forth. Suddenly it stopped in front of the window for several seconds then disappeared only to reappear a few feet away, he started to giggle.

She knew who it was, His name was November and she had only seen him a couple times during her training. They were both in the same house but she really paid no attention to him during her training she was not interested in making friends at the time. He suddenly stopped giggling and silently moved toward the forest. She let him go a few steps forward before revealing herself.

Quietly she rose from the knee she was sitting on and spoke in a voice in a most pleasurable voice.

“What would December say if I had to bring you back and show him what you are doing when you should be in your room at this time of night."

Idrial paused for a second before adding in a amusing tone.

"Even if it is your birth right."

She leaned against the tree waiting for what he had to say, her hand still one her bow just in case.

[Fell]

November walked the grounds almost silently, his senses attuned to the forest around him. He could hear and smell all manner of small animals - there, an owl, probably hunting the mouse November could hear nearby. And over there, what sounded to be a chipmunk. And... a she-wolf? Well, that was unusual, especially as he couldn\'t smell the rest of the pack, but not especially disconcerting. November had never had wolf problems in the past, and he doubted he would begin having them now.

Perhaps he would have realised that the smell was a little bit off, had he not been distracted by the day itself. As it was, though, the appearance of a girl from behind the tree was an appearance November hadn\'t anticipated. He stopped where he was, falling into the eerie, absolute stillness of the dead.

November recognised her. He remembered when she\'d first arrived, remembered when she\'d graduated, remembered when she\'d been appointed by one of the Confuto masters - not December. November would probably see her die, too - it was a pattern he\'d seen many times. Her name? November didn\'t remember. He\'d seen too many like her to remember all of them. It was a curse of the immortal, to learn so slowly. Mab had probably made special arrangements with the Academy administration over it.

It interested November, that this she-wolf in girl\'s clothing would know his brother, and apparently about the day itself. No, she was not of the Fair Folk - November would have been able to tell in a heartbeat had she been - but apparently she knew a bit about him and about the high holidays. I wonder how, the pale cait sith wondered, cocking his head to the side. He lashed his tail once; she was keeping him from the Revels. November knew he could simply teleport off, but she knew his name, and his brother - talking would likely be better for now. And if all else failed, that was still an option.

November chuckled softly, the sound escaping his lips as if it were a dry leaf on the breeze. "He would be taking me himself, she-wolf in man\'s garb," he responded, a slight smile coming to his face. November had addressed her in the old way, not in the standard Academy manner, though he fully expected the ancient title to mean little to her. It was something only left among immortals now, anyway - though something still quite good to know in the realms of the Fae.

The boy, older by far than the girl before him, eyed her curiously. "Do you intend to stop me from going?" November asked softly, a shiver running up his spine as the night darkened. They\'re starting, he thought, his eyes growing a little bit wild as ecstasy bubbled up in his chest. November could hear the music, so thin was veil between worlds tonight. His ears twitched and flicked to sounds the she-wolf before him almost assuredly couldn\'t hear, unless she had some sort of a connection to that realm. Perhaps she does... November thought, though it was soon swallowed by other, less tangible ideas and images.

"I don\'t think you could stop me..." November whispered at nothing, sounding half-mad even to himself. In truth, probably nothing could.

[Idrial]

November stopped abruptly and slowly turned around, surprise was surly noticeable on his face no matter how hard he tried to cover it up. Rage was visible within his eyes, he was not planning on being caught especially on a night that was his birth right.

He stared at her intently, his head cocked to the side almost in a inviting way, if she had not seen the tail violently lash to one side she would assume it was safe to approach November. Now she knew it was one of those false invites of safety. She stood were she was her hand still on the arrow, ready to pull on her bow and scare the Cait Sith if she had too, knowing that his first reaction would be to teleport. They were masters at that; it was in their blood after all.

His lips curled upwards and a small chuckle escaped his lips before he spoke once more addressing Idrial directly.

 "He would be taking me himself, she-wolf in man\'s garb."

Idrial knew that title; she was addressing her in the old way, a way that she had not heard for a long time. The title had always meant something to her, even if she was only half werewolf. She almost had to smile but she kept her face emotionless and blank. She looked at the Cait Sith and stared at him, she saw him shiver a little. She could hear a faint hum laced with tiny whispering, one not from this world. She knew that the Fae realm was opening and that November would want to leave soon. He spoke in a soft voice that was edged with eagerness.

"Do you intend to stop me from going?"

Idrial only looked at him and stared intently, wondering what he would do next. Would he put up a fight or would he run. He spoke once more this time in a whisper.

"I don\'t think you could stop me..."

Idrial now had to smile, she let her lips curl up a little and spoke directly to November.

“You be surprised what I can and cannot stop. I be young in my years but that does not mean that you should under estimate me.”

With that she transformed into her werewolf form, to show him what he had under estimated. Idrial stepped forward and stopped, then transformed back into her human form.

“You are partly right; I am a she-wolf but only half. I was born a shape shifter but I was bitten by a were-wolf when I was ten.”

Idrial was not one to give out information but she left out her parents’ being killed that was info that nobody knew and would never know.

“I will let this slide if you take me with you to the Fae Realm, for I can faintly hear they are starting and I know it is a shame to keep you waiting from your birth right.”  

Idrial paused before adding, “What do you say?” She hoped that November would allow her to come. She waited, not knowing of he would teleport in front of her eyes and leave her their or invite her to the Fae Realm.

[Fell]

November rolled his eyes at her display. Wolf, werewolf, what was the difference? He needn\'t work hard to evade either. Had he been aiming to win a fight, he might have been concerned, but fighting didn\'t interest him tonight. "I don\'t underestimate *you*, little wolf. You underestimate me. How could you stop me, tonight of all nights?" he asked. This was stupid. He should just be going. December wouldn\'t punish him over this, and he saw no reason to stay here to converse with a she-wolf.

Her next words, though, absolutely floored him. His eyes widened, and he took a step back. Not only did she want to go with him, but she could also hear them. That meant that she either had some sort of sidhe blood, she frequently tore her way through to other realms or she had some kind of connection to the Fair realms. November couldn\'t sense any sidhe in her, and it was something all sidhe had a high sensitivity to. If he couldn\'t sense sidhe blood in her, she didn\'t have anywhere near enough to hear the realms. Even December could barely hear them, even on days like today. And November wouldn\'t be taking her with him by a long shot until she told him exactly why she could hear it. She could be a danger to them, some kind of a trap. Who knew?

"How can you hear them?" November asked sharply, anger at the invasion of privacy burning in his eyes. "How do you know anything about us at all?" Had December had some kind of a relationship with her in the past? November doubted it, and doubted even more that he would tell her anything about this. So was there some other sidhe here that might have told her about it? Perhaps that servant-pixie, Blue, or one of his family? November\'s tail grew in size, flicking back and forth unhappily. People who weren\'t of the Fair Folk weren\'t supposed to be able to hear their revels, not unless they were right on top of them! He paused. Were they right on top of one? Maybe... So maybe that would be why. This girl didn\'t seem surprised, though, which meant she must have expected it.

It was upsetting. She would have to explain, or November wouldn\'t be taking her anywhere.

[Idrial]

November jumped back as if he was pricked by some unnatural force of some kind. His eyes were wide and his ears were flat against his skull. He was not suspecting that she could hear the Fae Realm. Anger filled his voice as he spoke towards her  

"How can you hear them? How do you know anything about us at all?"

His tail flicked back and forth with fury, he was angry. For them Midsummer Night was a private occasion for them. Something to which they fortified with relentless concealment.

Idrial smiled at his rage, she was a person to which in her just beginning to live immortal life has obtained much knowledge about others and their ways of life. One of them was those just like November and their special holidays. She strapped her bow to her back and spoke in a soft but convincing voice.

“Of all of the immortal’s a Cait sith should know the answer to that, especially one that is connected so closely to the Fae Realm.”

Idrial paused and looked at November, it was not wise to provoke him when he was in state of rage for she had seen what he could do to people if they were not careful, but she continued to speak.

“The Fae Realm is tied to the world of the supernatural, some ties stronger than others. Those born with their blood flowing through their veins like you, have the strongest ties next to being a Fae like Blue.”

