Oracle

Part 44

Tim shivered as he moved through the streets. Winter was approaching and it seemed to cling to his bones despite the fire which burned in his gut. The rain seemed to be keeping the humans inside and safe for once. The only people really on the street that night were shifters who recognised his power that night. His dragon was close to the surface and he was vaguely aware that his ears were more pointed than normal and his eyes were golden. He had seen them in the reflection of the windows he passed.

He was on patrol to burn off the energy and to let his dragon know his territory was safe. Not because of Maria's words a week previously about him not looking after his people, not at all. Maybe a little, he sighed, lighting a cigarette and looking up at the full moon glumly. Maria had been right. Tim had been too focused on the underbelly. That was a massive problem, but it was also his job to keep people safe day today as well and that night was a good night to step up to his role.

The hair on the back of his neck was standing on end, and he was shivering but not from the cold. Something in the air was off that night. Something was going to happen.

"Warden!" a young voice called to him happily. Tim turned to see a foxling bouncing towards him over the road in a silk kimono. The child was about five years old and his ears were clearly out but cleverly disguised with a headband to make the little one just look cute and cuddly.

"Haruki," Tim smiled, knowing the child well, he knelt down and bumped their heads together. Haruki's family lived next to his apartment. "Where are your parents, Kit?"

Haruki was from a mixed family, his powers from his Japanese mother with his small build. Tim suspected the magic from the powers overpowered most of any genes the boy had inherited from his Irish father. Jim was a big ginger giant of a man with enough muscles to make even Tim treat him carefully. You never knew which humans had gained extras from being with supernaturals.

"Just over there," Haruki pointed to a sidewalk over the road, where there was a collection of fox kin drinking at a bar. It was clear there was some form of celebration occurring, hence Haruki's neat outfit.

Tim made eye contact with Jim and Yumiko, both of which clearly watching their son despite chatting with their family. He smiled warmly at them and nodded, still crouched down. Tim ruffled Haruki's hair as he chattered to Tim, Tim only able to follow part of it. Haruki in full bilingual mode because of the family celebration and Tim knew no Japanese at all. Still, he felt warmed by the fact Haruki would come over to chat with him.

"Here!" the kit finally offered something up to him. It was a piece of cake, wedding cake possibly from the white icing in a plastic container.

Taking the container, Tim beamed warmly at the fox child and ruffled his hair again. "That's very kind of you, Haruki," he thanked. The kit beamed back before bouncing back to the party happily.

Just as Haruki hopped off the pavement, a car sped around the corner and towards the young boy. Tim dropped the cake, driving forward and snatching the child up. His fingers curling in the silking material as his wings shifting and pushing them up and out of the car's range. The car skidded off, leaving shouts of shock and horror as Haruki clung to Tim. Haruki made a sobbing sound and Tim quickly landed and pressed the boy into the hands of his mother.

"Thank you, Tim," Jim said gravely, patting him on the shoulder.

"Not a problem," Tim said, watching as the car disappeared frowning darkly. As the car had passed beneath them, he had seen the drivers face. It was one he knew. "I think I'd better go deal with that," he commented, looking Haruki over in his mother's arms. The little foxling crying from the shock.

"That would be appreciated," Jim growled darkly, wrapping his big arms around his small wife and child.

Tim nodded at him and quickly picked the still safely contained piece of cake up off the ground before jumping into the air. He had a demon spawn to deal with.

The city was shifting. Maria could feel it in her bones as she took a long drag of her cigarette. It wasn't often she smoked but on nights like that night, sometimes she needed the extra buzz in her. It was truly a miserable night with the spray of rain splashing against her as it thundered down. It had been raining lightly all evening but now it was coming down heavily than Maria had seen in a while.

A bad omen on a full moon night.

"Warden," a gravelling voice growled. "What's your business here tonight?"

"Good evening, Maciek," Maria nodded, not shifting from where she was resting against the wall of a shop, using the overhang from the roof as protection from the rain. Even with the internal heat of being a dragon, it was not a pleasant feeling to be out in the rain at this time of year. It was still possible for her to catch a chill. "Nothing yours should be concerned with," she said darkly.

Maciek exhaled unhappily. "Forgive my rudeness, Warden," Maciek said with a slightly pained toned for having to apologize to the Warden. "I did not mean to forget my greetings but you have my people worried. Our stash is near here..."

The wolves in the city were the ones who controlled the drug and gun supply, with permission from Calder. Maria was heavily encouraged by everyone, including her superiors, to look the other way but if she found their stash accidentally, she would still be duty bound to do her job and everyone knew that.

Maria snorted as the attempt to get on her good side again, dropping what was left of her cigarette and crushing it under her boots. "Full moon got you all jittery?" she asked sarcastically, knowing the answer to that question. "Relax, I'm not hunting for drugs tonight. I'm here on a far more supernatural issue," she admitted. "Unless one of your wolves had gone berserk?"

"Not to my knowledge. The bitten without much control have been caged as always on a full moon. I would feel if one of the born wolves had lost control of their beast. Is it a wolf you are looking for?" Maciek asked, his demeanour changing slightly as he discovered why the Warden was waiting there.

"I honestly can't tell you. The seer just said a monster. We have plenty of those in the docks," Maria chuckled, her eyes watching as two people darted to their cars. They were in a nicer part of the docks currently. By day it had shops and entertainment centres and was a popular place for tourists. The demon and warehouse district was further down.

"That we do," Maciek nodded. "Are you sure this is the best place for you to wait? Surely the demon quarter would be a more likely spot for a berserk monster?"

"Sorry Maciek," Maria smiled grimly, knowing Maciek wanted her out of his land. "Seers orders. The vision said the person gets attacked here at midnight so here I wait."

The alpha werewolf sighed and moved to leaned next to her on the wall. For a moment they just stood there in silence, watching out into the dim night. The fog was starting to drift in and Maria shifted her jacket closer to her as a comfort.

"This seer. Would be the one Lord Calder has acquired," Maciek asked softly, his voice still gravely but less defensive. "The one John controls?"

"Yes," Maria nodded, not commenting on the power flow between John and Calder. That was something which had been building up long before Jaspar. The entire city knew Calder was going to do something to free himself from John's chains, it was just what.

"He any good?" Maciek asked.

"We find out tonight about his spontaneous visions. The ones he gets from individuals are good. They will occur but they can be changed," Maria admitted, seeing no reason not to tell the Alpha this information. Calder and John were planning to sell Jaspar's services after all.

"I see," Maciek murmured.

"You want your fortune telling Maciek?" Maria asked, with a hint of teasing in her voice. "That's unusual for a wolf."

"Not mine I want done," Maciek smiled sadly but didn't say anything more. The look in his eyes showing it was wasn't something he was willing to discuss. If they had been elsewhere in the city, Maria might have pressed for answers but as it was, she was on his land. She could respect his desire not to have to talk about it.

Nodding, she turned back to watching the street. Only a few hours now until show time.