She gave him a wry, if painfully thin-lipped, smile. "'Cos I should know by now not to try and impress you with skills and talents I clearly don't have?" she suggested with a low laugh.

"I've told you before, you don't have to impress me," Rob reminded her, as he always did. "Careful, it's dark in here," he warned as they carefully made their way inside the cave. "I'll get you settled and then I'll get some wood for a fire." And he had to take a look at her leg, but first things first.

"You ain't goin' lookin' for anythin' on your own," she told him sternly. "That's just dumb. We can stay warm enough just sittin' together, but if that blizzard drops while you're out and about, you don't got any hope of findin' your way back here."

"Maggie, we need a fire for warmth and for light," Rob argued. "It won't take long to gather some wood. I promise if the storm is getting close, I'll come right back." But then, how did one define "close?" He frowned at another thought. "How's your leg?" he asked, obviously concerned about that, too.

Maggie frowned, not happy about Rob going out to rummage for wood on his own but not really in a position to argue. She looked down at her torn jeans, at the blood frozen to her skin around a surprisingly clean gash. "It's kinda numb," she suggested thoughtfully. "But not in a my leg's gonna fall off kind of way. Just a cold way."

Rob's frown deepened as he glanced to her leg, her pants stiff with frozen blood. He felt torn between tending to her leg and fetching kindling, but if they didn't make a fire and were trapped there for any length of time, they could freeze to death. First things first.

"Maybe when we get back, we should look into getting some phones," he suggested with a shrug as he adjusted the scarf that was tied around his neck. He knew how both their fathers felt about modern devices, but if they'd had phones with them, they might not have found themselves in this situation.

"We should talk to Ma about it," Maggie agreed, nuzzling her face into her own scarf until her voice was muffled. Marin was the most modern minded of their little family group, and Marissa could probably be called upon to help the persuasion, too. Green eyes met Rob's with wry resignation. "Go on. Just don't go far, or I'm comin' to find you."

Rob frowned, looking all too serious for his years, but then he truly cared about Maggie and didn't want anything to happen to her. "I won't be long. Promise," he said, resisting the urge to kiss her before pulling up his hood and ducking out of the cave into the snow.

Flexing her fingers inside her gloves, Maggie watched him go, frowning beneath her own hat, scarf, and hood. This was entirely her fault, and she was more than happy to take responsibility for it ....but she really hoped their parents found them soon.

It wasn't the search party who found their way to Maggie but Rob, with an armful of twigs and logs that might keep them warm for at least a few hours. Snow coated his coat and hood, his scarf covering his face, all but for his eyes, as he found his way back to the cave. The wind was starting to howl outside and the snow was starting to come down, but as promised, he found his way back before he could get lost in the storm.

Thankfully, neither of them was totally without survival skills. While Rob was out gathering firewood, Maggie had made an effort to hack out a small firepit and lined it with stones to protect the nascent flames from the wind. She looked up as Rob got back. "Thank god for that, I was gettin' worried."

"It's getting windy. Mostly blowing around right now, but the sky's getting dark," Rob told her, as he moved into the cave and deposited the wood near the firepit Maggie had managed to put together. Rob frowned over at her, looking worried, but unafraid. "If they don't find us soon, we might have to spend the night here," he told her, hoping that wouldn't scare her, but if there was one thing he knew about Maggie Lassiter, it was that she was hard to scare.

"They'll find us," she told him, absolutely confident of that, giving his arm a nudge with her own. Her eyes sparkled to share the smile hidden behind her scarf as she pulled out her tinderbox. Evan insisted that she carried a tinderbox rather than matches or even a lighter, and she was beginning to see why. It was quite hard to get a tinderbox wet.

Rob smiled beneath his own scarf and even chuckled a little. "Well, that beats rubbing two sticks together," he said, tugging the scarf down, now that he was out of the snow. It was cold in the cave, but a fire would help warm things up. He crouched down and started to build a tinder nest, gloved hands picking dried sticks from the pile of wood.

"Papa insists on it," Maggie admitted, inching her own scarf down with her chin as she eased down to the ground to start sparking the tinder. Evan and Duncan had taught them both pretty well, and within a couple of minutes, they had a little blaze going strong. "Look at that. We made a fire baby!"

Rob laughed, mostly at the way Maggie had phrased that. "That's the only baby we're going to be making for a long time!" he said, only just realizing what he'd just intimated as soon as the words were out of his mouth, his face flushing with embarrassment - or maybe it was just the cold. "Just kidding," he muttered to cover his embarrassment and quickly turned to add kindling to the fire.

"Well, duh," was her cheerfully response as she tucked the tinderbox away in her pocket. "We're not allowed to do the stuff that makes real babies until I'm sixteen. Two years isn't so long to wait, right?" Although, to be fair, Evan would probably have a heart attack if his daughter got pregnant at sixteen.

"My Da got my Ma with child before they were married," Rob confessed, remembering the story the way his mother had told it to him. He knew he probably shouldn't be telling her that, but it was all in the past, so what did it matter" "I don't want to do that. I want to do things right," he told her, almost afraid to meet her gaze, but he was secretly hoping to marry her someday.

Maggie laughed. "My Pa got my Ma pregnant before they got married too!" she told him in gleeful delight. At his insistence on doing things in the right order, however, she nodded in agreement. "Well, yeah. But, you know, if we get married right out of school, we're still gonna have to live somewhere around here, so one of us is gonna have to learn how to drive."

Rob's head swung back toward Maggie, eyes wide at this news. He'd had no idea they had that in common. He also wasn't sure if she was referring to her birth mother or to Marin, but it didn't really matter. "My Da doesn't trust modern contraptions," he told her, quoting his father's own words. "He says there's no reason anyone needs a motorcar when a horse is just as good."