Idrial knew she had November intrigued by now and continued to speak.  

“Neither a werewolf nor shape shifters have the ability to hear then for there ties are not strong enough, but if you combine them their ties to the Fae Realm change and become stronger thus now I am able to hear them but only faintly. It only sounds like a faint hum or whisper, I cannot hear their words unless I am up close, but that is all I can do for do not have the ability to tear into the Fae Realm.”  

Idrial knew that she had answered November’s question as to how to hear them and now she was going to tell him were she had learned about them something she did not want to reveal, for were she went was hers to keep secret.

“As for knowing about your kind, when I left the academy I met a Cait Sith like yourself only much older than you or your brother. We became good friends but I am sorry to say he got killed in a fight his opponent soon died after because of the poison that entered his body.”

Idrial looked at November, with satisfaction in her eyes, hoping now that he would take her instead of wasting the night away with dim-witted questions.

“May we go?”

She waited for him to lead her into the woods, to the world of the Fae.

[Fell]

What? Next to a Fae like Blue? An unaffiliated drifter who had no ties to either court, more of a Fae than he, an Unseelie sidhe by birth? Somewhere inside, November smiled coldly. So she doesn\'t know everything after all, he thought, his eyes narrowing slightly as he listened to the rest of her explanation.

Hmph. So that was it; naught but a faint hum granted by the mixing of bloodlines. It still didn\'t make him happy, not by a long shot, but it was what it was. And tonight was probably the only night she could hear it anyway. What surprised November was that another cait sith had been the one to tell her so much. Mmm... I\'ll have to tell Mab, he thought, though the she-wolf quickly made that unnecessary - the guy was dead. IF she is to be believed, November quickly reminded himself. He would need to tell Mab about this she-wolf anyway. She certainly knew a fair bit, and though it probably wasn\'t anything important the Unseelie Queen still liked to keep tabs on such people. The Seelie Queen probably did too, but November felt no obligation towards her.

At least he\'s dead now, November thought. It was just one less job for December... It would be November\'s obligation if he were only a little older, but since he was still in school it would fall on December. But man, this she-wolf was insistent! November cocked his head at her last question, mistrust still in his eyes. "Why?" he asked in response, his tongue running along his sharp canines. "Why do you want to go? Especially when you\'re on duty... It\'s not very befitting of an Apprentice, is it?" November\'s tone was partially factual, partially curious and partially condescending. His first loyalty was to the Unseelie Court and to Mab, but the Academy was a close second. The people here had gained his grudging respect in all the time he\'d spent here.

Perhaps she had a good reason. November was curious to hear...

[Idrial]

November stared at her for quite some time, Idrial was getting impatient either he would take her or he wouldn’t but that did not mean that he had to play games with her, just one of her pet peeves.

It was probably unwise for her to mention the other Cait Sith she had met in the highlands. At least she did not mention his name; he was probably the only true friend she had ever had in her life. Now Gaboriau was gone, He had told her much about their kind and in return she told all she could about hers. They were both seekers of knowledge.

Although he was dead he told her much about the Unseelie Courts. They were usually trained to frighten and sometimes if necessary destroy mortals, and one should never offend them for their punishments are worse than torture itself, and sometimes you would offend them in the littlest of ways.

When he was alive his name was too kept in secret, when he was to die he did not care if she used the name or not, maybe she could use it as leverage here.

November cocked his head and ran his tongue over his canines, they were smaller than Idrial’s but they could be just as deadly if used in the proper way no matter what size. Bite the neck in the right place and you could choke on your own blood, not a fitting way to go but it was silent.

"Why? Why do you want to go? Especially when you\'re on duty... It\'s not very befitting of an Apprentice, is it?"

Idrial kept her lips in a straight line, and softly answered.

“Why? Because, for years I have always wanted to see the Fae Realm, to give something back that my friend can’t do since he is buried six feet under ground. This is the only night that I can do it for the conditions are just right or else I will have to wait another 500 years.”

Idrial smiled before she continued.

“I am not like other Apprentices I know what is important and what is not, I am not those were I live by the rules like it is religion. Besides rules were meant to be broken. You let me come I will give you the name of my friend, it will save you a great deal of guessing of who the Sith was and that he is no longer is a threat to your precious Queen.”

Idrial waited, time was running out and they needed to go now.

[Fell]

500 years? November thought incredulously. That was hardly the case, unless she was completely different from all the beings November had ever encountered or learned about. But then, maybe she was. At least it means, *if* she\'s telling the truth, that she won\'t be following me to the other High Holidays, the young cait sith reasoned. The thought pleased him. Less so her explanation of why she was abandoning her post, but he could do little about that. December, on the other hand, could be quite sure the appropriate parties were informed. Punishment would come \'round in good time. November smiled at that.

"It doesn\'t matter if he\'s dead," November said simply. "I\'m glad he is, though." The words were without heat, stated as pure fact. His death would make the Court\'s collective life easier. The white-haired boy turned and walked into the forest. It seemed that the she-wolf\'s company was rather unavoidable, now, as he was sure she would try to jump into any portal he made, or simply get him in trouble later. Not that November thought it would work very well - December would have his back on this one. "What\'s your name?" he asked. He didn\'t want to keep calling her "she-wolf".

They weren\'t far in the forest when November stopped, standing stock still. A maniac laugh bubbled out of him, and suddenly November gave the impression of wild movement - though one looking would see he was still standing still. He raised an arm, then brought it down quickly. A great tearing noise rent not the air, but one\'s sense of reality. It wasn\'t a sound, but it was certainly there nonetheless. And now, just before November, was another world.

All sorts of Fae of all kinds of types were moving to what seemed to be the right. A couple called out to the young cait sith, waving and beckoning him in. There was certainly music, a wild, energising music that demanded dance and revelry, demanded storms and nighttime runs and all kinds of feral things. November knew it was Moorfolk playing - beautiful musicians, especially with the bagpipes. The smells were equally tantalising, and the sights were perhaps the most interesting of all. Fae, intrinsically beautiful creatures at any time of the year, were especially so tonight.

November looked at the she-wolf, his eyes telling her to go through. He had no intention of protecting her once she was in there, so if she got herself in trouble, she would have to get herself out. November didn\'t even deign to tell her not to eat anything unless she wanted to remain in the Fae realm for the next god-knows-how-long. If she knows so much already, let her navigate my homeland without help... he thought, his smile widening slightly as he waited for her to go through.

[Idrial]

November stared at her for some time before smiling, but it was not a warm smile. It almost seemed she was thinking of something disturbing while she smiled. Idrial did not know what to think, this was an immortal that was highly unpredictable and dangerous. Though it was nothing Idrial could handle for she had faced far worse but still he could inflict some serious damage. Lost in her thoughts she almost did not hear him speak, his voice was heated with a dark tone.

"It doesn\'t matter if he\'s dead, I\'m glad he is, though."

Idrial’s blood went to a boil; he was treading on thin ice with that remark. She wanted to hit November but she knew it would do no good if she wanted to get into the Realm. He slowly turned his back and walked into the woods. She followed with silent steps; she had to be careful and remained on high alert while they walked through the forest.

"What\'s your name?"

Idrial lifted her head. He wanted to know her name, did she hear right. Undeniably you would think he would be content in calling her she-wolf. Not that it mattered to her what he called her but maybe this was his more friendly side, she doubted that though. She decided to answer in case he was trying to be friendly, she answered in a simple tone.

“My name is Idrial.”

He did not reply and she was content with that, for she did not see him speaking to her after she had enforced herself to go with him on this special night, she too would be mad as hell. She kept her head to the ground, her hands under her cloak; she gently stroked the cylinder that she had kept hidden.

There was a loud laugh that made her look up, it was wild and seemly dangerous. There was a loud screech that made Idrial winch, but their lay the opening to the Fae Realm. Fae of all types were within the Realm, they were all so beautiful in there own unique way. November moved off to the side, know that she wanted Idrial to enter first; she was not so sure, was this a trap to lock her in the Realm. Pondering on this she decided to enter ready to jump back if she had too.

She quickly entered the Realm, November right behind her and stopped at the side of her. She stopped and stared, many of Fae folk were looking at her. Mostly with confusion, she had to do this for Gaboriau. She gently undid her cloak and let it fall to the ground, she held the cylinder in her hand, and it was warmer than usual. She looked at November and plainly spoke.

