Hi all! Sorry I took so long, I've been working on another story... as some may know. And therefor, I have a note at the bottom of this. But for now, Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I wish!... but wishing never filled a fool's belly

chapter 4: Call to Witches

I hadn't had time to drop the receiver before Clef had torn out through the screen door, nearly wrenching it from its hinges. Eagle broke out after him, taking his shirt off and throwing it on the front lawn before disappearing into the forest. I snapped at Zazu, "Stay with Gabriel!" and dashed out after them. I cursed as I tried to get my shoes off after throwing my shirt at the base of a nearby tree. I tripped, fell, and ripped my shoes off before getting to my feet again; now racing the change to get my clothes off in time. I didn't notice my lurching strides as my bones snapped and reformed. All I could think of is what I was going to do to that parasite if she laid one hand on my mother.

Already I could smell the blood splashing the grass. Clef's furious howl slapped my ears and rang, threatening to make my eardrums burst. Eagle's battle cry echoed him an I knew the fight was on.

I spotted Lantis dragging my mom's mangled body into a tree. Clef was on the ground, cradling his wounded arm. Eagle had his back to Clef, keeping his eyes on Hikaru. I didn't see Nova until I charged Lantis and she tackled me from the shadows.

Clef saw Nova pull Presea's dagger from her boot and snapped. Eagle sprang away from Clef and clung low to the ground.

Next I knew, I was on my back watching Nova's face whiten as Clef's hand punched through her chest and his teeth clamping down on her shoulder. She screamed as he threw her off of me, charged her blindly, and had her in a storm of furious slashes before she hit the ground. "Bloody bastard!" she hissed. "Get offa me!"

Hikaru shrieked from the trees, "Get away from her!" She snatched her gun from her belt and unloaded a couple of rounds into Clef's back. He didn't so much as flinch. Instead he chomped down on Nova's throat. She pounded at his eyes with her fists then groped for the dagger at her side, just beyond her finger's reach. Seeing her plan, Clef jerked her away from the dagger, bit down harder, and started ripping his talons through her belly.

Hikaru plunged her heel into the back of Clef's neck and bounced off him as if she hit a boulder. "Get off her!!"

"Let her up or the bitch dies!" Lantis bellowed.

Clef froze and glared up his brow at Lantis.

Mom's fur was slowly slipping back into her body... we had 15 minutes at most.

Clef unlocked his jaws, slunk off of the whimpering Nova, then gave her a good swift kick with his back foot, connecting with her ribs. She wailed, coughed, choked, and sputtered then curled into herself, pressing her hands to her belly and chest. Hikaru scooped Nova up in her arms then spun toward Lantis. "Drop her!" she yelled. "We have to go!"

Lantis scowled and muttered under his breath, "This wouldn't have happened had Zagato kept his promise." To Hikaru, "Go! I'll catch up!"

Hikaru glanced at Clef then back to Lantis. Her head snapped sideways as she heard Eagle stalking up from behind. I got to my feet, crouched low, and set my sights on Hikaru.

"One move cub!" Lantis bellowed. He cocked his pistol and crushed the barrel against mom's temple. "Let them go and you can have your bitch back."

Clef stood rigid while Hikaru and Nova made their getaway. I could only imagine how much he was cursing his luck that Lantis had the upper hand. We all knew if mom wasn't about to sail to the stars Clef would have gone ballistic. As it was I could see the rage in his eyes starting to wane, fatigue was creeping in. He was still bleeding badly and the adrenaline had only made him loose more blood.

After a few agonizing seconds, Lantis stood in the tree and let mom's limp body slip through his grasp. Clef dove for her. Lantis trailed him with his pistol. Both Lantis and I jumped when Eagle snarled, snapped his jaws so they sounded like splintering bones, and made a mock lunge for Lantis. Lantis fired at Eagle, who easily dodged, then hit that supersonic speed vampires can and was gone.

Clef fielded mom like he was catching an egg, gave her a quick once over, then barked at Eagle. Eagle darted to his side and took mom in his arms.

