It was all they could do but wait. The ladies knew they mates had been called to aid another. But that was all they knew. At times like this, they tended to stay together with only duty calling them apart.

Family bounds were the only bounds these two women could claim. Wild Onyxia was fighting so hard not to give into the wolf. She would pace the office waiting on word. She prayed to the gods she would not lose her mate, not like this.

Conversely, the gentle healer that was Shariane stood off the the side. She too waited and worried. The only constant was her son and her love.

Both women wanted nothing more than to be at their loves' side, yet they could not. So all that was left was to wait...

And Pray.

The two women had been watched since the day Lupinius and Wraith had left on their mission of mercy to another world.

Top dollar was paid out to a network of infiltrators that Sha had contacts with in RhyDin. One was not a member of the Woodshadow family and not have those kinds of contacts. Infiltration had been the family specialty... and Sha'uri kept in contact with as many of the old contacts as she could.

As it was, the women had been followed and watched round the clock with the ruse of concern for the two. Sha'uri's ruse to her contacts had worked. She hadn't exactly lied... the loved ones of the Guardians were in danger and needed to be watched....

So the hired network kept a vigiliant tab on both women and were exceptionally well versed on how to do that without attracting attention to themselves. Different people were used at different times never a single person to follow them from any point A to point B. Guises were made up and magical enhancements applied that kept the women from sensing them, smelling them and seeing them for what they were.

Shariane and Onyxia weren't the only ones being watched....

As Onyxia stepped out of the house, she was being watched as she made her way out... the change was witnessed, the howling was heard and the message was sent to another watchman, a ranger, in that direction.

Soon the trail was picked up and she was being followed by booted but stealthy steps from a fair distance.... steps that soon shifted to a feline print as the two headed out into the deep parts of the dark woods beyond. Luck would be with the ranger as the wind kept his scent from her. And so he followed from a safe distance in a non threatening manner.

Over the past week, Sha?uri would show up from time to time checking in briefly with her contacts. She had a set place and time every day to possibly make contact and be updated on any new developments. Her ruse to her contacts had not been caught by them and they believed they were really helping to protect the women that they followed.

While following Shariane had proved to be somewhat of a challenge, finding her at the clinic had not gone unnoticed and helped to anticipate her schedule there. It was easy to get in.. merely creating a wound or symptom of a stomach ache is all any of them had to do... different people at different times.

Over time, they were getting better at finding Shariane's usual paths in her daily routines? stores and restaurants that she would frequent and the like... times with her son.... Her daily patterns were being put together and the use of magic to scry helped determine the teleportation lines? the same basic procedure was being done with Onyxia.

Today there was no new news about Shariane, and she was not the main target just yet. Perhaps she would never be. At this point, Sha'uri hadn't bothered with the woman in the past time lines, and she considered the woman insignificant to bring her into this one. Her target was Onyxia, someone significant to Sha'uri's goals.

Sha?uri stepped out from the curtain of time that took her from when she was to a hidden place where no one could see her enter town. From there she would make her way to the meeting point.

Meeting the contact along the docks, she found that nothing was different from the usual report? Shariane was following her normal routine, as near as they could tell, sometimes they did lose track of the woman. Sha'uri really didn't care and most of the report fell on her deaf ears. Her hearing only perked at the report on Onyxia, who was cooped up in her office.

Every day Sha?uri would check until she found a night that Onyxia stepped out of her normal routine and into a situation that would have the woman in a lonely and vulnerable position? All alone in the deep woods.

Time travel was a wonderful thing? Sha'uri could pinpoint that time and shift back to step into it.

After receiving the news that Onyxia had raced out of her office the night before and headed towards the deep woods shifting to a not so humanoid form.. Sha?uri had her time and place pinpointed. Making a step back in time, she came to the place where the one contact was watching the house and watched with him as her target left, Onyxia changing her form as she headed out into the woods..

?Who?s following her from here?? she asked.

?Ebon. He?s our best tracker? a Were Panther.? Was the reply.

?I?ve met him? once. I?m sure she?ll be all right. Keep watching for her return.?

With a nod, she left by a way that didn?t seem to indicate she was going to follow, making it appear as if she were going back to where ever she came from? business as usual.

Getting out of sight she went invisible and backtracked to the scene to pick up the trail and track behind Ebon. Like Ebon, Sha'uri left no footprints to follow, nor sound to alert her coming... the only trace of their passing were the fading signs of magic that stayed in the place of their footsteps for a short time after. It was good she came when she did or she might not have picked up the trial of magic that he left in his steps.

She found him about a half mile away from the target watching Onyxia from a tree that sat atop a hill overlooking the lake. She could see a form below near the edge of that Lake. She knew it was Onyxia by the note in the howl... so sad and longing that for a moment something touched her own feelings... an understanding that let a spark of sapphire flicker in her eyes. It was brief and the demeanor changed as the sapphire was extinguished. Sha'uri grinned knowing Onyxia would be with her love sooner then either of the lovers thought, and certainly not how they would like to think.

Instead of alerting Ebon to her presence, Sha?uri kept herself invisible and silent. Then she levitated above the treetops and scanned the entire lake area with her draconic sight marking the place he was in, Onyxia?s position and several strategic locations to transport her new army. Then ever so carefully she floated down to within arms reach of the panther and zapped him with a hypospray filled with a tranquilizer. He?d be out for hours. It was a good thing he was tucked securely in the tree or he would?ve fallen out.