“Tonight you shall witness something very special November, I hope you enjoy it.”

With that she set down the cylinder on the ground and spoke the words that Gaboriau had taught her before he died. The Cylinder began to glow bright blue then turned to bright silver, this is the part that would hurt her most. She quickly grasped the cylinder and held it within her hands. The silver burned her hands intensely, blood ran from her hands but se did not left go, she ignored the pain. The cylinder began to turn to a dark blue, it cracked into two.

Out came a the silver Air Sylph, a rare type of Fae.  It landed on Idrial’s shoulder; with her hands burned and bleeding immensely she managed to speak.

“Welcome Home, Kalieena.”

She turned to November to see what he would do or say. She would probably have to explain what just happened.

[Fell]

One of November\'s ears flicked to her when she dropped her cloak, but he didn\'t actually look. He kept walking, taking a couple of steps farther before stopping to turn and look. Many of the surrounding Fae were looking, some with malicious intent in their eyes, some with curiosity, some with surprise or lust or anger. The emotion depended on the Fae and his or her own opinions on mortals. What Idrial said surprised November, however. Something very special...? he wondered, looking at the silver flask. That can\'t be. To bring a bound Fae here, tonight - !

It was the flask that drew the most attention - attention and repulsion. The Fae that saw it backed away, muttering angrily in the sidhe tongue. November heard some very angry remarks spoken in it, and his mouth curled in a smile. Maybe someone here will take care of our little information leak out of anger, he thought, though he was already tapping his foot in anticipation for the revels. He was sick of waiting, and he could see the same signs of anticipation in many of the surrounding fae.

But Idrial\'s little show was also interesting. November was excited to see the blood that ran down her hands, and also interested to hear what she was saying. So - a ritual of release, then, he thought. The way Idrial chanted them seemed as though she didn\'t know the meaning, but November was pleased to hear it. It meant the dead cait sith hadn\'t broken one of their cardinal rules and taught her their tongue. If he had... Well, it\'s good for him he\'s dead, anyway, November thought with a chuckle.

And then the Air Sylph was free. November cocked his head and stepped slightly forward. "And just how long have you had her captive, Idrial?" he asked coldly. To imprison one of the Fae was not something any Court took lightly. Even the drifters, the neutral, unaffiliated Fae, wouldn\'t look the other way on that one. Certainly, many of the Fae around them seemed more than ready to kill the she-wolf over this. They were simply waiting for November\'s okay - as his guest, she wasn\'t to be harmed so openly without his consent. There were a plethora of other ways to harm someone, though, and fewer of them involved violence than November would have liked. The subtle stuff was more his brother\'s forte.

But no matter. Idrial had something important to explain to not just November, but also to the surrounding, rather cross group of Fae. Some there might never forgive her for it, but most would probably be placated by a reasonable response. Probably, November thought with cold amusement.

[Idrial]

November stepped forward towards Idrial, she could here that the Fae were angry, and they probably thought that she was the one that took Kalieena captive only to bring her back to save her own skin from the Courts which was not true.

"And just how long have you had her captive, Idrial?"
Many seemed ready to kill her in an instant; luckily she was a guest in the Realm unless November gave then the signal to kill her. She had better explain quickly or it would an early death for her, something she would not let happen.

“If you are getting at that I captured Kalieena within this cylinder you are wrong I am only merely bringing her back to her rightful place, would a Fae that I captured be sitting on my shoulder? I think not.”

Idrial’s hands burned, the silver that was burned into her skin would not let her wounds heal, and the blood ran down her hands in a stream, dripping off her finger tips. She ignored it and continued to speak trying not to show pain within her voice.

“Kalieena was taken by a Fae Thief, one who travels within the realm and steals Fae of any kind. They either sold to people for blood letting until the Fae dies or are killed for their blood instantly usually in gruesome ways. I and was only trying to save her from that fate.”

She knew now that she had gotten the Fae attention and some of their anger faded.

“Kalieena is a special Fae; she is the descendent of the very first Fae that inherited this Realm calling it their own.  Her blood has unknown properties and is worth millions. Her fate probably would have been Blood Letting, a fate worse than death. I have no mean’s to keep her as she is now free and back were she belongs, I hope you can forgive me November for not telling you this earlier but I am not a person to give out such information.”

Kalieena flew off her shoulder and began to converse with other Fae near her, she seemed happy to be back and Idrial was glad.  She felt her face going pale spoke a word or two of healing, it did not work not that she expected to, her magick did not work here. She smiled and tightened her hands in a fist to put pressure on the wounds. It seemed to slow but only a little. She looked at November and spoke in a humorous tone.

“It seems that my healing magick does not work here."

Idrial would have to wait it out; she knew that her magick would not work only sidhe magick would work her and did not see November helping her at this point, even if she had brought a Fae back to the Realm. No one would touch her, many thought her blood was tainted but it only became transmittable at the full moon and the full moon would not come until next month. Besided she had gotten herself into this mess and she would have to try and find a way out.

Still this was November’s night and she would not take her away from it so soon. The blood still ran in a river from her hands. She staggered back a bit her back meeting the trunk of a tree. She leaned against it and spoke with a sort of pained tone as she looked at November.

" Don\'t worry about me enjoy your night, I have had far worse wounds that this."

She waited to see what November would do and on the utmost likely chance she would join her Fae friends and let her suffer, although it would a surprise if he did help but she didn\'t give hope to that thought.

[Fell]

God, she was going into a lot of detail about this, as though those gathered here didn\'t know. November was sure that they were all her senior; there were no toddlers present. November gave Idrial a look of displeasure. "We know. I remember Kalieena, but I could have told the quality of her blood even if I hadn\'t," he said simply, the hairs on the back of his neck rising not out of anger, but out of restlessness. "We\'re Fae, all of us. We know each other," he continued hastily.

November just snorted when Idrial made the comment about her magic not working here. "Of course it doesn\'t. But I\'m not going to explain advanced magic theory to you..." the young fae said, watching her slide to the ground next to a tree. Right, the wounds, he thought, his eyes lighting up as they played over the blood there. What he did next he didn\'t think about beforehand - it was simple instinct.

November teleported to Idrial\'s side, then bent down and took one of her hands. As opposed to doing anything normal with it, though, he began to lick the wounds there. The cait sith didn\'t really spare it much thought, as the favour was as much for his taste for blood as it was for Idrial. His tongue was a little bit rough and scratchy, though it wasn\'t as bad as a real cat\'s. What the licking did accomplish, most importantly for Idrial, was cleaning the wounds of silver.

November finished one side, then grabbed the hand from the other and repeated the process happily. Silver wasn\'t a bane to sidhe, only iron. But if she had brought iron here, to the fae realm on tonight of all nights... Well, the Queens themselves would likely get involved. November hadn\'t sensed any on her, no, but he wasn\'t as sensitive to iron as December was. He had to really be concentrating if he wanted to be thorough, and he hadn\'t concentrated on anything all night long. Nor, in all liklihood, would he.

After all, tonight was only for playing.

[Idrial]

Idrial felt a small whoosh of air beside her and someone had grabbed hold of her hand. She looked to her side and there was November and what she did almost floored Idrial. She was licking her hand; it felt rough yet soft at the same time and yet she did not pull her hand away this was probably less painful than digging out the Silver with her daggers.

She could almost see the pleasure within his face as he licked her hands clean of blood which he was also helping remove the Silver little by little. November grabbed her other hand and started to lick that one as well. It didn’t repulse Idrial but she found it rather odd that anyone would want to touch her let alone lick her bloody hands since she was Half Werewolf. She could feel her first hand healing and it felt good.

November finished with her second hand and had let it go, she could feel the second hand healing as well. She knew that Silver could not harm a Sidhe but Iron could and luckily she didn’t have any on her.  She smiled a little and looked into November’s eyes before speaking,

“ If I was a full Werewolf you would have been cursed but it is only transmittable at the full moon which is not till next month, but Thank you. ”

For some reason she could not pull away from this so called stare, she kept looking into November’s deep blue eyes, their were like crystal clear pools of water. Why couldn’t she look away, she had to look away. She hoped this wasn’t one of those moments were the man got mixed signals and tried to kiss the woman. She wouldn’t mind kissing those lips but she didn’t lean in, she waited for him to make the move and if he did not then she would leave it at that but she just stared at him wondering what he would do.