"Well, yeah, but you can stay warmer in a car and fit two people in it comfortably and everything," Maggie pointed out. "Ma can drive, and so does Bill and Mr. Taylor. It's not like it's magic or anythin'."

"What about your Da" Does he drive?" Rob asked, very carefully adding another log to the fire, before rocking back on his heels, holding his gloved hands out toward the fire to warm them.

She shook her head, easing back to sit on the cold but thankfully dry ground beside him, her injured leg stretched out in the small space. "He doesn't trust engines and stuff," she said. "He still don't like electricity and indoor plumbin'." She snickered softly at that. "Well, maybe he likes the plumbin'."

"Hmm, maybe I should check sometime," she teased him brightly, squeezing him a little tighter before dropping her head to his shoulder, arms still wrapped about him. "I'm sorry I got you stuck out here in a storm, boo."

He liked the stickiness from his fingers, his gloves laying in his lap, his grin fading at her apology. "How's it your fault' We both wanted to go for a ride. Your Ma warned us about the weather," he said, willing to take at least half the blame on himself. He kind of liked the way she was resting her head against his shoulder, but he didn't dare tell her that. Instead, he tucked what was left of the beef jerky into a pocket and tugged his gloves back on, before sneaking an arm around her to rub her back.

"Yeah, but if I hadn't fallen down, we'd have still had the horses to take us home," she pointed out, hoping he couldn't see her secretive smile as his arm wrapped about her back.

"It wasn't your fault. It was an accident, Maggie. Besides, they're going to find us," he said, refusing to believe any differently. If she could be optimistic about their circumstances than so could he. The biggest threat to their survival right now was just staying warm.

"Yeah, they'll find us." Maggie nodded confidently. "But you gotta let me take the blame, or my Pa's gonna be real difficult for weeks, okay' It's my fault, because if you take some of the blame, he might not let us hang out together so much any more, and I'd really miss you."

"We'll both take the blame," Rob insisted, knowing how protective her father was over her, and with good reason. His mother was kind of the same way. "Besides, your Pa can't stop us from going to school together or being in STARs together," he pointed out. It was true that they did so much together, it would be hard to keep them apart. He turned his head to face her, blinking as he realized just how close they were - close enough to kiss her.

"I guess so." She lifted her head as he turned his face toward hers, her eyes widening at the sudden realization of how close they were to one another. A warm smile that seemed pretty soft and almost shy lit up her face. "Hi."

"Hi," he replied, unable to look away, as though he was spellbound by her smile. "Are you, uh, a little warmer now?" he asked, feeling awkward again, honest concern on his face, as well as some nervousness.

"Little bit. Are you?" She drew her knees up until they overlapped his more comfortably, tucking her head forward until her forehead touched his. "Can't let the best actor ever catch a chill, yanno." Outside, somewhere in the whirling snow, a wolf howled long and low.

He smiled at the compliment, turning so that they were facing each other and so that he could wrap her tighter in his embrace. "How's that?" he asked, taking full advantage of the excuse to keep her warm. He tensed at the sound of the wolf howling, hoping it wasn't a hungry wolf looking for an easy meal.

"I'm not gonna let anything happen to you, Maggie. Not now, not ever," he promised her abruptly. Not even if he had to stand up to a hungry wolf in order to keep that promise.

"You think I'm gonna let anything bad happen to you either?" she countered, hugging her arms around him as she shook her head. "In it together, Robbie, you and me. We can take on anything."

With any luck, all the bad things that had happened to them were in the past. He hoped so, anyway. Coming to Rhy'Din had given him and his family a fresh start, just as it had the Lassiters. Meeting Maggie was one of the best things that had ever happened to him, though he'd never say so in so many words. "Best friends forever?" he asked instead, smiling at her, so close again their noses were almost touching.

"Totally," she agreed, her shy smile becoming the familiarly wild version he knew so well as she deliberately squished her nose against his. "Just like your Ma and Pa." For a split second, she took her fate in both hands and pushed a stiff-lipped kiss against his lips. After all, she could always say she was delirious later.

"My Ma and ..." he started, an unexpected kiss cutting off the rest of what he was going to say. He blinked in surprise, his cheeks flushing with heat, despite the cold. "What was that for?" he asked, surprised but not unpleasantly so.

The shy light returned to her eyes as she shrugged one shoulder, brazening out the reaction as best she could. "'Cos I wanted to," she told him. "'Cos I like you."

"I like you, too, Maggie," Rob said, the blush fading a little, his expression softening. "Do you ....I mean, would you ..." he stammered, licking his lips where she'd just kissed him. What was it he was trying to say"

From just beyond the lip of the cave came the sound of heavy breathing, an animal panting, and a shape blocked most of the light from outside. Startled, Maggie twisted to look at the opening, to see a huge grey wolf peering in at them curiously, his mouth open and tongue lolling out ....almost as though he was laughing at them.

Rob might have asked for another kiss if they hadn't been interrupted by the appearance of a shaggy, yet familiar-looking, wolf. He looked startled for a moment before realizing that this particular wolf was a friend. He breathed a sigh of relief, smiling for Maggie's sake. "It's Emrys," he told her, relieved. They were found.

Maggie pointed a startled finger at the grinning wolf. "That's Emrys?" she asked. Unlike Rob, she wasn't close to Marissa and Emrys, and hadn't seen either of their alternate forms before now. "He's so big!"

At the opening of the cave, Emrys snapped his jaws shut, turning to lope off and bark to draw the riders toward the gully.

"Yeah, you should see Marissa. She's a tiger," he told her, though he wasn't sure if he was supposed to share that secret or not. Then again, if he couldn't share secrets with his best friend, who could he share them with. Rob frowned as Emrys disappeared again into the storm. "I bet he's going for your Pa," he speculated.

