First of all, I'd like to apologize about some problems with the last chapter. I usually separate different times with a sequence of periods. For some reason, the periods appeared right next to the end of The Raven and then had the next part where Noah was complaining about Rex's sugar high right next to that. If that confused anyone, I'm sorry. And if the computer decides to be stupid again, sorry in advance. I trust that you guys are smart enough to guess at the time changes on your own. Anywho, I'm sure you all wanna know what happens next, so let's move along. Shall we?

PS- Noah's last name has been revealed...and it's not Rylander... But I'm still sticking with that idea for this story, just so you know! I already had flashbacks of his childhood in Mending the Breach. As far as I'm concerned in this universe, Noah is Rylander's son! Just to clear that up.

CIRCE'S POV

Circe hadn't slept a wink that night. After Noah helped her home, she had retired to her room, refusing to give him an explanation. Scylla's collar was clutched tightly in her pale right hand. Even when she wasn't looking at it, she could still see the letters: PSCM.

Why did it have to turn up now of all times? She was finally settling down. She had a good life in Providence, she had friends, and she had a home. Why did those dreams have to come? Why did her mind have to trail to her past. And especially, why did that...that...blatant reminder have to turn up at the exact same time as these confusing thoughts?

There was no avoiding it: something was going on and it had to do with that place.

Circe breathed a sigh as she walked down the sidewalk. "Third alley down this way..." She murmured to herself. She had the path to this particular destination memorized. She had visited many times before, after all. Turning on her heel, she walked down the alley in question, stopping at a brick wall. She reached forward and touched her hand to the worn bricks. Immediately, the wall shuddered and swung open like a door. Circe took off running down the passage, the door closing behind her.

'Please let him be here...' She thought to herself. 'Please don't let them be somewhere else today...' She could see light at the end of the tunnel. 'Almost...' She rushed out into the oak and maple-fenced clearing. "Hello?" She called out. "Hello?"

"Circe." A familiar, rumbling voice sounded from the trees. Circe breathed a sigh of relief as the large, Warg-like form of Ludwig (formerly called Gamma) lumbered over to her. "It's good to see you again." He tilted his head as he took in her mildly panicked expression. "Is something wrong?"

Circe nodded. "Something is very wrong. I need to talk to Wolfgang, if he's here."

Ludwig's eyes flashed curiously as he walked to her side. "He is in his den. Right this way." He nudged her leg gently, pushing her toward the trees. "It'll be good for Father to have something to do." He murmured as they walked. "And good for him to see you again. He just hasn't been the same since he fought Shasta for dominance of the pack."

Circe's red eyes flashed with sympathy for her friend. After a few weeks in the pack, Shasta (Beta, as he called himself), who had slowly been deteriorating ever since his Alpha's (Van Kleiss's) death, had finally lost his mind and decided to launch a direct attack on the humans. Wolfgang, who had been content to let his son lead under the delusion that Van Kleiss was still alive (not sure what else to do), had been forced to fight him. After the fight, Shasta fled. The pack members started going by their rightful names again and their goal switched from the destruction of humans to the protection of those who couldn't defend themselves against raging Evos. Probably the greatest event that came from this was the revelation of Wolfgang as Ludwig and Cari's (formerly Delta) father. Ludwig had already known, but it was a great relief to not have to hide that fact. Still, Circe knew that there was a gaping hole in Wolfgang's heart that only Shasta could fill.

"Does Shasta know who Wolfgang is?" Circe asked.

Ludwig shook his mighty head. "No. He ran away as soon as the fight was over. Father didn't have time to explain while they were fighting... As far as he is concerned, he is still Beta and Father is still Sigma."

"Do you have any idea where he may be?"

Ludwig breathed a deep sigh. "Honestly, he's probably looking for Alpha-er-Van Kleiss." Soon after becoming the pack's leader, Wolfgang had explained Van Kleiss's true motives and affirmed his death.

"Why is he so determined to find Van Kleiss? Not even Wolfgang was this devoted when he was in the Pack."

"Van Kleiss saved Shasta's life. He reunited him with us when he created this pack." Ludwig looked at the ground. "Even I retain some gratitude for what he did for us, despite his reasons."

Circe stared off into space, remembering her first encounter with Van Kleiss, how much it had changed her. Images flashed in front of her mind's eye. The school. The torture. Her escape... "...I know exactly what you mean..." She whispered.

"Here we are." Ludwig paused outside of the large cave that had once held the pack's "Monster". "Father? Circe is here to see you. She says that something is very wrong."

From within the cave, Wolfgang's raspy voice called out. "Bring her in, Ludwig."

Circe followed Ludwig into the cave and nearly stopped when she saw her friend. Wolfgang was lying on his side, his normally bright red eyes dim and blank, staring off into space. At his side was the silver coyote-like Evo with the whip tail, Cari. Her blue eyes were dull with worry as she gazed at her father. Still, she smiled as Circe approached. "Greetings, Circe."

"Hello, Cari." Circe smiled at the beautiful canine. In the back of her mind, she remembered how, back in the Pack, Wolfgang had attached himself to her because she had reminded him of Cari. She then turned to the robotic dog Evo. "Hi, Wolfgang."

Wolfgang lifted his head, his eyes regaining a small amount of luster. "It's good to see you, Circe." He slowly sat up and stretched. "So, why do you need my help? Are you alright?"

"Not really..." Circe reached into her pocket, withdrawing the metal collar. "Let's just say that I'm getting an awful blast from the past." She turned the metal object over so that the hateful logo was visible. "Do you remember how I told you that I was in an awful place before I joined the Pack?"