[Fell]

November smiled coldly, a chilling look on such a young face that was only enhanced by the blood smears around his mouth. His tongue flicked out to clean a small rivulet of the stuff from the side of his mouth. "We can\'t inherit that curse," November said simply, though he also seemed self-satisfied. The self-satisfaction came more from the blood he\'d just imbibed than anything else, but it was also nice to know that Idrial didn\'t know everything about them. The curse of the werewolf was one reserved for the denizens of the mortal realms, not those of the Fair Realms. There were curses and oddities aplenty in the Realm of the Fae, though, all of which were quite transmittable to one another. Certainly, November would have been wary of any cursed Fae blood.

But cursed mortal blood...? Even if November were to drink her blood during the full moon, he would have been alright. Though I\'m sure she would be able to hurt me in her cursed form, if she wanted to, the younger of the two thought. Then again, most werewolves didn\'t bother with animal life, only humanoid life. November had watched werewolves rampage for the full three days in his cait form without them approaching him at all. It had been very interesting, to see what they could and did do.

But now Idrial was staring. November cocked his head slightly to the side, wondering what it was she wanted. She was looking directly into his eyes... He had a sudden urge to scare her away with them, but it swiftly abated. After all, it would be more fun to see how she reacted to his world than it would to terrify her. That he could do any time.

"Come on," November said, rising. He didn\'t offer her a hand, but simply began walking towards the Mound. That was what he wanted to do, so that was what he did. Had he felt like kissing her, he probably would have, but the thought didn\'t really cross his mind. 130 years old or not, he was still basically 13, and cait sith grew into their sexuality a little bit later than their human counterparts. All November had seen in the situation was Idrial looking at him oddly for no explicable reason.

[Idrial]

"We can\'t inherit that curse."

Idrial only nodded still looking at November; his eyes for some reason had her spell bound. November cocked his head to the side and looked at her for a long time as if her was thinking of something that was almost private. He licked his lips of the blood that was left on his face; he did a good job of licking her hands clean of silver and blood.

"Come on."

He slowly rose breaking the stare; it was sort of a relief. He did not offer a hand which was fine to Idrial and she slowly rose as well watching him walk towards a mound. She walked up beside him, a question tha pondered her mind she just had to ask and boldly did so without fear.

“I must ask you November and you do not need to answer … Why did you not pick the Cruori House? The way you licked the blood off my hands without hesitation one might think it would suit you better. Plus you do have a bit of mean streak more than usual within you … at least I think.”

She waited to see what November would say, if her did not answer that would be fine. If he did, it would be a great conversation piece and maybe he would ask the same. She was trying to be friendly; she had no intention of being enemies. Hopefully he could see that.

[Fell]

November paused a little bit in his stride when Idrial mentioned a "mean streak". Paused, and... smiled. Smiled, then chuckled a little bit. "Really?" he asked, glancing behind him. Though he was far shorter than she, he gave off the same sort of intimidating vibe as a true madman might. Such intense eyes didn\'t look like they belonged in such a young face.

He chuckled again, then looked away. "December was there," November said in answer to her question. It may not have been the best reason to choose a house, but above any other he could give it was true. Oh, of course there was the bit about being able to learn to use his innate magic, and of course there was the increased adaptability, but really it was all about December. Almost everything in November\'s life was. His older brother was his everything. Going into another house seemed unfathomable to November.

November knew that Cruori would have suited him better, but that didn\'t matter much to him. He could be precisely who he was in Confuto just as easily. It wasn\'t as though November was seeking out companions, either, so it was really unnecessary to be in Cruori. November never worried about it much. What was, was, and that was all.

"Why are you in Confuto?" he asked in return. He wasn\'t trying to be polite. The question had simply come to him naturally. As he asked the question, he reached the Mound. It probably looked like a normal knoll to anyone who couldn\'t see through the Sidhe glamour, but to November it had a large door embedded in it. For now, it was wide open.

The cavern within was enormous, but it needed every bit of that space. It was packed to the gills with Fae of all different sorts. Large tables piled with enticing foods took up one wall, while a group of Moorfolk played fiddles, reed flutes, bagpipes and other, stranger instruments on a raised platform. The party had spilled outside of the Mound as well, to be sure - all around them now were Fae who were talking, laughing, dancing, flirting or simply doing bizarre things. Everyone was drunk, drunk off of the atmosphere. The energy that filled the air was wild, uncontrolled and, above all, addictive.

November dove through the opening with a laugh. This was, after all, his night.

[Idrial]

November slowed his stride a little and looked back behind him he was smiling and then he chuckled a little. He only gave a short answer and that was good enough for Idrial.  It was the first time this night that she had seen November show any signs of pleasure. She finally maybe had something right and maybe had broken his evasive block towards her.

He looked away once more and chuckled,

“December was there.”

He left is at that but now she knew the reason that November had chosen Confuto because of family. She knew how Important Family was and she had always believed that family came before anything else, for Idrial that had changed after her parents had died. Now she came first as she had no family to put first. She spoke plainly with some sorrow in her voice.

“Good reason Family should stick together … no matter what the cost.”

He had asked her why she was in Confuto, Idrial knew exactly why and was pleased that he had spoke back to her although their was no pleasantness in his voice it was still a conversation and one without interrogating questions. She spoke as they walked towards the mound.

“I guess it’s because I have always hated the light and loved the darkness. It was the only time I would go out, so I guess I wanted to learn more about the art of Stealth and Silence. I also wanted to kill those who had brought pain in my life … sometimes if I was in the right mood I would torture them to death. Almost if their screams were like music to my ears.”

She left it at that and as soon as she had looked up November stopped, she came an arms length away and tried to see what November was looking at, she could faintly see an outline and could hear whispers. Idrial could also smell food; it must have been a cavern probably full of Fae folk Idrial could not see them but she could defiantly hear and smell them.

November suddenly dove though the mound  with a high pitch laugh and Idrial followed. It was magnificent and many of the Fae looked at her, she scanned the room and tried to look for Kalieena and found her deep in conversation with her own kind.

The food on the table looked very good and Idrial wondered if she could eat any or if she did would she be trapped in the Fae Realm for she had heard stories that those who were not if Sidhe Blood if they at any of the food would be trapped and never allowed to enter the real world ever again. She decided to ask just to satisfy her curiosity.

“I must ask though is it true that if anyone not of Sidhe Blood ate any of the Fae food would they be trapped within the Fae Realm and never allowed to return to the Earth Realm?”

This was only thing that Idrial did not know about the Fae Folk as no one that she had known has told her, not even her dear old friend. That never talked about food at least the Fae Realm food.

[Fell]

November stopped, surprised, when Idrial mentioned family. Though the hint of sorrow in her voice wasn\'t lost on him, what she said was odd enough for him to forget about that - if he would have even cared in the first place. "Family?" he repeated, the word sounding almost as though it were unfamiliar to him. November turned his head to look curiously back at her. Yes, that was right; people like Idrial grew up with a mother, a father and so on. They had families, small groups bonded together by love and blood. It was so strange a thought! "It\'s... December\'s not..." November said, struggling with his words in an effort to explain something that was probably very, very foreign to Idrial. It was rare that the young cait sith found himself at a loss for words, but this had done it.

The white-haired boy licked his lips, narrowing his eyes as he thought. "It\'s not about... family. We don\'t... have those. December is just... special," November said slowly. He\'d never really thought of the closeness he had with his brother as due to the fact he was his brother. Sure, they were related by blood, but that meant little to nothing in terms of closeness. The bond he and December shared was incidental, and it didn\'t really relate to the fact that they were brothers. After all, November had a mother who was probably somewhere around here, a father who he\'d never met (and who\'s species he didn\'t know) and he didn\'t care about either of them. November doubted either of his parents cared about him either.

November simply nodded at Idrial\'s response. That all made sense to him, easily. Nighttime was better than daytime, clearly, just as winter was better than summer. The only place they differed was in the torture. November played vicious games with people, but he never really tortured people to death. When it came time to kill, November simply went for it. It was part of his nature as a hunter, perhaps, combined with his nature as a feline.

