Teddy took a moment to weigh his options and felt the wind shift against his cheek. There was a very quiet curse from somewhere ahead of him and then rustling as the smuggler moved. It took him a surprised moment before he registered that they were moving towards him. Or, more accurately, towards the small alleyway between them to escape.

There was no way to get to the alley in time, with all the brush between them. So instead, he prepared a shielding charm, casting it the moment he thought he could see the brush shaking on the other side. As he pushed through the brush on his side, he felt the impact as the smuggler bumped right into his shield. He glanced up and the alley's light was bright enough that he could make out a middle aged woman with dark hair. Then she muttered an oath and turned away from Teddy, running towards the clearing.

Teddy cursed himself and renewed his efforts to escape the shrubbery. By the time Teddy escaped it, it was short several more branches and Teddy had gained several scratches. He stood in the middle of the alley, panting slightly, as he hurriedly scanned for the smuggler.

She was still in the clearing, but had turned around and was now sprinting towards Teddy. Hasan had emerged from his hiding place and was running towards both of them. As the smuggler neared Teddy, the street light fully illuminated her face and the weird familiar-but-not scent finally made sense.

It was Kamya.

For a moment he just stared at her in disbelief. Kamya was part of the werewolf pack that he sometimes stayed with. He sort of knew her since she was godmother to his ex-girlfriend, but he had always tried to steer clear of her so he wouldn't get on her bad side. However, Kamya becoming a smuggler made no sense. As far as he knew, she had a respectable job as a potion-maker. Why was she caught up in any of this?

Beyond that, how could he bring her in without having both of his worlds collide in one of the worst ways imaginable? If he tried to bring her in, Kamya might expose Teddy as a werewolf to get back at him. Anything he wanted to accomplish would be gone just like that.

He still hesitated as she drew nearer, and she was able to easily avoid his half-hearted grab for her. Kamya shoved past him, the briefcase she held banging against his leg.

He'd grab the briefcase. Then they'd have the goods and he wouldn't have to worry about Kamya. Teddy took off after her with Hasan right behind him.

"Stop, police!" Hasan yelled; it was a Muggle area and that was the easiest way to avoid mind-wiping anyone.

Not that it mattered, Kamya ignored them and continued to sprint down the alley.

"Get down," Hasan growled at Teddy. It was a warning that Hasan was going to throw a spell.

Teddy ducked to one side of the alley, giving Hasan enough room to cast. Then, just as Hasan said the spell, Teddy tripped forward. He wasn't sure if it was on purpose or not, but it sealed his decision. As he fell, he positioned himself so his shoulder would be in the direct line between Hasan and Kamya.

There was a flash of light and then Teddy hit the ground before his mind even registered the pain.