Sykes had paced up and down for over an hour, trying to figure out what he could do to stop the Witch from hurting his boy.
In the end he threw his rag onto the table in frustration and did something he hadn't done in nearly nine hundred years.
Sykes closed The Inn.
He waited until the last patron finally, and still grumbling left, then he locked the door. Walking out to the back room, put food down for Tim's dog, Cerberus. Then he grabbed his coat as he listened to the seven foot tall puppy bound up and eat his food. "I'll be back soon Cerb," He called, "You watch The Inn while I am gone."
He walked out into the courtyard behind The Inn with the seven foot puppy following him and headed for the portal that Tim used most mornings to go to work.
Just as he stepped through he turned to the dog again, "Sit and wait." He said, he heard the dog slump with a huff to the floor as he turned with a small smile and stepped through the portal.
As Anna opened the door, Callen bounded out without thinking. He stopped as he saw his team members sitting at the large outdoor table and he screeched to a halt and moved closer to Anna.
"It will be ok Callen, Papa wouldn't have let them here if they were going to hurt you." Anna said as she crouched down to soothe the wolf who was giving a quiet whine.
Kensi turned her head and smiled at him, "Hey Callen, come on, this breakfast smells great."
Callen's tail gave a small but hopeful wag and he bounded up beside the table and sat on the ground next to Anna.
The others smiled as he stuck his head on the table looking longingly and sniffing loudly at the bacon.
"Ok, ok G." Sam sighed and took some and put it in a bowl for him, handing it to Anna, who placed it under the table so Callen could eat without being watched by the others who had started to talk amongst themselves.
Breakfast continued amicably. The Ne'er Worlders answering questions from the mortal about the realm and filling them in on what they could amongst themselves.
A large bird landed on the lawn and conversation stopped as Callen barked and chased the bird around the grass, his tail wagging happily as the bird flew just out of reach.
"Callen!" Kensi gasped in shock.
Deeks laughed, "He looks like he's enjoying himself Kens."
Callen ignored them as he ran happily around. He had picked up the ball from the basket he had placed it in, he tossed it with his mouth into the air and chased it across the grass.
The others watched with smiles as he played.
"In this form, Callen is still a pup." Arkady explained, "He's a teenager in our realm. So although as a man here he is an adult, in his wolf form he is still a child and plays. It is why he is so carefree while he is changed. His emotions are not bound by his human side in wolf form."
Deeks smiled, "I will admit seeing our fearless leader like this makes me wish I could be a wolf too." He said wistfully.
"Is it like the movies?" Eric asked, "Can you get turned into a Werewolf by being bitten?"
Arkady shook his head, "No. We are not vampires, child. It has been lost to us through time how we came to be. We just are. You cannot get turned into a Were', although when we do bite, it is usually for self preservation or the protection of others. Like our natural namesakes, we are wolves. We live as a pack, we love as wolves do, for life. We are as gentle as wolves are, we do not kill for fun, or for malice. See, even with that bird, Callen will not get close enough to kill it. He is not hungry and there is food here. We do not kill for no reason."
The mortals listened to Arkady's words, one point filtering in through all the others.
'We live as a pack.'
"This is why it is important that if you have a problem with this you need to tell us." Nate said, "Callen built his pack around you all. He needs this to…" He stopped as there was a flash from the pool house. "Are you expecting anyone?" Nate asked Arkady.
Standing up Arkady shook his head. "No." He motioned and his bodyguards started to move towards the pool house.
Callen stopped, sniffed and turned towards the guards growling at them.
"Callen?" Gibbs asked, confused as the door to the pool house opened and a small man stepped out.
"Alpha Kolcheck?" Sykes said as he walked towards the house.
"Sykes?" Tim said, surprised, his face breaking into a huge smile at his minder as he got up and walked towards the man.
Callen moved to protect the smaller man.
Sykes reached up and stroked the top of his foreleg. "It's ok Callen, I know Tim."
Callen whined slightly, feeling he had offended his friend and lay on his stomach.
"It's alright child, however, it is about you I am here. I need to talk to your pack."
Callen cocked his head to one side in confusion.
Sykes tapped his muzzle, "Silly pup, they are your pack, do you not believe what Springtime told you? We talked, I know what happened." Sykes sighed, "It is for that reason I am here. I need to talk to your pack."
The others stopped as they saw the familiarity between Callen and this strange man.
Tim walked over to him, "You know Callen?" He asked as Callen moved into a protective stance beside his friend.
Sykes smiled, "You are not the only one who has sought the shelter of my Inn child. Callen too has stayed with me from time to time. Now which one of you is Alpha Kolcheck?" He asked, looking from Gibbs to Arkady, both of whom seemed to be in charge.
Arkady stood up. "Sykes, your reputation precedes you. I had no idea you ever left the Ne'er?"