Wolfgang nodded, his eyes flashing angrily as he remembered her stories. "Yes."

"Well...I've been having these dreams lately. And a dog appeared with...that place's initials on her collar. I think it means that...something is happening involving...that place."

"And?"

Circe took a deep breath. "I feel like I should investigate. The only problem is that I don't know where it is or if it was moved. Do you think that one of the dogs here could track the place down using the scent of this collar?"

Wolfgang, rapidly pushing aside his depression, scratched at the ground thoughtfully. "Normally, smelling a collar is best for leading one to its wearer... And it depends on how long it was away from the place... But, if the metal was fashioned there, there may still be traces of that place's scent." He turned to Ludwig. "Ludwig, can you go and find Revan? Tell her to come here immediately."

Ludwig bowed his head. "Right away, Father." The Warg turned on his heel and ran off into the forest.

Wolfgang turned back to Circe. "I'm not sure if you've met Revan. She's our best tracker. If anyone can find that place based on that collar, she can... If you're sure that you want to find it, that is."

Circe stared at the ground. "I want these nightmares to go away." She muttered. "I want...that part of my life to be resolved, once and for all. That can't happen if I know that it's still running...that there are other kids like me who are..." She couldn't even finish. "I'm sure that this is what I want."

"Very well." At that moment, Ludwig returned. With him was a sleek, lean, muscled, russet coyote-like Evo with lively blue eyes. She was gazing at Wolfgang with an adoring expression that made Circe feel like she should leave the cave.

"You called, Wolfgang?" She was holding herself up proudly, ready for whatever orders she may receive.

"Revan, this is Circe." He waved a claw toward Circe. "Circe, this is Revan, formerly known as Theta."

Circe nodded at the red-brown canine. "Nice to meet you."

"Likewise." Revan said politely.

"Revan, do you think you can smell the collar that Circe has and determine where it was made?"

"Perhaps..." Revan padded over to Circe and took a deep whiff of the cold metal, closing her eyes in concentration. "...The dog who wore this...has been here..." She sniffed the collar once more. "She lived here for a long time... Her scent is very prominent..."

Wolfgang tilted his head, looking like he wanted to ask something, but restrained himself at the last second. "Try to place where it comes from."

Revan took another sniff. "It's faint...very faint... The dog hasn't been there in months. But..." She took one more sniff. "I may be able to find it..." She moved away. "If I track the dog's whereabouts for the past few months, I may be able to find where she was. If the scent of the place is the same as the scent on the collar, I'll know that it is the right area."

"Good." Wolfgang nodded his head in approval. "I would like you to be Circe's guide. Help her to find this place."

"Of course, Wolfgang." Revan bowed her head. "When do we leave?"

Wolfgang looked questioningly at Circe. Circe, stunned at how quickly everything was happening, nervously replied. "Is tomorrow evening okay?" Wolfgang turned his gaze to Revan, who nodded.

"That should be plenty of time to prepare."

"Very well. Alert your brothers. They should go as well, just in case you run into danger. The three of you fight well as a unit."

"Of course."

"Thank you, Revan. You are dismissed."

As soon as Revan left, Circe rushed over to Wolfgang and threw her arms around his neck, burying her face in his white fur. "Thank you, Wolfgang." She held him tightly.

Wolfgang brought a clawed hand up to rest on her back. "Anytime, Circe. Anytime." He whispered.

…...

NOAH'S POV

"You are not going alone." Noah said firmly, folding his arms as Circe finished telling him, Rex, and Breach her plan.

"I won't be alone." Circe protested. "I'm going to be with Revan and her brothers."

"And we should just wait at home while you are out on this quest of yours? I don't think so." Noah turned to Rex and Breach. "Back me up, guys!"

Breach met Noah's gaze hesitantly. "I think that Circe would be better off if we went with her..."

"Thank you!"

"But..." She continued. "If she wants to go on her own, I don't think we should interfere. Besides, Rex and I need to keep fighting those rogue Evos."

"Well, I don't!" Noah shot back before turning to Circe. "Look, I'll follow you if I have to. So, you're better off just letting me come. It'll save both of us a lot of trouble."

Circe's face broke into a reluctant smile. "Well...I suppose I have little choice in the matter."

Noah grinned triumphantly and leaned back in his seat. "I'm glad you're seeing things my way."

Rex leaned forward in his seat and spoke for the first time. "Breach and I may need to be ready to fight Evos...but maybe we can still help you out from here. We could portal down to wherever you are to check on you every day at a certain time..."

"Great idea. Also, if we need to know anything while we're traveling, you can look it up on the database here. You can also send us supplies as we need them." Noah cut in.

Breach folded her larger hands thoughtfully. "We can start by trying to gather intel on this place..."

Circe shook her head, her smile fading. "You won't find anything. All records of it have been wiped. Trust me, I've tried."

Noah shrugged. "Well, maybe they can find information on the areas we travel through as we go. By the way..." He took the collar from Circe and looked at the initials printed on it. "What is this place called?"

Circe bit her lip and Noah saw a thousand terrified emotions flash through her eyes. Even the name was enough to make her afraid... She took a deep, shuddering breath before replying. "It's called...the Providence School for Civilized Mutants."

PSCM

Okay, let me clear up one thing: Circe and Noah's current relationship. Basically, right now, they are good friends who hang out and date casually. They like each other a lot, but they don't love each other yet. Kay? They're on the line between friend and crush. Do you sort of get what I mean? Please review! I like shiny reviews! Happy Easter, my homeys!