Seeing my brother and Eagle side by side made me realize in just how bad a way Clef was in. His pelt had thinned and his snout wasn't half its normal length. I could see traces of lavender coming back to crown his head and his eyes were a darker blue. I watched in horror as he turned human.

"You remember where the Hououji's live?" he asked me sharply.

I stood stupid.

"Do you remember??" he bellowed. "For Moon's sake you had a project with her last week!"

The image of a small gray house flashed before my eyes and the map of that area fell into place. I nodded.

He smiled, "Good. Show Eagle the way... I'll meet you there."

I shook my head and looped to his side. His head was nodding like he was about to doze off. He was on the border of unconsciousness.

The fire sprinted back to his eyes and they turned their feral, glacial blue. His hand commanded its former strength and he yanked me to the ground, pressing my nose into the dirt, holding the scruff of my neck. "No games shithead!" he hissed. "Do it or I will! Then your life as you know it is over!"

I jerked away from him, leaving a fistful of my hair in his clenched fingers. For once my mind was spinning faster than I could keep up. Ideas flashed left and right.

Clef was getting to his feet, bristling with rage, the change taking over. I crouched down low and slunk away from him a little. "Go," he growled with the last of his human tongue. I shook my head and he lashed out at me. I grinned and shook my head again then froze...

He was in full fur and the wild insanity was creeping back in his eyes.

I rolled the dice to take a look at Eagle. He looked at me and Clef charged.

I knew I couldn't outrun my brother so I prayed the wounds would slow him down and the adrenaline wouldn't make him bleed out. My instincts veered me away from busy streets. I could smell Eagle behind Clef (I can't say how happy I was that he didn't howl and draw attention to himself). But I knew, or at least hoped, that he would keep his muzzle shut.

I lead them through the downtown alleyways and into the suburbs, then passed and beyond, into an old part of town with rundown houses. She had made the 'mistake' of telling me she had stayed at her mother's house for a while, and that she and her sister lived further toward the outskirts. She even made me remember the address! Talk about crazy.

The gray house was in sight. I glanced over my shoulder to see Clef still hot on my tail but the fire in his eyes was gone. He was wheezing and lurched forward with every step. Eagle ran beside him, occasionally throwing his hand out to steady Clef when he stumbled.

The lights were on in the basement, slicing through the oncoming dusk through a square window. I ran ahead and peered in. Good, the mother was probably up on the main floor. At least I hoped she was.

Taking a quick step back, I dove through the window, somersaulted on the floor, and came up... a little short. The girl at the herb table shot up from her chair, knocking it over, and screamed. Out of nowhere a hiss sounded and four sets of needle claws and a mouthful of teeth did all the damage it could to the side of my face. I threw the cat off, not noticing at the time that it was green, and clamped my hand over the girl's mouth.

A woman in a rippling, airy green dress flew down the stairs. "Fuu!" she cried. "Are you- Let her go!"

I, being the stupid one, did. Fuu sprinted away from me and the woman blasted me with some scalding variation of St. Elmo's fire. I hit the wall and curled up in a ball. Simultaneously, the other window of the basement and the main door on the floor above our heads burst open. Clef made his entrance through the window, and, in a gray blur, snatched up Fuu. His good arm pulled her back into him then his talons were gently raking across the skin of her throat. He opened his jaws and made the motion of biting down on Fuu's shoulder. She whimpered as tears streamed down her cheeks. The green cat hissed from the window ledge, but didn't dare move.

"What is the meaning of this?" the woman demanded.

As if on cue, Eagle came down the stairs cradling Mom. Her natural healing instincts had kicked in, but there was still too much to do, and the loss of blood was slowing the process too much.

Being the only one with no bartering chip or holding the reason for the journey, I assumed human form and stared straight at the woman. "We have a proposition for you," I said cooly, trying to sound how Clef would speak (he was always better at bargaining than I ever was).

The woman looked disgusted. "And if I refuse?" she retorted.

I shrugged. "Then he'll kill your sister."

Clef growled and tensed his hold on Fuu's throat, making her scream.

