And here I be yet again, bringing you this humble tale of truly EPIC proportions!...that was kind of an oxy-moron statement wasn't it? Heavy on the moron.

Anywho, on with the shoutouts! : Jasmine Nightshade and Robin For Life, the only (two? Lol) reveiws I got this chapter around! So, super chocolate chip cookies to you guys!

ENJOY!

"Where is he?"

Artemis shook her head, watching in amusement as the speedster paced anxiously back and forth on the Gotham rooftop. "He'll get here when he gets here Baywatch. Chill!"

Conner rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. "Three. Two. One…" he muttered under his breath.

M'Gann frowned. "What?"

Laughter rang out from the other end of the rooftop, drawing their attention. Coming up out of the stairwell was Coyote, his hyena trotting up the stairs behind him. He bumped the door shut behind him with his heel. "No one sneaks up on Superboy with hearing like that apparently." He laughed.

M'Gann giggled. "Actually, Robin does."

Conner rolled his eyes again. "Robin's Robin." He answered dryly.

"Oh! Well that explains it then!" Coyote laughed in agreement. Looking to the diminutive ninja in question, his face became anxious. "Any leads?"

Robin didn't even glance up from his computer screen. "Maybe. I talked with Batman earlier this evening and he had a couple suggestions." He pulled up a map of Gotham city. "Ok red dots are the approximate positions of the kids taken off the street. The yellow dots are the positions of kids taken from their homes. You saw a lot of these kidnappings happen, or you know people who did?"

Coyote nodded. "Yes. I've seen ten of the forty kidnappings personally. The rest of my information comes from friends of Thomas and Tony, and my own sources."

Robin held his wrist out to the new vigilante. "Great. Can you show me where they went on the map?"

"Sure."

The rest of the team gathered around, studying the multitude of blue dots from where Coyote had touched the map. Those dots showed where the men had last been seen with their captives.

Artemis frowned. "They always go down into the sewers…"

Kaldur nodded thoughtfully. "An interesting pattern…"

Robin nodded. "You think that one's interesting, I got a better one for ya." He pulled up a new computer screen. "Look at this. Every single one of these kids they grabbed is either on the street because of difficulties at home, or they were considering it. And before you ask KF, I know they were going to run away because it was all over their social network sites and a lot of them were researching city shelters. If they weren't on the street already, they were going to be shortly."

"The only one who doesn't fit the pattern is Tony. He was a straight 'A' student. He was doing fine at home, and so far as I can tell he had absolutely no problems with his parents. Or at least none big enough to justify running away from home. So you were right Coyote, they had to've been after Thomas."

"So they're after kids from dysfunctional families and they're escaping through the sewers. But what do they want with 40 six to ten year olds?" Zatanna asked, confused.

"With a few teenagers thrown in for flavor." Wally added helpfully.

"We're not going to find out standing around here." Conner growled.

The hyena yipped and Coyote grinned. He reached down to scratch at the animals thick neck and broad shoulders. "Then let's go pay them a visit!"

"Um, I know why we're here and all but…why are we here?" Kid Flash asked, looking around the dank sewer.

"This is the kidnappers most common escape route. It stands to reason this would be the best place to search for clues." Aqualad answered. "If you wish to leave, I suggest you begin your search."

Kid Flash took another step and his foot sank ankle deep into the beginnings of the Gotham City sewer sludge. He wrinkled his nose in distaste. "Gack! I hate Gotham's sewers!"

Coyote grinned. "You think your perception of the sewers is bad? Think about how much this stinks for those of us who have better senses! This place stinks so badly my nose is almost aching with the smell! And the sounds…" he shook his head. "I pity Superboy! The sewers are bad enough with my enhanced senses, but his are probably the strongest here! It must be even worse for him!"

Aqualad cocked his head. "Enhanced senses?"

Well done genius. Mini Me muttered.

Coyote nodded, gesturing. "Yeah. My eyesight is about average, but my hearing and sense of smell are better quality than the average human's. The sounds are more acute, and the smells are much more intense." He made a face. "It gets a little overwhelming at times!"

"I'll bet!" Kid Flash shook his head, pulling his foot out of the sludge and trying to kick some of the sewer muck off of it. He cast a pitying look at Superboy. "I never thought about it like that… Man that's gotta stink!"

Superboy gave him a small smile. "It does." He admitted. "Especially at school!"

Coyote chuckled at that, but as they discussed the difficulties they had fitting into civilian life, he found he could only partially listen to the conversation.

Mini Me was railing angrily on inside his mind.

Enhanced senses? Well geeze! Why don't you just tell them everything Mr. I'm-so-smart?

Coyote turned away from the group, glaring down the tunnel in annoyance for lack of a better place to glare. Like what? What else would I possibly tell them?

The voice in his head took on a simpering tone. Um… Hello? Hi, my name's Coyote. I have enhanced hearing and smell, I'm pretty handy with a knife, and I can run faster and jump higher than normal humans! Not to mention I can pretty much disappear into thin air like a politician's honesty! And…

Coyote's glare sharpened. Not bad. Try this one out for size. Hi. My name's Coyote, and I hear voices in my head. Well, one to be precise. Think a member of the league could knock that particular kink out of my cerebellum?

The voice fell silent for several minutes, then answered back scathingly. Hi Mr. Justice League telepath. Coyote calls me Mini Me. I call him Idiot. Or Moron, he answers to both. Before you do me in, I feel I should tell you, I'd lock him up If I were you! He's the son of…"

"Coyote!"