"Wow ..." Maggie's eyes were dancing, impressed by this new information. It was one thing to have heard about shifters, but quite another to be able to put two forms to one face. She grinned back at Rob. "And yours. Like they'd go out lookin' without each other."

A little smile flickered across Rob's face, knowing that was likely true. His father would stop at nothing to make sure his family was safe. "Probably," he admitted, looking relieved. "Looks like we'll be home before morning, after all," he told her. It would have been nice to have come home a hero, but coming home safe was more important.

"That, or we're sleepin' with Emrys tonight," Maggie teased him affectionately, squeezing her friend tight a moment longer. She was doing her best to hide her embarrassment at having kissed him, hoping she hadn't weirded him out too much.

"Your Da will want to get you home," Rob remarked, assuming his father would want the same thing. Of course, all of that depended on the weather, and the storm didn't look like it was letting up anytime soon.

As far as Rob was concerned, it didn't look like he'd minded the kiss; in fact, he might have returned the favor if Emrys hadn't interrupted. Now, he worried if he'd ever get the chance again.

"Maybe you're gonna get cocoa," Maggie pointed out. "I'm gonna get sent to bed."

Rob frowned, feeling more than a little guilty that Maggie might have to endure punishment, while he'd likely be rewarded with hugs and kisses and hot cocoa. He couldn't believe her parents were so strict as all that, were they' He blinked in surprise at the wolf's wink, but wasn't quite so ensured of privacy that he'd dare stealing that kiss he'd been contemplating. "Maggie ..." he started, looking a little nervous about what he was about to ask her. "Do you think ....I mean ..." They'd been best friends for years. Why couldn't he just spit it out"

To be fair, being sent to bed was more likely overzealous parenting after her injury than punishment. As Rob stuttered, Maggie tilted her head toward him, her eyes warm and curious despite the lingering worry about the violence that had made itself known in the woods.

Rob might have worried if their fathers could handle themselves in the woods, but he knew better. His father was a warrior, and her father had been a soldier. If anyone could handle poachers, it was Duncan Mallory and Evan Lassiter.

"I was thinking ....My Ma and Da were best friends, you know, before they-before they fell in love," he stammered nervously. "I'm going to be fifteen soon." Or at least, he would be in a few months. "Do you think ....Would you like ..." He trailed off, stammering again, another sidelong glance at Seren. Maybe this wasn't the right time or the right place, but if he didn't get the words out now, he might never find the courage again. "Would you like to be my girlfriend?" he asked in a rush of words.

Maggie's curious smile softened into that shy flicker she'd shown him before she'd planted her kiss on his mouth earlier. "That was sort of what I was saying," she told him brightly. "I figured you wouldn't be interested until I sort of filled out more. Ma told me girls get prettier when they like someone special to 'em, so I reckon I'm gonna get prettier, 'cos I like you lots, Rob."

Rob's face brightened, a smile flickering across his face before his brows furrowed in confusion. "You're already pretty, Maggie. I can't imagine you getting any prettier," he assured her. As for himself, he knew he wasn't nearly as good looking as his father and didn't think he ever would be, but so long as Maggie was happy with him, it didn't really matter much.

She giggled quietly, shaking her head at the compliment. "Only person I wanna be pretty for is you," she pointed out in her usual blunt way. "If you're cool with it, then yeah ....I wanna be your girlfriend."

Despite their circumstances, Rob couldn't help but chuckle at Maggie's response to his question. "Of course, I'm cool with it! I asked you, didn't I?" he pointed out with a grin.

"Well, yeah, you asked me, but you might've been askin' me to be nice," she pointed out, her grin bright and teasing as she nudged him cheerfully. "So what happens now?"

"Uh, I don't know," Rob replied with a frown. He wasn't really sure what would change between them now that they were officially "dating". "I guess maybe we can hold hands in public?" he suggested, uncertainly.

"We already do that," Maggie reminded him, squeezing her arms about his shoulders as though reminding him that this was already quite a bit further than hand-holding. "But if, you know, being girlfriend and boyfriend is just, like, being lovey-dovey as well as best friends, we can do that, right?"

Rob furrowed his brows again, as he tried to form words for what he thought might change between them. "I think being boyfriend and girlfriend means we have a special relationship with each other. Even more special than being best friends," he explained, though he wasn't sure what that meant exactly. He knew it meant he wouldn't think of dating anyone else but her, but he'd already decided that before asking her.

Maggie was quiet for a long moment. "Well ....we're gettin' married, right?" she asked, pretty matter-of-fact despite the presence of a wolf at their backs. "I mean, not now, but when we're older?"

Rob arched a brow in surprise, not so much at her boldness, but at the realization that maybe she wanted the same thing he did. In truth, he'd wanted to marry her almost since the first day they'd met, but he hadn't understood those feelings then or been able to put them into words. Now, at nearly fifteen years old, that future wasn't so far away anymore. "I'd like to, if you want to," he countered, not wanting to push her into doing anything she didn't want to do.

"So ....nothin' really has to change right now," she said, a little afraid of their relationship actually changing somehow. She was still only thirteen, after all. "I mean, we know where we're goin'. We don't gotta do it fast, right?"

Rob furrowed his brows in thought before shaking his head. "No, it'll be at least a few years before we can get married," he said, assuming they finished school first. "But ....what if your Pa doesn't want you dating me?"

Maggie met his gaze head on. "It's not really his call, is it?" she said bluntly. "It's my life and you're who I wanna spend it with. If he's gotta problem with it, it's his problem. Like, what if your Pa doesn't want you datin' me?"

"My Da likes you," Rob pointed out, not really answering the question. "He might not want us dating yet though. He might think we're too young," he added with a frown. "Maybe we should keep it a secret," he said, almost forgetting that they weren't truly alone.