Dispelling the levitate, the silence and invisibility, she landed in the tree next to him to make sure he was secure, then cast an invisibility spell on him. He would be out and unseen through the night. Then Sha?uri left him there and disappeared through a curtain of time Returning back to the Cemetary ?

Starfire didn't have time to think, or react really. The energy buffeting him hurt. This wasn't any kind of magic he'd touched before. Landing, he dropped to his knees, breathing fast, hard, but, somehow managing to be silent in the process. He nodded to her command, Head bowed slightly as mastery over self and stomach was searched for. Breathing in slowly, and letting it go, the vertigo was passing slower then he liked, but it was passing. Down by the lake, right. Lycans have good hearing, right? She'll be hearing the combat long before we come into sight.

Regaining his feet in time for her to make the needed adjustments to his clothing, mud joining his cloak, and the tears going all the way through the cloak and the thinner tee shirt under it. He reached up and mussed his hair, adding in a few branches and twigs as she smeared the mud on his cheeks.

Taking the rock, he nodded silently, his left hand moving down and drawing a dagger from a sheath in his boot. Rock was set down at his feet, he was careful to keep the hypo spray out of sight in his right palm, he could feel the spell around the rock, it made sense. A slight shiver at the threat inherent in her tone, They will be, it wouldn't be right, otherwise, I was going to use one of the skeletons to help with the angling before we transported. This makes sense, it's the only way that she'll believe it. He wasn't trying to be rebellious, simply state facts. Excitement and a tinge of fear would come through clearly with his thoughts.

He cut his cheek, where it looked like he'd fallen, making it look like he'd scratched it on a stick or a rock. A few more through the tares, after a moment's thought, and examination of the undead closest to him, the dagger was moved to his right hand. His left shifted fluidly, liquidly into claws, green gold and black scales visible. The razor sharp talons were used to rip through his clothing and skin on his right arm, and thinner, finer scratches across his neck, sparks flying off the silver collar as it dented.

About then, Sha'uri walked back up and threw the rock. While she added to the scratches and blood he blinked a moment, struck be another though, a cut added to his hairline, a bit of hair going with. It'll grow back, and if asked, one of them went for my head. They disarmed me. The dagger in his right hand was tossed lightly to the closest skeleton, which would be the one that would attack him shortly.

He nodded to her words, no more communication needed there, he took a step in the direction she'd previously pointed, ducking the one that grabbed for him, he hissed, going for the dagger in his right boot. It was drawn in a flash of steel and he swung, trying to hit it before he ran, fast towards the lake.

All precaution gone now, he drew breath and screamed. Deliberately catching his ankle in a rabbit hole and falling, rolling toward the hill, he hazarded the guess that he was within earshot of the lycan, if not eyesight, he'd closed the distance quickly. Yelping as he tried to stand before screaming again. "Help me! Anyone, please?" Honest desperation in his tone, he knew that he couldn't out run it, and they truly seemed to be on a goal to attack him, dagger in his left hand now covered in dirt.

He regained his feet, and continued toying to run. "Anyone there, Help me! They're going to get me, I can't keep running." Tears welling in his eyes, real or fake? Fear in his tone.

"Help me! Anyone, please?"

Blood and fear are a heady combination. Were she a lesser creature, the boy could have potentially become prey himself. As it was, she was not lesser. She was distracted by her mate?s absence and took the boy?s plight at face value.

The bait had been well chosen. A child in danger always spurred her to action without thought.

"Anyone there, Help me! They're going to get me, I can't keep running."

There was a low growl in her throat as she came into the path of the running boy. Those silver eyes flashing as she took in the skeleton. The moonlight glimmers off the amulet she wore. She did not change for fear of spooking the child.

?This way! Hurry, lad!?

The she-wolf had been helping Baron DeMuer?s underground railroad for sometime and was used to the action. Yet, she was not as wary as she should have been?

Haste was cast upon the skeltons coming in behind the boy, causing them to move much faster. They were starting to gain ground on him as they took up the chase, easily viewed by the time the boy began to run again.

Sha'uri did the same for half the skeleton's placed on the sides, bringing them in to complete the horseshoe around the two, Onyxia and Starfire.

Last, the same was done for the one's behind Onyxia. They would take more time to get there because Sha'uri had paused them to keep them from being a distraction until Onyxia took the bait, plus Onyxia had been moving away from them and towards the boy before the skeletons were hasted. They wouldn't be but a few more moments behind the others, completing the circle surrounding them.

The other skeletons left on the sides who were not hasted were spread out slightly as they kept moving in, and moved in to strengthen the weak spots.

By the time the boy reached Onyxia, it was obvious the horseshoe of skeletons were there chasing him.

She heard Star's thoughts as he ran, gaze narrowing on the boy. She hoped Onyxia couldn't pick up the thoughts but was ready with an action should the moment present itself that the boy had failed. And she would know in a milisecond...using the boy's thoughts and emotions to clue her in to that very specific instance. It was why she didn't clue him in that she could still hear his thoughts... that and she didn't want to tip Onyxia off of her presence.

Sha'uri was ready and waiting....

He yelped as her arm connected with the edge of his shoulder; for an instant, terrified that he hadn't done it right. That fear subsided as she dropped, and he lowered his arm, wincing. Turning slowly, he looked for Sha'uri, and then at the skeletons. No small hint of nervousness in him at their presence, and her apparent lack there of.