Hmph... She asked, November thought when Idrial asked about the food. He hadn\'t wanted to tell her a thing, but she\'d asked so directly... And furthermore, she was an apprentice of his house. It wasn\'t her that he feared, but what she might do to him was uncertain. Though I could always simply... leave, November reasoned, flicking the tip of his tail back and forth as he thought. In the end, he decided it wasn\'t really worth the trick. After all, Idrial might be worth something to the Academy. "Don\'t touch it," November answered, his words brief but to the point. It wasn\'t that she would never be able to return so much as her relation to time in the real world would be lost. November could travel back and forth safely, but the passing of time in the Realms was very different from the passing of time on Earth. For a mortal to get so close to the pulse of the Realms would make things more difficult later. Though she\'ll probably be fine tonight, and with me... November thought. He decided not to share that part.

"Let\'s dance!" November exclaimed suddenly, grabbing Idrial\'s wrist and twisting. The disappeared from where they were, then popped back into existence near the stage where the Moorfolk were playing.

The music, plenty enchanting before, was downright powerful down here. The beats of the drums a beat that pulsed through veins, minds, souls and perhaps even time itself. It turned those close to it from individuals to representations of ages long past and ages yet to come, into a single, pulsing, wild entity. The dancers were supremely unconcerned with how they looked, or how others looked. Bodies rubbed together, and it meant nothing, or everything. The beat raced on, disregarding the people dancing to it.

November fell into the movement instantly, his movements fluid and wild. It was an expression of every cait sith who had ever lived and ever would. Some of the dances seemed oddly scripted, though no dance among the Sidhe ever was. It was almost as though the consciousnesses of everyone present had merged, resulting in eerily synchronised movements.

Above all, though, it was beautiful, demanding and irresistible...

[Idrial]

November suddenly stopped when Idrial mentioned family, she had forgotten that immortals like November did not have families like mortals. It was rare for them to even know their birth parents and some like November were lucky enough to have a person that was their own flesh and blood to look after them. She had stumped November and it was probably a first for anyone to stump someone like November.


November licked his lips towards Idrial and narrowed his eyes. She knew that he was getting serious about the matter and Idrial at that point let her animal instincts over run her human instinct just incase she had found a sore spot and wanted to be ready for anything violent that came her way.

“ It’s not about … We don’t … have those. December is just …special.”

Idrial only nodded, as she did not expect him to say much and left it at that, but she unconsciously added in her own remark one that she regretted later of saying.

“ I guess we have something in common I did not know my Family that well either … My family were killed a long time ago, by a Werewolf. Now I am Half Werewolf Half Shifter...”

Idrial became very quiet and did not finish her sentence. Her family was a personal matter something she did not like to openly share with others. This time though it had slipped out and she was sure November did not want to hear about her Family and she kept quiet.

Idrial stayed behind November and was grateful that she had not provoked him into a rage. November then mentioned no to touch the food his tail twitching back and forth in a steady pace. He suddenly grabbed her wrist and she almost jerked if he would not have mentioned dancing. She let November lead her to the middle of the stage were the Moorfolk were playing such lovely music. It was if it was literally being pumped through her body and is was a feeling that was almost electrifying.

November danced wildly and in such graceful steps, no one judged how others were dancing they danced to their own beat. He danced like nothing mattered to him and danced to celebrate the fact that he was a Cait Sidhe.

Idrial did not know whether to dance or not and decided to join the fun. She undid the clasp of her cloak and hung it on a chair near by, she had been found of dancing and had did it many times in the privacy of her room in the Academy.  She let her animal instincts fill her so that she could listen to the beats of the music that her human ears could not hear. She slowly let her hands move followed by her body and stirred gracefully on her feet. She slowly started simple only for it to get more complicated. Soon a series of front flips and back flips were added along with complicated twists and falls, her feet always moving in complex steps as well as her body. The beast within her danced, it was free and danced in celebration.


Her hands became warm and soon blue and black flames consumed her body nonetheless it did not burn her it was rare sight for anyone to see. This always happened when she let her the beast of her overcome her human instincts and she was dancing and it could not be stopped unless she stopped dancing. Always keeping an eye on November for when he would stop she would also but for now she danced like she had never danced before.

[Fell]

November flicked one ear backwards, listening to Idrial. Started as a shifter... he thought, remembering his lessons. The werewolf curse was supposed to be compatible only with humans. Perhaps shifters were close enough, though - genetics and curses could be very strange about certain things. November wasn\'t especially moved by what had happened to her parents, but he supposed he could tell that she was. Not that he really understood why, but that was that. Some people were strange. "I guess you miss them," November more stated than asked.

And then they were off.

November found the way Idrial danced interesting - and evidently, he wasn\'t the only one. After she lit afire, many of the nearby Fae did. They seemed to think it was a very trendy, fun thing to do. Of course, it was all glamour for the Fae in question - it was something entirely different for Idrial, but November didn\'t really care.

They danced for who knows how long. Somewhere in the dance November lost his shirt and gained several bracelets. Later on, he\'d somehow gained a new belt in exchange for his sash. A necklace appeared, then disappeared only to be replaced by two more. The whole place was a madhouse of swapped clothing, jewelry and other trinkets. Even Idrial\'s cloak was soon gone, probably picked up by one fae only to be traded to another who\'d used it for warmth outside before loosing it to someone else and so on. Such was Midsummer Night; what was yours was everyone\'s, and you had a free pick of the crop too.

It might have been hours before November slowed and stopped, barely panting but filled with ecstasy. The fire\'s he\'d adopted died out for the moment, but there was a happy, malicious grin on his face.

It was nearing midnight.

It was time for the Wild Hunt.

The Wild Hunt, the Raging Host, the Herlathing, Asgardreia... Whatever name it went by, it was always the same thing. Led by Nuada, Gwydion, Gwyn ap Nudd or all other manner of strange, old Fae, it was the crowning point in November\'s Midsummer. It was an event that every Fae participated in at least once, and that most of the wilder ones ran in every time it happened. And the Fae could always hear the legendary call to hunt.

A horn sounded through the Mound, giving a compelling, wild brae that drowned out all the festivities. November bared his teeth in a mockery of a grin. "It\'s the Hunt..." he said, his eyes alight. A shout rose among the Fae, something between a feral snarl and a cry of jubilation. Maybe it was both. With that November was dashing up the stairs, a flood of other Fae pushing for the same exit. Many were staying behind, true, but it was also many that surged to follow the call.

Outside the Mound sat a man on horseback, a man who looked as much a part of the forest as the trees themselves. His hair was wild, and he wore animal skins. His bow looked as though it had been grown naturally, and his eyes burned with an unnatural, feral gleam. Every Fae that came out knelt quickly, then moved to stand in an excited, restless cluster near his horse. November did the same. It was less than a minute before no one else was exiting the Mound. "That\'s an Elder God," November said to Idrial, his eyes alight with the same gleam that was in the God\'s.

[Idrial]

They had been dancing for what seemed for hours and Idrial was not tired out all, in fact this dancing made her feel energetic. November started to slow down and she had noticed that she was wearing a new shirt which was blacker than the old one as well as her pants. Her old cloak was gone and was replaced with a new one on her shoulders. It was soft yet light on her shoulders and to the touch. She had never felt anything like this in the earth realm; her hands were adorned with bracelets as well as her neck. She could see that November was also festooned with jewelry. She had heard of this what was yours was everyone’s in Midsummer. She had looked to wear her weapons were suppose to be, their laid a new bow, quiver, arrows and set of knives.

She stepped over to touch them, the bow was smooth and unbelievably lighter than her old one, her knives balanced in her hands perfectly and her arrows were straighter than any she had seen. She looked at November to see a grinning smile on his face; he spoke in a light but exciting tone. The Fae around him gave a shout almost a roar as he spoke.

"It\'s the Hunt..."

No sooner had he spoke he was dashing up the stairs that they had came through hours ago, she followed in pursuit while trying to buckle her new weapons to her body, Fae pushed through the small opening  and some simply stayed behind. Once she had reached outside she saw someone on a horse, many of the fae knelt before they continued to go up to the man on the horse. Idrial followed November and knelt as well. No on else seem to be exiting the mound and November quietly spoke to her with a gleam in his eyes.