"I'm not good at keepin' secrets," she pointed out warily. "Ma's got this way of lookin' at me, and I just spill, right there."

Behind them, Seren lifted her head, looking toward the entrance to the cave.

"Okay, we'll ask their permission then," Rob said, knowing honesty probably really was the best policy. He caught movement out of the corner of his eye and followed Seren's glance toward the entrance. "It got quiet out there," he found himself whispering.

"Yeah, it kinda did." Maggie inched even closer to Rob, dropping her arms from around him to raise her revolver toward the entrance. "Hey, Rob' ....I'm scared."

Rob's fingers tightened on his pistol, though he still had a protective arm wrapped about Maggie's shoulders. "It's okay, Maggie. I'm not going to let anything happen to you," he whispered back. If anyone was going to hurt her, they'd first have to go through both their fathers, then Emrys and Seren, and finally Rob.

In front of the cave, Emrys stood guard, acutely aware of the forest around him, glad to have Seren as a second line of defense if necessary. He was going to owe Dorian at least a big drink for letting him borrow his mate at short notice. His head swung toward the sound of horses' hooves and human breath, lifting his muzzle to scent the air.

Duncan was the first one to emerge from the trees, astride a massive black horse. His face looked strained with worry, and he had a rifle slung over one shoulder, but otherwise, he looked all in one piece. The same could be said for Evan, who followed close behind, though the look on the cowboy's face was closer to anger and annoyance than worry.

Emrys huffed with relief, shaking off the snow that had settled on his fur despite the continued blizzard, and padded back toward the cave, jerking his muzzle toward it to signal to the men where their children were.

"He'll be okay, Maggie. He knows what he's doing," Duncan assured her, as he slid a pack from his back and yanked it open. "You hungry' Mara packed some food," he told the pair.

"Rob, toss another log on the fire, will you?" he asked the boy, who blinked out of his thoughts and went to do his father's bidding.

Still frowning worriedly, Maggie turned back toward Duncan and Rob, limping back into the warmth of the fire. "Are we really gonna stay here all night?" she asked. "'Cos it's not a big cave, and you're kinda ....well, you and Pa, you're big."

"Nae, soon as your father deems it safe, we'll head for the homestead. It's not far," Duncan replied, crouching down to dig some cheese and bread from his pack and hand it around. Rob would have preferred to help Maggie back to the fire, but instead he did as he was told and added wood to the fire.

"All right." Maggie sighed, easing back down onto the ground awkwardly. "Can I help with anythin'?"

Outside, Seren let out an excited bark, bouncing on her front paws like a particularly hyperactive small dog.

"Just relax, Maggie. It'll be okay. Your Pa knows what he's doing and we're not going to let anything happen to either of you," Duncan replied, chuckling a little to hear Seren's response to someone or something outside the cave. "I have to admit, it's handy having shifters for friends, especially in this weather."

"They're real big," Maggie pointed out. "Like, so much bigger than normal wolves are. Is that normal" Or is Rhy'Din kind of weird like that?"

"I think it's normal," Duncan said, handing them each a hunk of bread and cheese.

"Marissa is a were-tiger," Rob interjected, mostly for Maggie's benefit, before tearing off a hunk of bread with his teeth.

Maggie's mouth dropped open. "Like, a proper big tiger?" she asked in astonishment. "That's so cool! Can I see her" D'you think she'd let me" I really like cats."

Duncan winced at Rob's eagerness to share Marissa's secret so readily, but at least, it was only Maggie he was sharing it with. "I don't think you should ask her. Wait and see if she offers. She's a bit secretive about it," he explained as gently as he could.

Rob frowned, looking remorseful. "Sorry, Da. I forgot."

"O-oh." Maggie made a show of nodding sagely. "I won't let on, Mr. Mallory. Won't say a word about it, promise." She glanced at Rob, her smile apologetic.

Outside, the noise of the fighting had stopped with no more gunshots - it seemed as though the poacher had well and truly lost.

Duncan smiled at Maggie's promise. "Just wait and see if she tells you," he repeated. Rob opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off by a trail of obscenities from Evan as he stormed back into the cave, looking like he was in a foul mood.

"Goddamned poachers. What in hell are they doing out in a storm' Pack up, Mallory. We gotta get the horses out of the storm before they freeze." He turned to face the children, accustomed to giving orders. "Maggie, you're with me."

"Yes, Papa." It wasn't unusual for Maggie to be obedient to her father, though she didn't usually leap to obey every last instruction. She hesitated at the sound of a low grumbling sound outside the cave, and the unexpected sight of white fur as a creature even bigger than Emrys' in wolf form padded out of the snow.

It wasn't that Evan was being bossy so much as he was used to taking charge and just wanted to get everyone someplace safe that wasn't a cave in the middle of a blizzard.

"Oh, Demi's here, too," Rob said, with a grin. Just how many shifters were there in Rhy'Din" "There's your chance to meet a weretiger, Maggie."

"D-Demi?" The girl quavered, staring wide-eyed at the white tiger as the great head swung around, casting a piercing blue gaze into the cave.

She was enormous, bigger than Emrys' Alpha wolf, but somehow softer on her big paws. She chuffed a greeting to the group inside the cave, padding back out of sight along with Seren. It seemed as though the group was going to be escorted to their destination.

"Da, can we?" Rob asked, as if he needed permission to introduce Maggie to the great white tiger.

Duncan took one look at Evan's scowl and winced. "We should be going, Rob. Maybe you can introduce her when we get there," he said, as it seemed the shifters weren't going anywhere. They'd be safer for the escort anyway.

Disappointed, Maggie rolled her eyes, pulling herself up onto her feet again to grip her father's sleeve and steady herself. "It ain't too far, is it?" she asked. She'd never been to Marissa's homestead before; in fact, this was the furthest she'd been from the Brambles into the wilds before today.

