((Note: The following takes place about two weeks after the events in Of Rolling Thunder and Pouring Rain and Arise, Molotoch, Arise!))

Around the Sanctuary, as the light leaves the world, all is quiet...calm. Peaceful, for the time being. The night remains so, passing without incident.

As morning comes, there can be found, at the gates to the Sanctuary, a envelope placed carefully on the gate, marked with an interesting seal - a pentacle overlaying a moon, very Celtic in its design, with five, different-colored jewels at each point of the star. Not far away from the gate, a large, silvery-grey timberwolf sleeps. Other than its size, which is clearly much larger than usual, the only thing strange about it is the heavy, beaten-silver collar around its neck.

Occasionally, its ears and paws twitch, as though it is dreaming.

http://th07.deviantart.com/fs44/150/f/2009/097/9/e/Pentacle_for_a_project_by_roguetornado.jpg

Surely enough, the wolf is not asleep. Or if it is, it's a very light sleeper. The sound of the woman's voice is enough to make it raise it's large head, brilliant sapphire blue eyes opening as he turns his head towards the woman. As he sits up, there can be seen, dangling from the collar around his neck, a teardrop shaped amulet of jet black stone.

As she takes the envelope, there is only one thing that happens, if she is paying attention - the five jeweled points of the pentacle all, as one, gleam with their own internal light for a moment, then just as suddenly dim again. At the same moment, the amulet hanging from the wolf's collar lights up just the same, showing light the shade of amethyst, a glow which touches the animal's eyes at the same time before fading..

Those sapphire eyes just watch her, a very human-looking grin on its face and a glimmer of intelligence that is, at once, wolfish, and at the same time very un-wolf-like.

For just a moment, he has the inclination to continue this little charade, but it's clear that the game is up - after all, if this lady has at all run into the Harlequin, then she knows a real wolf from a fake.

There is a sudden, brilliant flare of violet light that consumes the wolf's body, which fades an instant later to reveal the man himself, Lupinius.

He bows to the Scathachian, but does not approach the gate. "Greetings, m'lady. My name is Gabriel, and I bring a message from myself and my friends. This particular note is addressed to all of the Scathachians, as well as any of their allies."

He smiles and bows as she turns away, noting that not only did her own magical items react, the tattoo she had on her face did, as well.

Interesting, that.

And the way she referred to the other Scathachians as 'them'...was she not one of them' He's a bit confused, then, it seems.

Then, he remembers, the Empress is not one of them, either, and has been known to stay at the Sanctuary a time or two.

Finally he shrugs. Whatever.

"Thank you, m'lady. I'll be waiting here."

The amulet about his neck shimmers with violet light once more, consuming the man and leaving the wolf once more in its place. The animal settles down again, curling up outside the gates to the Sanctuary to wait.

He would like to know for himself that the message has been delivered, and doesn't have anything especially pressing to do at this particular moment.

While he's waiting, he falls asleep again...or at least, as close to sleep as he ever gets. In this form, he can sleep, or at least rest, and dream, after a fashion. As a demon...well, not so much. Sleep is almost impossible in that form; the closest he can come is a meditative state that allows him to recharge and rest.

Between the two, he prefers sleep - it is much more restful.

As he sleeps, his ears and paws twitch once more...

*************************

Over a millenium ago, the Gates of the Holy Isle of Avalon...

He had been tracking this scent for weeks, following it from his former home, the keep of the Lord High Magus. All of his life...life" Is that what it had been" Not hardly...better to say his existence, really. All of this time, he had been a slave and hadn't known it, until she had come along and thrown it all into chaos. And though he had been a slave, he had at least known that he had a purpose, that his life was ordered and set. Now, though, with his master dead, he has nothing, no direction, no purpose.

Which is why he's here - she had set him adrift, and now she had to be the one to give him that sense of direction again.

Now, he stands, in this lupine form, at the edge of a lake shrouded in mist. The trail ends here, all right, and he can sense that, across that expanse of water, somewhere in that concealing fog, she is there. He can feel it as surely as he can feel the evil inside of him, fighting against the weight of the soul he had taken into himself, straining to get out. He sits on the edge of the shore, a large, handsome, silvery-grey timber wolf, and, pointing his nose at the sky, he lets out a howl, a long, lonely, mournful cry, a summons to the one who had set him free and who he now turns to for his salvation...

In his dream, he is still sitting next to that misty lake, the howl echoing out over the water, and, dimly, he can see, just barely, the fuzzy outline of something approaching across the water, just out of range of his vision in this soupy fog. Still, it draws slowly closer, and he is able to make it out - a longboat, carrying two passengers that he can't make out yet. He sits entranced, waiting, watching, wanting so badly to know...

*************************

The sudden crashing of metal on metal jerks him from his dream, jarring him awake with startling suddenness, sending adrenaline coursing through his veins with a sudden electric surge. The wolf springs from it sleeping position to its feet with such speed that it might have always been that way, it curled-up form before only an illusion. The animal is down low, in a position ready to spring at its perceived attacker, the hair along its spine standing up and a fearsome, fierce snarling growl coming from its mouth, the lips pulled back over huge, sharp-looking, very white teeth, ears laid back, and amethyst fire in its eyes...

As he sees - truly sees - the woman standing there, though, he remembers where he is, why he is here, and as everything catches up to him, he relaxes from his former stance. There is again that flashing of violet light as he shifts back to his human(ish) form, bowing to her once more.

"My apologies, m'lady...you caught me off guard."

He holds up a hand to stay off the handing of the envelope back to him. "It can be left on the gate for the next Sister of Scathach to come along and find it - only they or their allies may open it, at any rate, without coming to some harm." A smile touches his features, showing teeth that are, interestingly, every bit as white and sharp-looking as the teeth of his other form. "The seal on it will see to that - it will know on being touched who has declared their loyalty to the Sisters."

He has picked up a great many tricks in his long, long existence, after all.

"At any rate, the letter is simply a statement of intent - that the Guardians, myself and my friends, stand ready to assist them, at any time. The Harlequin, Isuelt, and a couple of the other sisters and their friends know how to summon me, should they have need."

He bows to her, a gesture of respect. "If it interests you to have another ally yourself, m'lady, and you find yourself needing aid, you have but to say the name Lupinius, and I will be along shortly - though I do ask you do not spread that bit of information around. We demons do not like our true names being known, as a rule, and I only give it out to those I feel I can trust."

He smirks and bows once again to her as she strides away. Even being a demon, he prides himself on being an excellent judge of character, and this Hera seemed trustworthy enough...at least as far as he would trust any of the Sisters, at any rate. He watches her for a moment as she head back to town before turning back to the gate and the letter pinned on it.

He's never been in there - the wards on the place have seen to that - but there has been the odd time that he has wondered what exactly it is about this place that draws the allies the Sisterhood has here. There must be something. Charisma, he thinks, most likely - and the fact that good knows good and is drawn to it, much like evil is.

Finally, he shakes himself from these musings. He has work to do, and apparently the Sisters aren't home this day. One of them will find it, at some point. Whomever does will find inside a simple sheet of parchment, inscribed with the same seal that is on the envelope and bearing only these words.

"We are the Guardians. Should you or your allies have need, you have but to call."

And under this, signed in five distinct hands, these names:

Lupinius Wraith McCarty Valeria Kaleb

He bows to the gates and the empty Sanctuary beyond. There is a flash of amethystine light and a moment later, all that is left are the footprints of a large wolf, leading towards the north and around to the woods beyond.

Time to get to work.