"That\'s an Elder God..."

Idrial had never seen an Elder god before and was a little uncertain to whether join the others or to stay put as the god might take it as an offense. She looked at November with question in her in her voice.

“Should I come with you or would the Elder god take offense of me joining you on your hunt?”

Idrial did not know what to do for the first time in many years. She looked at November for advice.

[Fell]

November stood behind the god\'s horse, looking both excited and feral. The patch of albinism on his chest glowed eerily in the milky moonlight, far moreso than his hair or any other scrap of white on him. November looked back at Idrial only when she spoke, surprised. It wasn\'t the new attire that surprised him (though he hadn\'t noticed it before), for that was to be expected. Nor was it that she\'d followed - he\'d expected that too. But that she would ask whether or not she could join the hunt... That seemed odd. But then, perhaps her cait sith friend had never spoken to her about it. November could understand why he wouldn\'t - it was hopeless to try to describe. "Why wouldn\'t you come? You\'re a wolf," November said. The words were plain, but everything seemed surreal now. Just being near an Elder God could do that.

They had little time to talk after that, though, for the god blew his horn again. A lightness swept through November and, he imagined, everyone else in the crowd. It was an enchantment, for who could keep up with a god without one? Moments later, they were off running. November\'s feet pounded the earth, first those of a human and then those of a large, pure-white cat with ice blue eyes. Some of the other Fae in the crowd had also taken on animal form, though by all means not all. Not every Fae could change their shape as November could.

There was a sudden shift, much like the inner tear that had heralded the pathway November opened, and they were in the sky above the mortal realms. In the sky, and running as though it was Earth. Another part of the enchantment, that - the Hunt always began in the skies before swooping down to the Earth to harangue any mortals stupid enough to be outside on Midsummer\'s Night. The noise they made as they ran was like thunder if thunder kept going, with the horn calls of the god interjecting themselves like shrieks of wind.

Oh yes... This was certainly November\'s favourite part of the hunt.

[Idrial]

"Why wouldn\'t you come? You\'re a wolf."

November said it in a very plain voice, he was right she was a wolf and wolves were good hunters alone or in packs. The Elder god blew his horn once again; it was loud but almost majestic at the same time. She saw November starting to run and she followed trying to keep up but almost a stride behind him. She wondered how long they would run like this and would she be able to keep up with them.

He started to shift into an animal form a pure white cat. He was beautiful and she almost stopped when she saw this and decided to change into her wolf form. She was black as night, her clothes and weapons blended into her skin and was no longer visible and yet her eyes remained blue. Her paws pounded the ground with delight and she slowly caught up to November.  He human self was still in control yet most of her beast form was flowing through her veins. She ran with pride, that she was part wolf.

She followed November through a sort of tear and Idrial could see they were in the sky, they were hunting mortals. She had heard about this from her friend the sidhe in the highlands but she never thought she would be apart of such a thing. The human side of her did not object in fact it told her to embrace it; she would catch her first mortal. The first stupid mortal that she laid her eyes on.

[Fell]

November noticed it when Idrial pulled up next to him, and was pleased to find her in her wolf form. He also noticed that her eyes remained the same, much as his did. She looked as though she\'d thrown herself into her beast side, more or less, which also made November smile - an odd sort of a look on a cat, but a distinct one nonetheless.

"Do you like the run?" November asked, his soft-yet-intense voice carrying to Idrial\'s ears even through the pounding of feet and the yells of the other Fae. That was because he was only half speaking in voice. When he was in his feline form, half of the communication was mental as well. It made it much easier for cait sith to understand each other even while in their feline forms, which was probably why the half-and-half method of communication had evolved for them.

It wasn\'t long before they found their first mortal. The Hunt swooped down upon the being, who now had two options. If the mortal ran, he would become the hunted. But, should he stand firm and wait for the hunt to come upon him, he would spend the night as Idrial and November were, as another member of the hunt. This mortal either hadn\'t heard or didn\'t believe the stories, though - he ran, and the Fae in the Hunt let out a whoop. It would be the first prey of the night...

[Idrial]

Idrial sniffed the cool and delightful air, it was a smell that could only come from the country were its world had not yet been polluted by the city life. She looked around herself and may of those who had come on the hunt we filled with glee and joy. It was something she had not seen in a while since she was in a pack. It had the same feeling and Idrial knew that she always belonged on a hunt no matter what kind. November spoke in a calming voice, some of it was mental and the other was coming from his own voice.

"Do you like the run?"

Idrial looked at him then set her eyes back on the path that the other Fae were following. She still had some of her human within her but the beast within her had the driver’s seat. She could communicate with others that were not of her own species if the human side remained. It was only when she let the beast side of her control her body could she only communicate with wolves. She spoke fiercely and lifted her lips to show some of her teeth, trying to smile.

“Yes, all wolves enjoy a superior run. They also enjoy good hunt but this is not a good hunt … but a great hunt. Besides this may be they only chance I get to hunt a mortal and to inflict the same pain that us wolves had suffered for centuries because of them.”

No sooner had she finished her sentence they had set sights on a mortal, a man that was out alone. For many years man had killed her kind for only their fur and nothing more. The fool hearted man ran and the Fae gave many whoops and cries, Idrial howled long and hard like a true wolf in the wild. Their howls had been known to put a chill down any mortals spine and sometimes if it was disturbing enough an immortals spine as well.

They picked up speed as they chased the man, she waited to see what November would do, in a pack she knew her place but here she did not and always looked to November almost like a pack leader. If this was a pack he would be the alpha male and she the alpha female; she set sight on the man and bared her teeth.

[Fell]

November flicked one large ear towards the wolf running by his side, listening to what she had to say. A cold, ice-blue eye examined the teeth she showed, and his whisker\'s lifted in a cat\'s smile. Lovely teeth, the cait sith thought. But then, he\'d always thought that of wolves.

Had November had proper vocal chords, he would have chuckled at the way she said "not a good hunt.... but a great hunt." It was such a mortal sort of a phrase, but then, what could be expected of mortals if not mortal tendencies? The older of the two had gotten used to such things, though they still irked him from time to time. At the moment, though, irritation was the last thing on his mind. Who thought of irritation when they were on the wild hunt?

No response was required of November, as it was immediately after Idrial\'s words that a roar went up through the crowd. (November was one of the few silent ones, as it was in a cat\'s nature not to howl) The Elder god sent shivers up even his spine with the sound of his horn, followed by a deep, earth-rumbling laugh. "Such a powerful being...." November whispered, half in his own mind and half in those around him. Yes... That was why he followed this god now - because of the depth of wild power he could wield. One day, I will become powerful enough to challenge a being such as him, the cait sith promised himself, the thought quickly swept away by the sheer thrill of their descent from the sky.

They moved so quickly! Everyone did, but November especially picked up speed. He would catch this mortal, he and, glancing to his side, Idrial, before anyone else managed to get their hands on him. November advanced until he was right next to the Elder god, then pressed past even him. Though the young feline didn\'t see it, the god did nothing but give him a faint, wild smile.

And then they were on the poor mortal. November pounced, catching him with his claws, then drew him into the air. All the other fae let out a wild cry, following him upwards. Yes! November thought, baring his teeth. Finally, he would be the one to drop the mortal to the rest. It was a first for the cait sith, as he usually hunted with his more skilled older brother. A trilling first, though.

November glanced at Idrial, ignoring the sweet sound of the mortals screams. She had wanted a piece of him too, he knew... November made a quick gesture with his head, indicating that she should join him just slightly above the feral pack of fae, crying for their prize. She should join him, and take the first bite before they allowed the rest of the fae to get their hands on him. Everyone wanted some, but November would let Idrial be first.

[Idrial]

As Idrial howled towards the sky she saw that November was one of the few that remained silent. The elder god sounded his horn once more was laughing wildly; she had never encountered such a powerful being. Idrial hoped that one day she would become that powerful if she was granted to live to see that day. Idrial flicked an ear towards November who was whispering under his breath.

 "Such a powerful being...."