"Not too far," Evan confirmed, scooping his daughter up into his arms as easily as if she were still a small child.

Rob frowned, wishing he could have done that, but he wasn't half as big as Maggie's father and wasn't sure he ever would be.

Duncan gave his son's shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "We'll have you both warm and toasty in no time," he promised.

Any other time, being picked up in front of her best friend would have been embarrassing, but right now, Maggie just felt safer with her father holding her. It had been a long time since she'd been in any kind of direct danger, and last time, it had been Marin and Mr. McAlister who had come to save her and her brother. That was how she knew her parents would always come for her - they had done it before.

Outside, Emrys hung back, careful not to spook the horses, giving directions to the two females who were circling the area unseen through the snow.

Once Evan had Maggie settled atop the horse, snuggled up in a blanket to protect her from the snow, and Duncan had done the same with Rob, the group started off with Emrys leading the way to the cottage he shared with his wife and their children. It was slow going through the snow and the wind, but as promised, it wasn't too far.

When they passed the warding edge of the homestead, Emrys abruptly left them, accelerating through the snow to reach his home first. A few minutes later, he came back into sight - human and dressed - raising his hand to guide them in. Despite herself, Maggie was relieved to see that the big wolf was still just a man underneath it all, relaxing at the sight of the homestead coming into view through the snow.

Marissa was apparently still inside the little cottage they called home. It was small, but it was cozy and warm with smoke coming from the chimney and looking an inviting place to take respite from the storm. It was going to be a little crowded, but at least they'd be safe and warm.

"All right, folks?" Emrys called as he approached them. "Let's get you all inside and the horses stabled so Demi can come into the wardings. She's going to stay with you until you're back at the Brambles - Marissa's given Seren a note to give to Mara so the ladies know where you all are."

Evan helped Maggie off the horse, this time setting her gingerly down on her feet, almost as if he was allowing Rob to step forward and help her.

"No, I mean baby girls smell better," Maggie assured her friend in amusement, quite happy to cuddle with the toddler on her lap for the time being. "Cal was always sticky and smelled kind of like mud."

From the porch came the sound of heavy paws, a white tiger dipping her head to look in through the windows.

"That's because he was always playing in the mud!" Rob pointed out, though she probably already knew that.

Marissa sensed the tiger's presence before she heard or saw her and smiled. "Looks like we have another guest. It's gonna get crowded in here!" She laughed and moved over to open the door. "Are you in or out?" she asked the tiger with a bright smile on her face. After all, the two were old friends by now.

Maggie twisted about to get her first proper look at the big were-tiger as Demi dipped her head to look in through the door. The white tigress chuffed, gently nudging her nose against Marissa's arm, but the conversation they had was imperceptible to the humans in their midst. If I come in, I'll have to go human. Do you have a shirt or something"

Yes, of course! I'll be right back! Marissa replied silently. She closed the door to keep the cold out and set the cups of hot cocoa on the table, along with a plate of cookies. "I'll be right back. I have to get Demi something to wear," she told them, without much more explanation than that.

"Uh, okay." Maggie glanced at Rob, tilting her head curiously at her friend. "Have you met Demi before?" she asked him, a little less freaked out by the enormous tiger now they were in a strangely domestic setting.

Rob nodded. "She's a little bigger than Marissa's tiger form," he told her, reaching for a cookie and handing it to Bevan before he climbed onto the table to get one. "They're both shifters - weretigers - but I think when they shift, their clothes don't shift with them," he whispered, as if it might embarrass Marissa to overhear him.

"I guess that makes sense," Maggie considered, echoing his movement to make sure Cerys had a cookie of her own as well. "I mean, tigers and wolves don't wear clothes, so it'd be kind of weird. And Seren said she was nude too."

"But some shifters use magic to shift their clothing with them," Marissa interjected as she re-entered the room, not intentionally eavesdropping, but it was hard not to overhear when one had preternatural hearing. "It depends on the shifter." She had a long wool sweater and a pair of thick socks slung over one arm, rather than just the requested t-shirt. The sweater was thankfully baggy enough that Demi wouldn't have any trouble getting into it.

"And you guys aren't that kind of shifter?" Maggie asked, completely unembarrassed to have been caught talking about it. After all, she tended to rely on other people to tell her if she was being impolite.

"Well, I am, sort of ..." Marissa admitted, frowning a little in thought. "It's kind of hard to explain." But before she could even start to explain, she was opening that door again and stepping out onto the porch to help Demi get changed - without even bothering to put a coat on.

The sound of a were-tiger shifting back to human form was not so very different from the sound of a werewolf doing the same, but this shift ended with a very distinct female voice declaring, "Holy crap, that pig's completely fearless!"

Maggie snickered, not knowing what was going on, glancing at Rob in amusement.

"That pig is one of my babies, and you, Dr. Ashton, are not allowed to eat him!" the other distinct female voice replied with laughter in her voice. Rob only smirked and shrugged his shoulders at Maggie.

"I wasn't going to eat him," Demi answered, briefly muffled as she covered herself up. "There aren't many pigs in the multiverse who aren't even mildly frightened by an enormous predator right next to them, that's all."

"Well, he is kind of used to it, you know. Kind of puts the story of the wolf and the three little pigs to shame, doesn't it?" Marissa said with a giggle, tugging on her friend's sleeve to pull her into the cottage, whether she was finished dressing or not. "Come on, before we both freeze out here!" Which was quite possible without their fur to keep them warm.

"All right, all right!" Laughing, Demi let herself be pulled into the warmth of the cottage, a diminutive woman in long socks and a long sweater, dark hair and dark eyes. She smiled over at the teens. "Enjoying your adventure so far?"