Sykes gave a small laugh, "Normally I wouldn't, I haven't been here since… well, since before all of you were born." He walked up to the group and took the chair offered to him. "Thank you. We need to talk, I have heard some worrying things; The witch Joelle was in The Inn, with a Hunter."
"You saw this?" Arkady asked.
Sykes smiled slyly. "I see everything."
"So why come here now? Why not send Pixel?" Tim asked.
"Pixel has been busy, she is dealing with her ever expanding family, she has over 2000 sprites now." Sykes told him, "This Joelle is evil. You know I don't usually involve myself in anyone's business but this is Callen."
"How do you know him?" Gibbs asked.
"I have been a refuge for Callen since he was a small child. He has stayed in the storehouse at the back of The Inn, working for food and board."
"You made a child work?" Deeks asked angrily.
Callen growled a warning at him.
"He wouldn't take it for free, so I gave him a few small tasks, I believe you mortals do it for your children, 'Chores'?" Sykes replied stroking Callen's shoulder to calm him down.
Deeks nodded.
"Callen wouldn't accept help he hadn't earned. So a few small tasks in return for a safe place to sleep and a hot meal were all he would accept. As such, he has a place in my heart as has Time, they are both my boys."
Tim looked over with a small smile as Callen wagged his tail and licked Sykes' hand.
Sykes patted him on the head and continued. "Joelle plans on trying to get to Callen again. Whatever she did to him, she feels that this antidote you have won't work. Her plan is to make him go with her and then for the Hunter to kill him and mount his pelt on his wall."
Arkady paled, as did Anna. This was the worse death a Werewolf could have.
Callen lay flat on the ground and whined in fear at what he was hearing. Anna moved over to sit on the ground beside him.
"This bitch will have to get through us first." Deeks said, Kensi, Sam and Eric all nodding in agreement.
Callen's tail gave a small wag, which the team took as a good sign.
"Thank you for your information Sykes." Arkady said.
Sykes nodded, "I don't as a rule involve myself in Ne'er affairs, I am neutral as you know, however, this involved someone I care about and I won't let him be hurt."
Arkady looked over at Tim, "What do you suggest we do? I do not want to break the Fay truce, but I do not want a member of my pack targeted either."
"Do not break the truce." Tim said, "The consequences are too terrible to think about. We have enough support here to prepare for her arrival, we just need to…" Tim stopped as there was a small explosion and the door to the pool house flew across the grass.
"She's here!" Sykes said.
Callen whimpered as the tall woman stepped through the portal.
The mortals drew their guns ready to defend Callen.
"You can't hurt me." Joelle said, "Callen come here."
To his and everyone else's horror, Callen stood up and walked towards her.
Whimpering as he tried not to, keeping his tail tucked between his legs and low to the ground he moved closer to her.
"G, NO!" Sam called, "You need to move, we can't get a shot."
With everything that was in him, he tried to stop, only to feel a burning sensation around his neck as a Joelle muttered a few words and a crystal flamed with a burning light. Callen howled in pain.
"Quiet Mutt," Joelle snapped, "Stop fighting you'll burn that lovely pelt of yours." Joelle raised her hand and started chanting a spell Tim recognized, he realized it would kill all the mortals within earshot.
Tim's eyes grew dark as he watched what was happening, "ENOUGH!" He boomed standing in front of the Mortals to protect them.
"You can't stop me who do you think you are?" She sneered.
Tim said nothing as both Gibbs and Tony moved back a step with a smirk, Gibbs motioning for the others to follow suit.
"Joelle Taylor, Witch; You are guilty of attacking another Ne'er worlder."
"You can't stop me, what are you anyway? You're not a Mortal."
"Elemental." Tim said flatly, it was as all he was going to say.
"Elemental!" Joelle laughed, "There haven't been any Elementals born in centuries. You don't have the power to stop me, child."
Tim shrugged as if he didn't care. "Maybe not…" He whistled loudly, knowing that the portal behind her was still open and seeing through it to where she had crossed. He could see the courtyard of The Inn and he had correctly assumed she had watched Sykes come through the portal and had followed him. It being a private portal on his end, had reacted badly to her energy, hence the explosion.
There was a loud unearthly howl and Callen lay flat on the floor, his ears flat with fear.
Joelle stopped as she heard it.
Callen whimpered as he tried to crawl away from what he could smell was coming.
"Defend me." She ordered.
Callen looked over at Anna and howled in fear, however the charm around his neck meant that he had to obey her orders. If he had to die he wanted hers to be the last face he saw. He didn't know what was coming, but it's scent smelled like death, old, ancient death and for the first time in his life he was terrified.
Shaking as he bared his teeth, staring at the door. He could smell is and sense it but he couldn't see it. He howled in terror as the front of the pool house exploded, glass and wood debris flying everywhere.