Idrial only nodded, every one picked up speed especially November and Idrial followed in pursuit. He was keen on catching this mortal. As she raced towards the mortal Idrial reduced her speed a little so that November could catch the man. If he missed his chance Idrial would step in, she was an experienced hunter among the wolves that accepted her as one of her own. She brushed pass the Elder god and he gave what she swore was a little smile. Then in her own speed passed him as well to keep up with November.

November flew through the air with grace catching her prey with her claws and threw him into the air like he was only a feather; she could see the delight on his face. The mortal screamed with horror and it did not bother November or the other Fae. Strangely it did not bother Idrial either in the least bit.

She could see that November inclined her head to join him, she accepted the invitation. She let the beast side of her take total control and her eyes were no longer blue but became an intense orange color. They always looked lovely against the blackness of her fur.

She joined November just above the other Fae and slowly approached the mortal as if she was hunting her prey. She showed her teeth enjoying the horror on the mortals face, it was not every day you could hunt a human and not be concerned about the consequences that may follow.

She got very close to him, her lips pulled back to show the full extent of her teeth. She lunged at the mortals throat ripping it out, it would be a while before he would bleed as she intentionally missed the juggular, giving the other Fae the pleasure to enjoy him as he died.

Blood dripped down her lips, she howled long and hard. She was grateful that November had let her have the first bite. She came around and stood by November, Fae waited for November to give the okay to enjoy the mortal that she had caught. Idrial spoke a few words before falling silent.

“You have the makings of a true hunter, you should come and run with my pack sometime … your god smiled when you went past him to catch this mortal.”

[Fell]

Idrial took such a while to hunt the man, and how the fae cried out in protest! November flicked an ear at them, drawing the mortal higher still. Idrial seemed intent on drawing out the moment; perhaps it was a human thing. At long last, though, she took a bite out of the mortals neck. November\'s whiskers lifted in another cat\'s smile as the blood flowed - not spurted, as it would had she hit the jugular. So. She was very precise.

"We have no gods," November replied quietly before releasing the mortal from his claws, letting the poor human scream with no throat as he was torn to shreds by the hungry, wild sidhe. If only he had run with them, he would be one of the ones doing the tearing... "And I have no makings," the cait sith said before baring his teeth and jumping back into the fray. Idrial\'s words, what she\'d said about the god\'s smile, though.... Those were not lost on the student.

Minutes later, they were on their way again, the scraps of the man left out for whatever scavengers might find them. The first blood had only seemed to excite the sidhe, November included. It would be several hours before the hunt was called to an end, and many more humans as well. Some of the brave ones joined the hunt, running wild with the fae until the moon set. Those mortals, November knew, would awake in the morning disoriented and horrified, assuming they were sane to begin with. Though any mortal who traveled with the hunt would forever crave to do so again, few admitted it in their conscious minds. Those that did... Were frightening.

November was right - there had been many humans before the Elder god finally blew his horn for the last time that year in the long, loud call that signaled the end of the hunt. The fae let out their final cry as a pack, most of them disappearing into the faerie realms immediately afterwards. November, though, let himself drift to the ground as the god\'s spell wore off. He transformed back into his human form as he did, the cold not touching the bare skin on his chest. It never did.

When November\'s feet touched the ground, he was grinning like a madman. There was still flesh and blood underneath his fingernails, which he promptly began to lick out with his tongue. Yet another instinctual gesture; one always cleaned themselves after a hunt. After November finished with his fingers, he began on his forearms, moving on to his shoulders, his belly... The boy was as flexible as the feline he was, and some of the positions he managed would have made any sane creature wince. He payed Idrial no attention for the time being, as he was too occupied with cleansing.

[Idrial]

"We have no gods, and I have no makings,"

Idrial could beg to differ, November did have the makings of a true hunter as well as a good assassin when he graduated but she did not push it. The Mortals screams were nothing but faint whispers and November went on to tear him apart with help of the other Fae. Moments later the mortal lay dead and shredded into many pieces, November jumped back into the fray and they continued their hunt. She hoped that their would be more mortals, she would mind catching one herself

Some mortals joined the hunt; she knew the effects it would have on their mind later. Some would go mad others would become killer unable to satisfy their blood lust or they would rejoin the hunt once it came again becoming less human each time. Only a few would be able to push deep within their minds and live their lives like they had before they had joined the hunt.

They had come upon a group of mortals about 6 six of them they all ran and Idrial set her eyes on the lean tall one. She increased her speed; this mortal was fast but when it came to endurance the human could not out run her. She grabbed the back of his neck throwing him up with the rest and played with him a little before taking a huge bite out of shoulder then she quickly ripped out his throat, this time she hit the jugular and blood spurted within her face and chest. She licked the blood of her snout before leaving him for those who were unable to catch a mortal ... leaving him for the other Fae to play with him.

She had caught three mortals, her coat was wet with blood and some had already dried within her fur but it did not bother her a bit. This was a night tha the beast within her would be let out and she would enjoy herself. The horn had sounded and many of the Fae cried as one and Idrial howled one last time before following November to the ground.

He had changed back into his human form and started cleaning himself, it did not bother Idrial, he was part cat and they could twist their bodies in the most unusual positions. Idrial sniffed the air, she could smell the Academy but it was very faint. Their was a body of water near by and she intended to wash herself off rather than licking herself their was simply too much blood.

She ran towards the waters edge and jumped in; she forgot how good swimming felt and wondered why she never did this as often as she could. She swam around, diving underneath the water submerging herself only to come back up when she ran out of breath. Sure she could change into a fish but she was always fond of her wolf form and it was they first animal she would always change into no matter what.

She slowly swam to the shore and shook herself as hard as she could, November paid no attention to her as he was still to busy cleaning himself. She got an idea and her lips almost went into a smile, she quickly went behind a bush and changed into her human form and stripped her self of her clothes them changed back into a wolf and swan underneath a rock tha over looked a semi deep part of the lake. Once she was out their she would changed into her Human form and called out to November.

“November ... You should join me the water is just right, not to hot not to cold."

If he declined she would pretended to accept his answer and them make it look like she was pulled underneath the water by the under toe hopefully he would come over to the spot and then she would grab him and pull him in, besides after the hunt she was in a playful sort of mood.

[Fell]

November flicked a lazy ear in Idrial\'s direction, mostly as a response to the loud splash he heard her make as she entered the water. It was probably too warm for November\'s liking if she didn\'t shriek as soon as she emerged, but he had expected that. Summertime made everything altogether too warm for his liking.

What on Earth she was doing running behind a bush, turning back into a human, stripping, then turning back into a wolf and diving back into the water November could not, for the life of him, figure out. He watched the spectacle rather curiously, noting how she turned back into a human once out in the water. Did that make sense to him? No. Did it need to? Probably not. Mortals were odd creatures all. He continued his cleaning without worrying too much about it.

Idrial\'s call to him came just before he deemed himself clean enough. November gave himself one more look-over, then made his way to the edge of the lake. He dipped a foot in, then shook his head. "Too warm," he stated simply, turning his back on the lake and moving towards the tree line. Trees were what he liked best, and being in them. Summertime water was just... unpleasant.

[Idrial]

"Too warm."

Idrial shrugged as he made his way to the tree line, she wasn’t going to play the dirty trick she intended to play. She swam deeper and deeper towards the middle of the lake. It got cold as she did so but she liked the cold on hot summer nights and welcomed it. As she got to the middle she dove under the lake to see how far she could go before she would heave to re-surface for air. The bottom of the lake was beautiful and it would have been a shame to re surface so soon, she closed her eyes and concentrated of her legs turning them almost in to like a fishes tail. She made gills appear on her neck, she was half fish half human.

She grasped some tough seaweed and wrapped it around her upper part to that her breasts were covered at least. It was amazing down here; she had only shifted into this form once or twice because it was dangerous if you did not have your full strength as you could get stuck in what her parents called mid shifting. It was a scary thought and the first time she had tried to shift into a wolf she was glad that she did not have a weak strain of shifting or she would have been stuck as a half human half wolf kind of creature. She shivered at that, she continued to explore the bottom of the lake. Finding interesting things as she went along, she found a skull of some sort, she couldn’t tell of what species.

She picked it up and hung it on her arm; it was cool and would make a good decoration in her room. She found some interesting rocks as well with out knick knacks that people had thrown in the lake. As she explored the lake bottom she had totally forgotten about November up above at the surface.