"It's my fault," Rob was quick to take the blame again. "We should have headed back sooner." He frowned guiltily, not looking for absolution. "I'm sure your parents won't hold it against you," Marissa said, looking from one of the teens to the other. "They had adventures of their own when they were young, you know."

"Stop saying that," Maggie told Rob sharply. "It's not your fault, so shush up, would you?" Demi bit her lip, trying not to smile too broadly as she glanced at Marissa. "Well, whatever the issue, we'll be here until the storm passes, and I'll escort you all back to the Brambles."

Rob frowned at Maggie's scolding, mumbling, "Sorry." Marissa noticed the slight tension between the teens but said nothing of it, letting it go unmentioned. "Who's got the kids?" she asked, as she went to make two more cups of hot cocoa - one for herself and one for Demi.

"Neville and Dorian are competing to see who is better, poppa or uncle," Demi told Marissa with a smile, glancing briefly toward the teenagers. Her practiced eye could see there was a closeness there that a few sharp words wouldn't affect, drawing her attention back to her friend with a smile. "I am dreading the day they start walking, though."

"Well, there are three of them," Marissa pointed out, handing her friend a mug of hot cocoa before blowing into her mug to cool it off. She looked over at her own children, whose faces and fingers were smeared from the chocolate chip cookies they'd been nibbling. She laughed again and sighed. "There's no rest for the weary, I guess," she said, setting her mug aside so she could scoop up one twin in each arm and drag them off to get cleaned up.

Left alone with the teenagers, Demi smiled faintly, moving a little closer to where the two of them were sat together. "Trouble in paradise?" she asked innocently.

Maggie blinked, her cheeks coloring a little as she glanced at Rob. "Huh?"

Rob looked between his two companions, a little perplexed. Were he and Maggie having an argument or was she just tired and upset about what had happened" He shrugged, unsure how to answer. He had a feeling she was annoyed at him, but he'd apologized once already.

"Been a long day," he replied. At least, that was partially true.

Maggie wasn't annoyed so much as frustrated with Rob's refusal to let her take responsibility for her own actions. But it wouldn't last - they were too close for such little blips to mar their relationship.

Demi's smile deepened as she eased down onto one of the chairs, sipping her cocoa. "Long days make everyone a little fretful," she said easily. "Especially when they've been as tiring as today was for you two."

But Rob didn't feel it was solely Maggie's fault. After all, it had been his idea to go for a ride. He was as much to blame as she was, and yet, what did blame matter now"

"I just wish Maggie hadn't gotten hurt is all," he said, which was true enough. No harm, no foul, his father probably would have said. But Maggie had gotten hurt, when Rob had promised to protect her.

"I got hurt 'cos I was bein' an idiot, Rob," Maggie reminded him gently. "We've been goin' round in circles on this for a while now."

"Then it is probably best that you agree to disagree and not mention it again," Demi suggested. "You don't have to always agree with one another, and learning how to respectfully disagree is one of the best skills you will ever have."

Rob frowned. It wasn't even a question of blame - it was a question of who was taking the blame. That was the difference. "I just don't want Maggie's Da being mad at her," he said, which again, was true enough. Wasn't taking the blame the heroic thing to do?

"He ain't mad, Robbie," Maggie insisted. "Pa's always kinda gruff when he's had a scare, and we kinda scared him. He ain't mad at you, and he ain't mad at me, I promise."

Rob nodded, hoping she was right. All he could really do was take her word for it. He knew her father was annoyed, but it was hard to tell if he was more annoyed with them or the poachers.

"If it helps at all, neither of your fathers smelled angry in the slightest," Demi informed them, seemingly with absent interest as she licked chocolate from her fingertip. "But parents have to discipline their children, or children will not grow up to share their parents' morals and manners. So while it may seem that they are angry or upset, it is a lesson they're trying to teach you, and not a punishment they want to give."

She laughed, nudging him fondly. "Not to the dance," she promised. "But you're gonna, sometime. Do I really gotta wear, like a mini-skirt to the dance?"

"Not to the dance, but sometime," he echoed her reply, tit for tat, a smirk making itself known on his face. He wasn't sure when, but they'd figure it out.

"You know, Rob, girls think kilts are sexy," Marissa interjected as innocently as she could, before taking a sip of her cocoa.

"Very much so," Demi agreed with an easy smile. "There's something awfully attractive about a man with a well-turned calf."

Maggie goggled at the women - sexy was not in her experience. She was only thirteen; the kilt thing was all about teasing her best friend right now.

Marissa smirked at the look on Maggie's face. "You'll understand in a few years," she assured her. "In the meantime, since it looks like you're both spending the night, what would you like to do?"

"You really think the storm's gonna last all night?" Maggie asked worriedly. "Ma'll be really worried. And Cal, too. They get antsy when folks aren't all home in bad weather."

"Don't worry, Maggie. We sent a message to your Ma. She knows where you both are and that you're okay," Marissa assured them both.

"My Ma, too?" Rob asked, just as worriedly.

"Of course," Marissa replied. "I'm not sure where we're going to put everyone, but ..." She frowned as she glanced to the window, where the storm was still raging outside. "I think it would be best if you stay the night."

"We can sleep in the barn," Maggie suggested. "It'll be warm with the animals, and that way you and Mr. Emrys get to keep your house."

Demi tilted her glance toward Marissa. She herself would be going home for the night, if it was decided that everyone was staying, and return in the morning to escort them home.

"Nonsense," Marissa said. "We have plenty of room," she assured the girl, though it might be a tight squeeze if their fathers decided to spend the night, as well. And if they did, they'd likely be far more comfortable in the barn than the children would. "We'll sort it out. Never you worry."

"Well, if that is decided, I should probably get home and rescue my mate from my own children," Demi said with a rueful smile. "I'll be back in the morning, but if the storm holds, the poachers are taking their lives in their hands just being out in it after dark."