"Fine!" the woman snapped. "Put the bitch on the floor and stand aside."

I was amazed by how quickly she worked. Leaves from herb plants picked and ground themselves together as she prepped a suture needle. The air reeked of witchcraft and energy. She kept one eye on her work while the other was glued to the Clef's talons on Fuu's throat. Grinding bowl after bowl floated from its mixing station to her hand. She chanted incantations in some bizarre language (sounded like something from Mordor), snatched a fistful of the ground powder, and threw it in the air the length of mom's body. The cloud shimmered as it landed on mom. Mom's body jerked in an arc like on those ER shows then laid still. I could hear her breathing return to normal, like she was sleeping. As it turned out, the suture needle wasn't needed. Bowls went back to where they were before. Leaves arranged themselves in piles on the table. Leftover dust remained in the bowls.

The woman glared at Clef, "Now!-"

Mom groaned as her face twisted. What was wrong with her? I was about to give the nod to Clef to keep his end of the bargain (although he wouldn't have listened anyway), when Mom moaned then called, "David!"

My heart sank, she was calling for Dad.

The woman looked at Mom and sympathy washed her fierce expression. "Poor woman," she whispered. To Clef (after she looked him up and down): "Take your human skin then come here."

I expected Clef to be hesitant, but he dropped Fuu (who ran for the stairs), then did as he was told.

"Does she know how her mate died?" the woman asked.

Clef shook his head, "I don't believe so."

"She never got to say goodbye?"

"No."

She scooted back and sat on her knees. "Take her in your arms."

Again he obeyed without question. Gently holding mom in his good arm, he gazed at her face with an encrypted look on his face. Mom opened her eyes and looked in his. "David?" she whispered. Her eyes were glazed and hazy.

My eyes widened. It hadn't clicked until then just how much Clef looked like Dad, right down to the smirk.

Clef started to shake his head, then stopped, and smiled.

"It is you!" Mom gasped. She threw her arms around Clef's neck just before claiming his lips. "Thank the Moon!"

I was too busy gawking at the scene of Mom trying to french Clef to notice the woman slowly rising to one knee behind Clef, her hand receding to her boot and fingering the hilt of a silver dagger. Had she known several bullets were still imbedded in Clef's back she probably wouldn't have bothered. Bullets?! How the hell was he still breathing??

It didn't matter. She drew the blade, held it poised, and Clef gave in to exhaustion and loss of blood. Mom caught him in her arms, screaming Dad's name as she stroked Clef's head. The only reason I think she snapped out of the daze was because Clef's hair wasn't as long as Dad's had been at the back of his head. Her yellow eyes sharpened and she sat still, trying to gain some bearing as to where she was. Then she felt the limp weight of Clef's body in her arms. Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped as her brain registered his every wound.

Fuu peeked back down to see if the drama was over, and found her sister with a dagger in her hand. "Kuu no!" she cried. But Kuu didn't move to strike.

The air was stagnant as it held its breath. I was watching a movie in slow-mo. Mom cradled Clef in her arms, kissed his forehead, caught the glint of Kuu's dagger from the corner of her eye, and moaned as she started to rock. "Please... don't take my baby too."

Likes? Hope so! Please Review!

Also, I know I've made mention to this several times (threatened more or less), but now I'm serious! I'm turning my novel into a project I have to get done for school (more insentive for me to write I guess) so I won't be writing much fanfiction. I hope to put up one last chapter on Without the Mask (there will not be a sequel now)and possibly finish Confused Loyalties. Since I only have one reviewer for ANY of my Heaven to Hell series, I'll just email the chapters to Iamagod if the mood strikes to write. Otherwise, regretfully, Quest for the Ardoneh may be left unfinished. If that completely irks you (especially since I've left Clef in such a predicament) email me and I can pretty much give you the gist of how it ends. All my stories I had up on my bio earlier... not looking too good. But you may hear from me once in a blue moon. I probably sat down and finished the last three pages of this chapter in one sitting because I had such bad writer's block on my novel. Beyond that though...