Xander looked at his mate, "Ghost fell asleep in the woods and isn't sure where she is. I'll go get her. I'll be right back."

Xander grabbed his spear and slung it over his back, just as he was preparing to take to the air Ghost's mind shriek knocked him to his knees.

'Ghost? What's wrong?'

'Daddy...Daddy...Help. There's something out here with me. There are glowing eyes staring at me.'

Firesong was listening in on the conversation. 'Ghost. It's Firesong. I want you to link to the nearest leyline and start building your shields. Put up as many layers as you can. Whatever you do, do not launch an attack. Stay perfectly still and maintain your shields. Do you understand?'

'Yyyeesss. Hurry, please. They're getting closer.'

Firesong grabbed Xander's arm. "We must all go. From what I saw in Ghost's mind she's being surrounded by wrysa. Magic will not work against them, it merely feeds them and makes them stronger."

Xander dove into his tent and pulled out a long leather wrapped bundle. In seconds the M-16 he'd carried and maintained for three years was locked and loaded. He slung it over his shoulder and grabbed several extra magazines. "What do we do with the boys? This is way too dangerous to take them along and they can't stay here alone."

Barac growled, "We can fight. We won't let anything hurt Ghost." All the boys gathered together and linked their hands. The characteristic shimmer of their shifting was much stronger than it had ever been before. It swirled above their heads and grew incredibly bright. The light faded and the boys' true power was revealed.

Instead of five wolf-owls, there was only one. A very large, snarling, snapping beast, easily the size of a full-grown Gryphon. Powerful muscles shifted under the sleek gray fur and fangs the size of daggers were only slightly more frightening than the enormous claws protruding from each paw. The monstrous head lifted, sniffing the air. An eerie howl split the night as it caught Ghost's scent. Variegated wings drove downward in powerful beats and it rose in the air.

Xander got over his shock and leapt into the night sky, following his sons. All five bondbirds quickly followed, Hyllar's flying skill had improved in Ghost's care, but the bond eagle was still struggling to keep up. Wintermoon, Darkwind and Firesong ran through the trees, the sparks from Anya's tail lighting their way.

The beast led the way, Xander directly behind him. He tried to contact his sons, but all he got was an animalistic rage. Xander checked on his link to Ghost, but her shields were making contact difficult. He saw through her eyes for a moment, it was definitely wrysa. Xander counted at least twenty individuals; they were circling around Ghost's shields, pulling power from them. Xander cursed and strained to fly faster.

**********

The beast sighted his prey and dove without warning. He laid about with tooth and claw, tossing mangled bodies through the air to slam into the surrounding trees. Xander had the M-16 in hand before he even landed and easily picked off the ones that struggled to rise. Any wrysa trying to sneak around to attack the beast from behind suddenly found themselves sporting large holes. Three of the wrysa banded together to attack and the beast crouched down to face the threat. His tail lashed angrily and his howl once again rang out. The wrysa suddenly decided to find easier prey. The survivors fled into the woods and the beast gave chase. Xander jumped in front of the beast and latched onto its muzzle. He stared into it's yellow eyes, "They're gone. And they won't be back."

The beast shimmered and five very exhausted boys tumbled to the ground. Darkwind and Firesong gave them water and checked them over for injuries. None of the boys had a scratch on them. Ghost dropped her shields and stumbled to her family's side. She collapsed on the ground in the middle of her brothers. She gathered the boys close to her, "You guys are my heroes. I'll never pick on you again." She fell silent for a moment, then grinned. "Well, not for a while anyway."

**********

Everyone was tired and winded from the journey so they decided to spend the night where they were. Hyllarr crouched next to Ghost and refused to leave his bondmate's side. Wintermoon built a fire and everyone settled down to sleep. They'd head back to camp in the morning.

**********

Xander woke with sun. He'd really like to get more sleep, but that would have to wait. He took Vkandis' spear and knelt in the sunlight. He raised the golden spear over his head and let the sun warm him. He could feel the power from the spear running down his arms and raised his voice to the sky. "Vkandis!" Xander felt his adopted father's presence move through him and he smiled. This was one duty that he never minded performing.

Once the spear was completely charged, he quietly woke Wintermoon and the two men checked out the clearing where they had spent the night. They were in a small valley, completely surrounded by huge trees. A small stream ran down one side of the valley and eventually spilled into a large pond. The two men smiled at each other...they had finally found the perfect place for their new home.

**********

The work was hard, but no one complained. It took months, but their ekeles were finally finished. There was still a lot of finishing work to be done, but they had a roof over their heads, and beds to sleep in. Firesong worked long hours diverting part of the stream and building a hot pool for them to bath in. Ghost and the boys had a wonderful time planting a vegetable garden in a large plot on the opposite side of the pond. The boys shifted into their wolf forms and quickly dug up the plot while Ghost supervised.

They had spoken to the boys about the wolf beast, but they couldn't really explain how it worked. Barac merely said that it had to be done, so they did it. Sharn confessed that he'd hoped to shift into a Gryphon, but it was too hard. He said that Tarlac was 'too much'. Xander made them promise that they would only shift into that form when there was no other choice. They grumbled a little, but agreed. But they asked if they could practice with other forms. Xander reluctantly agreed, but only if they were supervised. He didn't think he could take any more surprises.

**********

Xander closed the door on the boy's room and walked out onto the balcony. It had been a peaceful two years in their valley. He still traveled a great deal, but now he had a home and a family of his own to come back to. No matter what the future might bring, this place and these people were worth any sacrifice. He wandered back to his and Wintermoon's room, maybe his mate could be persuaded to take a midnight swim.

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