"Will you be okay?" Marissa asked, concerned for her friend's safety. She didn't want any poachers taking any potshots at a certain white tiger that roamed the woods.

Demi shrugged. "I have better camo in these conditions," she pointed out, "and I can move pretty quick. I should be fine."

Maggie glanced at Rob; she had no idea quite what they could say in this conversation.

"I could have Emrys escort you home," Marissa suggested.

Rob offered a small shrug to Maggie, at a loss as to what to add to the conversation, as well. He didn't know all that much about shifters, but he did know poachers could be dangerous.

"He'll still have to come back alone," Demi pointed out. "I'll be fine, Marissa. I've never yet been caught by a poacher, it isn't going to happen tonight. For a start, Neville would never forgive me."

"You would think the storm would keep them indoors," Marissa grumbled. She didn't like the idea of Demi out there alone, though it wouldn't be the first time. "I'm going to have to do something about it. They're starting to get out of hand."

"Maybe the pack should do something about it," Demi suggested gently. "You're not alone anymore." She rose, reaching over to hug Marissa fondly. "I'll leave the clothes folded up on the porch, okay?"

Marissa smiled at the reminder as she returned her friend's hug. She'd been alone far too long, but she wasn't alone anymore. Not only did she have a mate who loved her, but she had the love and companionship of friends and family, too.

"Thanks, Demi," she whispered back, grateful for her friendship.

The teenagers watched as the two diminuitive women embraced, and Demi slipped from the cabin. A few moments later came the sound of bones breaking and shifting, and Maggie couldn't resist. She lurched up, out of her seat, and pressed her face to the window, watching the white tiger shake out her fur and pad away into the storm.

Marissa smiled at the girl's inquisitiveness. "Never saw a shifter shift?" she asked, though that much seemed obvious. "It's a very private thing to a shifter. Kind of like you when you're changing your clothes."

"Does it hurt?" Rob asked, wincing at the sound of breaking and shifting bones.

Marissa shrugged. "Not really, but there are different kinds of shifters. I was born that way. It's in my genes, but I didn't make my first shift until I was about your age."

"Never saw a white tiger, neither," Maggie pointed out, finally blushing a little as Marissa pointed out how private a thing such a shift was. "I wasn't tryin' to spy, I just ....I guess I should've asked, huh. Does it hurt, all those bones breakin' and stuff?"

"White tigers are rare," Marissa told her, smiling at the girl's blush. "It's okay. Demi isn't exactly shy," she informed her further. She shrugged at Maggie's question, which echoed Rob's. "Maybe you could ask her tomorrow. I'm sure she'd be happy to answer your questions."

Maggie opened her mouth to ask about Marissa being a tiger, and abruptly remembered her promise to Duncan not to say a word about it. Her mouth snapped shut, then opened again. "You know, we can sleep on the floor," she suggested, wanting to be helpful. "We ain't precious, are we, Rob?"

Marissa had made it no secret that she, too, was a weretiger - at least, not to those she considered friends - but she made no further mention of it. She smiled at Maggie's suggestion. "It's funny you should say that. I was thinking maybe you two would like to camp out in sleeping bags near the fire. It will be sort of an adventure!"

"And our pops'll be okay in the barn, right?" Maggie asked, needing to be reassured. She had a feeling Evan and Duncan were probably annoying each other with their desire to be home and to keep their children safe, but wouldn't be sleeping in the cabin with them.

"They'll be fine, Maggie," Marissa replied, refraining from adding, So long as they don't kill each other. She doubted the men hated each other, but weren't exactly best friends either. What were they going to say when they found out that their eldest children wanted to be more than just friends, she wondered. That thought made her smile. She didn't think Duncan would mind, but she wasn't so sure about Evan. Then again, if there was anyone Evan could trust with his daughter, it was probably Rob. "That's so long as your fathers agree to the arrangement," she added.

Rob exchanged a worried glance with Maggie. They'd been having sleepovers since they were little, but they weren't little anymore.

"Should we take some dinner out to them?" Maggie then added, catching Rob's worried glance with an attempt at a reassuring smile. They both knew their fathers, after all.

To his credit, Evan's expression never changed at his daughter's confession. He didn't look angry or upset or disappointed; in fact, his mouth may have twitched just a little in a hint of amusement, but it could have easily been mistaken for annoyance. It was hard to tell with him. "Is that the truth' 'Cause it seemed to me that Mallory's boy is eager to take the blame."

She frowned at her father, crossing her arms across her chest. "He's got a name, Pa, and I know you know it," she reminded her father. "He's just ....he's gone all protective on me and it's weird."

Something she said there got a reaction from him with an uptick of a brow and another twitch of his mouth. "Has he now" Why do you think that is?" he asked. Though he suspected he already knew the answer to that question, he wanted to see if she could sort it out on her own.

Maggie pulled a face, rolling her eyes. "Because I might've kissed him and we might be goin' out," she answered defiantly, lifting her chin to meet Evan's eyes boldly. "He's tryin' to be you and his pa, and I don't need lookin' after."

Evan sputtered, coughing to hide the laughter that was bubbling up at her declaration. "Might've" Mags, you either did or you didn't. Which is it?" he asked, having a hard time hiding the amusement from his face.

"Depends, are you gonna be weird if I did?" she countered, but her own lips were twitching. She did know her father, after all, and he couldn't hide the smile from his eyes. Maggie had a feeling he didn't have a problem with her being a little bit closer to Rob than they were this morning.

"Reckon it depends on why you kissed him," he replied, not letting her off the hook or assuming why it had happened, though he had a pretty good idea. The pair had been practically inseparable since the Mallorys had arrived at the Brambles, and he had a feeling she didn't think of the boy as a brother.