[Fell]

November listened to Idrial\'s swimming with half an ear as he approached the trees. The first one he came to he dug his small claws into and scaled easily, much in the same way a true cat would. The cait sith pulled himself onto the first branch, then stood and began to climb higher in the ancient pine. There was quite a ways to go, too.

Sure, November could have just teleported to the top of the tree, but that would have taken the challenge out of it. The challenge and the fun. Climbing trees was all about the process, not the achievement of the goal. November appreciated that fact more than many might guess he would.

When he reached the top of the tree, November surveyed his surroundings. He could see out over most of the forest, as well as the lake. He couldn\'t see Idrial, though - perhaps she\'d gone diving. November turned his attention elsewhere - he was curious to see where the Academy was from here. The student searched for a while, then shrugged and looked back at the lake. Still no Idrial. November found himself wondering idly if she\'d drowned. What a ridiculous way to die that would be, he thought with a snort, beginning his descent at the same time.

Idrial was finally up when he reached the bottom again. November eyed her curiously, noting the gills. "...That doesn\'t suit you," he mused, brushing his pants off. The other thing he\'d noticed while he was up in the tree was the position of the sun - or rather, where it would be fairly soon. "It\'s about half an hour until the sunrise. I\'m going home," November stated, meaning he was returning to the Academy. The way he said it left it open enough for Idrial to accompany him or not, whichever she chose. November didn\'t care much either way - walking was good exercise.

[Idrial]

Idrial almost panicked when she had forgotten about November being up at the surface and with a flick of her tail which use to be her legs she rushed to the surface still with her treasures that she had found on her. As she reached the top November just reached the bottom of the tree, she had a huge relief that he did not come in after her only to find that she was half fish who knows what sort of rage he would released.

He smirked at her which she took as a good sign, he eyed her for a while brushing his pants with his hands. She could still see dried blood under his finger nails.

"...That doesn\'t suit you,"

Idrial only smiled at this and lifted what use to be her legs up above the water for November to see.

“Not only do I have gills I have a tail as well ... but you are right it doesn\'t suit me I am even surprised I could change into this form."

She changed the tail back into her legs and let them drop, she would have to go and get her clothes and from what he had showed her earlier he was not interested in her, she swam to the shore with the skull hanging on her arm and the other treasures in her hand. As she pulled herself out of the water she saw the sun just barely over the horizon, she heard November walking away speaking as he did so.

"It\'s about half an hour until the sunrise. I\'m going home."

He started to walk and she quickly walked over the bush and pulled on her clothes. Now she was half jogging while trying to put on the cloak and daggers that she had gotten in the Fae realm when everything was theirs as it was yours kind of exchange. She eventually caught up to November her air still wet but she did not mind.

He walked in silence as did she, she stuck the smaller things in her pockets and examined the skull first that she had found, it looked to be of a wolf but the forehead was to long and the snout was a little shorter, maybe a dog? She turned it over and inspected the teeth the canines were to long for a dog and it could be a wolf for they did not have flat molars as they were carnivores. She almost gasped but kept it in and whispered softly as she held it eye level to her face and smiled as she did speak.

“A werewolf skull .... A rare find indeed..."

[Fell]

((Sorry this has taken so long : /))

November walked the path - or the non-path, as it rather was - with little care. He was tired now, his energy ebbing away as the sun gained its power. Cait sith of his sort did not do so well in the sunlight, though at least it wasn\'t yet noon. Noon was ever November\'s least favourite time of the day. Sunrise, though, he disliked in his own right. It marked a transition he wasn\'t much fond of.

Idrial walked quietly by his side, but November was less than concerned. She had found something underneath the water. Some kind of a skull... That was interesting enough to the student, but he had now been up for about 20 hours and was more than ready to go to sleep, especially with the adrenaline rush of Midsummer coming to an end. Idrial seemed quite fascinated by it, however. She examined it as though it were horribly significant.

One of November\'s ears flicked back to Idrial when she whispered. They were plenty sensitive, and so he was not surprised to catch the words easily. Their content, though, was more interesting than the act of catching them. Werewolf skull? November thought, glancing back at the item. It was bone-white and very well preserved... That must be recent, then. Had it been very old, it wouldn\'t have had that colour or that shape. It would be far more dilapidated. Given that, and that she\'d found it in a lake...

"Did it die from drowning?" November asked, his voice somewhat scornful. Even he, a cat, could avoid so sloppy a fate as that. There weren\'t even any fractures in the skull... Though perhaps the creature had been wounded elsewhere on its body. All the same, in the middle of a lake? November didn\'t see any other plausible explanation.

[Idrial]

Still looking at the skull eye level she could see out of the corner of her eye that November was now looking at the skull as well, she could see that he was tired but still held interest with the item that she held in her hand. From what she had learned the sun sapped away their power and noon was the worst for them. He asked in what seemed to be a disgusted voice.

"Did it die from drowning?"

Idrial was still looking at the skull and was now looking for any sort of fractures but found none, not even old scars. Either this wolf lived his life very carefully which was highly unlikely but possible or he was young when he was turned. Idrial spoke in a simple tone as they walked.

"I don\'t think so, Werewolves are good swimmers. I think this one tried to swim across the lake trying to lose its hunters. Most likely reason is his hunter had good aim and the Werewolf didn\'t know what hit him and probably died before his head went under the waters surface."

She looked up to see the academy coming into view though it was very small. While holding the skull in one hand she sifted through her pocket, a couple of necklaces that were rusted a little but nothing a little TLC wouldn\'t fix, Pieces of metal, some bright colored rocks. As she reached deep down within her pocket she found a ring with a blood red jewel set into it. It looked like it was too big to be a woman\'s ring and she held it out between her two fingers. She looked at November and smiled holing out the ring.

"Too big for my fingers and a nice color to it as well almost looks like real fresh blood, you want it?"

It would look good on him she thought and still held it out seeing if he would take it or not.

[Fell]

Were they good swimmers? November didn\'t really know. It seemed like a strange thing for them to be good at, but then, swimming was good for almost any animal. Still... werewolves were so dense. November had always thought they would sink. But the young cait sith did recognise that he didn\'t know everything, and when it came to werewolfery, Idrial probably knew quite a bit more.

The ring interested him far more. It wasn\'t something he would want to wear himself, though it was his favourite colour. Idrial was wrong, though, in calling it blood red. Oh, November had had people call this particular shade of deis blood red before, but he always found it strange. Either way, it was something that was still too big for him. He would give it to December - his brother appreciated such things.

November reached out a hand to take the ring, examining it carefully. It had a trace of sidhe magic on it, but nothing that looked malicious. Magic was December\'s specialty, though, and he decided that he would wait to let his brother see it before he tried to put it on. "Thanks," the white-haired boy said simply, though he looked quite pleased as he pocketed the ring.

"What else did you get?" November asked, glancing over to her. There was the obvious, of course - a bow, a new cloak, and so on, but she probably had some other small objects as well. Sometimes the smaller the object was, the more interesting - at least when it came to the artifacts the sidhe often had.

[Idrial]

November carefully took the ring from her fingers and examined it carefully. He didn\'t put it on which Idrial didn\'t mind, it was his now and he could do what he pleased with it. He pocketed the ring before speaking to her again.

"Thanks, What else did you get?"

Idrial wasn\'t sure if he meant at the bottom of the lake or in the Fae Realm. Surely he could see the new cloak, bow and daggers that she had on her so she assumed that he meant at the bottom of the lake. She stuck her hand in her pocket and fished out the small objects. She spoke in a plain tone.

"Couple of colored rocks, pieces of metal and some necklaces, nothing to special..."

She stopped when she took out the necklace that she said that would need some TLC and looked at it more closely, she could see a symbol that was a Star and a circle around it almost like a Pentagram. She had seen this symbol before up in the Highland of Scotland, it was some sort of witchcraft symbol. She held it up to in the light still looking at the necklace as she spoke.

"A Pentagram ... You rarely see any of these apart from the Highlands."

She placed it in her pocket that was concealed within her cloak; she looked up to see that the Academy was maybe 300 yards away. She smiled and spoke warmly.

"I guess this is where we part our separate ways is it not?"