Part I

The roar and howl was in near perfect unison. The ringing cacophony unnerved the pair supporting the weight of the small cage, but the one behind them would have none of abandoning it after they'd come so far. Inside the rocking cage, the two small girls exchanged a glance. Their parents weren't happy.

Of course, 'not happy' was a gross understatement. No-one would have wanted to get close enough to Ororo, Victor, Logan or Rahne to make judgment calls on which was the most upset. Adimu, Victor and Ororo's only daughter, was missing - and so was Moira, one of Logan and Rahne's daughters. The two girls were near in age and spent a great deal of time together, either on Pack or Pride land. They'd gone missing on Pack land. Which probably gave Logan and Rahne an edge (however slight) in the pissed-off category.

It was Victor who regained his equilibrium first. That is, if you could refer to slipping into cold, hard killer mode as 'gaining equilibrium'. The ice in his voice got the attention of the other three immediately.

"Everyone take a breath. Ain't scentin' any significant amount o' blood - ain't scentin' any death. Rahne? I know you ain't gonna like this, little sister, but I need you t' go back. Guard what's left o' yer pups an' my cubs. We three can bring back our girls, but not if our attention is divided worryin' 'bout th' rest o' our young."

Victor was right, Rahne didn't care for it, but him calling her 'little sister' got her at least calm enough that she didn't snap at him when he laid his hands on her shoulders.

"This is gonna mean killing, Rahne."

"I can deal out death when needs call fer it, Victor."

"I know you can – an' what I'm askin' you t' do might lead t' that need as well. We're dealing with folks that ain't got th' balls t' face full-grown fighters an' we got a lotta youngsters in both camps vulnerable. Plus, we need t' make sure at least one o' our prime hunters is gonna be able t' provide th' protein for healings. No use hoping we'll all come through unscathed – gotta prepare fer worst case scenario. If I didn't think we'd need a set o' eyes in th' sky, I'd be askin' 'Ro t' go back with you."

Reluctantly, she met his eyes, then glanced to Logan. He gave her a stiff nod, not trusting himself to talk. The low growl constantly coming from him said enough.

"Aye... yer right. I'll rip apart any that try t' touch any of the rest o' our kin."

"I know you will. S'why I trust you with this."

Rahne drew a deep breath, then moved to share a brief, fierce embrace with Logan before shifting and dropping to the ground to rush back to the Pack. She would sound the alert there before heading to the Pride to gather Victor and Ororo's remaining young. She felt a fleeting moment of sympathy for the three humans she'd scented, but that was quickly squashed. They had touched one of her pups - the one she'd named after her Mum. They deserved what they were about to receive. And, God help her for feeling this way, she knew they would suffer and she was glad.