Exton

Stepping from the Gate, the Fae Stallion stops. His ears flick forward, swiveling, then lay flat against his head. Dark eyes flare, red flames springing to life. His flanks tense. He braces his stance as his Rider slowly draws his sword.

Keon narrows his eyes, watching the woods as intensely as his mount. A slight press of his knees has the stallion shifting slowly, readying for attack. The Dark Fae inhales slowly, feeling his mount do the same. His smile is hidden by the dark shadows of the trees.

"Come out, come out, where 'ere ye are."

The timber wolf slinks from the brush. His legs fold in a bow, nose touching the damp leaves. It sneezes once, then again, clearing the scent of leafmold.

"Ach Marcus, shift ta man so we can talk."

The wolf lowers his head, shaking it. Keon grins. "Ach, ye left yer clothes elsewhere. How about we go to the boathouse?"

Marcus turns, glance once over his shoulder. The undergrowth swallows him in moments and Keon smiles. He trusts the boy to find his way. Relaxing his legs, the stallion takes his hint and relaxes. Rider and Mount keep vigil on their short ride through the woods.

Ron is leaning on the deck railing as the Dark Lord swings from the stallion's saddle. His face is grim, something very unusual for the friendly young man. Marcus steps from the trees, clad only in jeans. His face also is more grim than usual. Keon whistles and a Hell Hound trots forward. moments later it lopes off.

"Perimeter. Let's go inside lads. Ye both look as if ye've got a bit o' seriousness on yer minds."

He pours himself a mug of tea from the automatic coffee brewer. Monty had given it as a housewarming present. He motions to the boys to help themselves and moves into the sitting area. When they join him, Marcus perches on the edge of a chair, sipping the hot tea. Ron paces, tapping his fingers on the side of his mug.

"Speak laddies, tis eatin at ye."

Ron nods to Marcus and the wolf takes a deep breathe. "We came to you because we don't know how to reach the Doc or his mate. We are hoping you know how."

"Aye, I do. But I'll not be callin him for naught."

Ron sets down the mug, contents untouched. "Someone, no... someTHING, is stalking the Campus. My dad told me about the "less fortunates", as he called them, the ones that disappeared and all that was left behind were blood soaked places."

Keon sits back, waiting as Ron collects his thoughts. "We found two spots on the outskirts of the college, blood soaked, but no..." He swallows hard. "The older spot..." Pain clouds his eyes, pain and guilt. "The older spot was found because we were looking for two people who went missing somewhere between breakfast and their first class. They were seen at breakfast. Talked to friends. Someone even saw them as they passed the Dorm complex." Tears slip down his cheek as he looks up at the ceiling. "Their trail... there are signs of a struggle about five feet into the treeline. Looks like they were pulled into the trees. Maybe another five feet in, and then... blood... the area is saturated with their scent and blood."

Ron says nothing for a few moments and Marcus clears his throat. "The other spot... There was a girl who disappeared maybe a month ago. Nobody thought anything about it. She wasn't doing that great in her classes. People thought she just split." He shakes his head. "Keon, nobody really looked for her. Her parents came and collected her stuff not all that long ago. They said she never came home. The police looked into it. Ended up calling her a runaway. She's on one of those "Have you seen me?" posters you see all over. One of the Shifters helping to look... she roomed with the other girl, knows her scent real well. Hell, she cleaned her up after too many parties to count."

He sighs deeply. "She found her scent. All over the other spot. It was faint, but it was there." His voice breaks. "There was something else, a scent no one could place. You know, one of those scents you KNOW you have smelled, but can't catalog it" His forehead wrinkles as he tries to explain it. "A dry smell, yet not." He shakes his head again, this time as if just trying to make sense of something. "it smelled like... death."

The wolf shrugs and both boys look to Keon. The Dark Fae stands and pulls his cell phone from his pocket. He glances at the time and hits a number. He listens a moment.

"Yes. This is Dealg Drubh. I need to speak to the Master or Mistress. Business." He nods, "Aye, I will wait."