Maggie was quiet for a moment, but she visibly pulled herself up and braced for a bad reaction before speaking again. "Because I'm gonna marry him when we're old enough, and I don't care what you and Ma say, but you should like it because you like him and you like his family and we're all good, right?"

"Bit young to be thinkin' about marriage, ain't you?" Evan pointed out, though he didn't seem to be angry, only curious. The girl was only thirteen, after all. She had quite a few years yet before she would be of marrying age, at least as far as he was concerned.

"Ain't no younger'n the Mallorys were when they decided," she pointed out defensively. "Ain't no younger'n you were when you made Momma your sweetheart, neither. Why's it gotta be complicated?"

Evan shrugged, in a conciliatory manner, perhaps remembering what it had been like to be her age and first falling in love. It seemed like a million years ago. "It don't," he replied, in apparent agreement. "I just don't wanna see you get hurt," he added, though he doubted the Mallory boy would ever hurt her on purpose. In truth, he liked the boy, though he thought him just a little soft.

"But you said that bein' in love meant gettin' hurt sometimes," she reminded him, her posture relaxing as her hands dropped to her sides. "I ain't got a word for what I feel about Rob, Papa, but it's more'n just friends."

Evan sighed, having to face the fact that his little girl was growing up - and falling in love. It was a fact that was sometimes hard for a father to accept. He'd have to share her now with someone else, but in truth, he'd already been doing that for a while now. "You like him that much?" he asked, already knowing the answer to that question.

"Yeah, I do," she told him honestly. "And it's not like anythin's gonna change, like, right now or anythin' like that. I mean, we got a lot of growin' to do and stuff, right' But it feels like this is a good decision we made."

"If you already made up your mind, then you don't need my permission," he pointed out, though he knew she'd prefer to have it. He'd never really asked her what she wanted to do with her life. Somehow, he'd always assumed she'd stay on at the Brambles in one capacity or another - maybe take over the farm someday. Now, he wasn't so sure that's what she wanted.

"I wasn't askin' for permission, Pa," she countered, that sass having been well learned from Marin over the years. "Be nice if you approved, though. And, yanno, didn't make Rob cack his pants every time you look at him."

Evan grunted, half grumble, half chuckle at his daughter's sassy and stubborn response, not to mention the image she'd just put into her father's head. "If'n the boy cacks his pants every time someone looks at him the wrong way, he needs to learn some courage. And if he really wants to court my daughter, he should be man enough to ask my permission," he pointed out further.

Maggie scowled at her father. "He ain't courtin' me, I'm courtin' him!" she informed him firmly. "So I'll ask Mr. Mallory if it's okay for me to do that, and you don't get to be mean to him just for ships and giggles."

"Well, I guess you told me," Evan replied, unable to repress the half-grin from his face at his daughter's sassy response. He wasn't sure who she took after more - him or Marin. Her birth mother wasn't half as feisty as her daughter.

Maggie subsided as he conceded, rubbing a gloved hand over her nose briefly. "But is it okay?" she asked then, her voice a little quieter and a lot more worried. "It's not like I don't still love you, Papa."

"I know that, Magpie," he conceded, his grin softening into a fond smile. "I reckon I just ain't ready to let you grow up yet," he admitted, dropping his arms from his chest and reaching to pull her into his embrace. "You're always gonna be my li'l girl," he whispered into her hair.

"Course I am, Papa," she promised, burrowing into his embrace with a relieved smile. They might have spent many years apart, but there was a bond between Evan and his eldest that could not be broken. "And Cal can marry someone nice and sweet and take over the Brambles."

"Let's just worry about that when the time comes," Evan told her, in no hurry for her to plan her whole life out just yet. It would be years before she was old enough to get married, and anything could happen between now and then. "I just want you to be happy," he told her, whether that was with or without Robert Mallory.

She squeezed him tight for a moment, then lifted her head to look up at her father warily. "You still didn't say if you're mad about me bein' stupid again."

He smiled down at her, his arms wrapped around her to hold her as close as she'd allow. "I ain't mad and you ain't stupid. A little foolhardy maybe, but not stupid," he told her, believing there was a world of difference between the two. Spirited. As wild as a filly, in some ways, but never stupid.

She smiled, her worries alleviated with just one conversation with her father, and hugged him tight once more. "Can we go have dinner now?" she asked quietly. "I'm kinda hungry."

He chuckled, amused at the way his daughter had phrased that. "Just kinda" I'm so hungry I could eat a horse!" he said, with a playful smirk. "Present company excepted."

Maggie giggled, rolling her eyes at her father. "Hey, did Snowdrop make it back okay' She was totally freaked out when I yelled."

"Yeah, they made it back okay. How you reckon we knew you were in trouble?" he asked, though they'd have gone out looking sooner or later when they hadn't made it back with a storm rolling in. "Next time, keep an eye on the weather," he told her, affectionately chucking her chin, before swinging an arm around her shoulders to lead her back to the cabin. "'Rissa fix you up good?" To Evan's credit, he didn't warn against a next time; only to be more careful.

"It wasn't s'posed to be stormy," Maggie grumbled, tucked close under Evan's arm as they stepped out of the barn and into the softer blizzard. It was definitely easing off, but was unlikely to stop until deep into the night. "Yeah, Ms. Marissa put some gunk on it and it doesn't hurt no more."

"S'pect that girl could give Hale a run for his money," Evan remarked, his demeanor relaxing now that he knew Maggie was safe from harm. "Storms can come up out'ta nowhere in Rhy'Din, Mags. You should know that." It was admittedly hard to plan for them sometimes, but he wanted her to be more aware.

"Yeah, yeah. If I'd've had a phone, I could've called you and told you where we were and what happened," she countered innocently, grinning up at him with cheerful good humor.