Coyote snapped out of his internal argument. Belatedly, he realized that Artemis had been trying to get his attention, and now the whole team was curiously watching him. "I'm sorry Artemis. What was it you wanted?"

Artemis gave him a concerned look. "You ok?"

He sighed and wearily rubbed his face. Aside from a paranoid little voice in my head? He thought. Just dandy…Aloud, he answered. "Yeah, I'm alright."

The blonde archer arched an eyebrow. "Yeah, cause you look it…"

"Probably." He smiled. "Look it's just a headache. I get them pretty often, almost chronically. It'll quiet down after a little bit and I'll be back to normal. Nothing to worry about."

He saw the rest of the team glance at each other and he could practically see the thought process. Sudden headaches powerful enough to zone him out that quickly? If that happened during a mission he could potentially become a vulnerability, either getting the team hurt when they tried to help him or getting captured and being used against them.

"How long have these headaches been an issue?" Aqualad asked.

A headache? Oh nice save genius! I am so paying you back for that! Mini Me muttered.

Oh ho ho! So not helping…! Coyote rubbed his temple. "Umm… A little over a year I think?"

"Umm…Coyote, your hyena's acting weird."

Oh yay. Just what we needed...

Coyote raised his head, ignoring the voice in his mind, and quickly located his hyena a little further down the tunnel. Robin was standing a little bit nearer, seemingly leery of approaching the animal. Considering that his only other experience with a hyena was with the madly cackling pets of a deranged clown, Coyote couldn't blame him for his caution.

Coyote made his way past the team, slipping past Robin in the narrowing tunnel to get to the hyena. Turning the animal around, he led it back to Robin. He softly whispered a word and the hyena immediately opened its mouth.

"You needn't fear you know." Coyote slipped his hand into the hyena's mouth and noticed an almost imperceptible shudder from Robin. A memory came to his mind of having seen a bite shaped injury on Robin once. Apparently Robin had more to fear than he'd originally thought!

"She's actually quite gentle."

"Wait wait wait! She? The hyena's a she?" Kid Flash's jaw was almost literally on the floor.

He has a really superb grasp of the obvious, wouldn't you say? Mini Me chuckled.

Definitely! Coyote thought back.

Artemis rolled her eyes. "Thank you Captain Obvious!" she answered, her mind apparently running along the same line's Coyote's had. "I think it's been pretty well established the hyena's a girl."

Beside him, Robin cackled. "Dude, just because both of the Joker's hyenas are male doesn't mean all the hyenas in Gotham have to be!"

Superboy raised his eyebrows. "How many hyenas are in Gotham?"

"Um, and exactly how is he supposed to know that?" Artemis asked.

"Counting Coyote's hyena, five." The team starred at their bird. "What?" he counted them off on his fingers. "Coyote's hyena is here, Harley's got her two stashed away somewhere with her, and then there's two more on permanent exhibit at the Gotham City Zoo. So unless there's someone else hiding one in their apartment that I don't know about, the answer's five."

Kid Flash shook his head. "Dude, you have way too much time on your hands." He gestured to the hyena, who was still holding on to her master's hand. "So what was she doing that was so weird?"

Coyote glanced curiously at his pet. "Show me." He ordered. She yipped, releasing his hand and trotted back to where she'd been before, planting her nose to the ground. He watched carefully to see what she was getting at, then carefully retrieved it. "Good girl." He murmured and passed it to the others.

Ooh yes, well done mutt. Mini Me muttered.

Zatanna leaned in around Miss Martian's shoulder to get a better look. "What is that?"

Kid Flash held it up closer to his face. "First blush? It looks like a piece of that fake reptile skin off of some dude's wallet or something."

Artemis caught hold of it and turned it around. "Awful thick to be fake Baywatch."

Coyote shook his head. "It's not. Look at the back of it. You can see the texture of the skin cells."

Zatanna looked to Robin. "Could you find out what kind it is?"

Robin nodded, quickly stowing the shred of skin in a small evidence bag and putting it away in his utility belt. "I'll have to wait till I get back to the Bat Cave for analysis, but judging from the texture I'd guess it to be Alligator or Crocodile skin."

Miss Martian cocked her head. "What's the difference?"

"Well.." Kid Flash started, only to have Artemis clap her hand over his mouth.

"Don't even get started with the nerd talk!" she growled. He rolled his eyes but nodded his acquiescence.

Inside Coyote's mind, Mini Me groaned and the teen got the impression that the little voice would be rubbing his face in exasperation if it had a face to rub. They argue like an old married couple. Make it stop…!

Coyote chuckled, ignoring the odd look the others were giving him. Not on your nonexistent Nelly…

Dick Grayson groaned as he crawled into bed back at stately Wayne Manor.

It had been a long night, though not nearly as long as the last one. He'd actually made it home before twelve thirty for a change!

The team had investigated all the sewer entrances used by the kidnappers as escape routes. They'd found signs of the children, everything from a locket with the little girl's name on it to a jacket Coyote identified as belonging to one of the boys taken off the street. But there was nothing to indicate where in the sewers the children had been taken.

Dick smiled a little. They had had one good stroke of luck. A security camera in a shop window had caught two of the three kidnappers walking past the window with one of their victims.

He'd frozen the footage and run pictures of their faces through the computer the minute he got back to the Bat cave, and it hadn't been long before he knew everything about them the computer did. Name, age, height, weight, aliases, the whole nine yards.

But he couldn't seem to find the connection between the two.

After the tired teen had spent almost an hour puzzling in front of the computer he was still no closer to solving it. Alfred had quite calmly and firmly asked him to go to bed. And when Alfred asked in that tone of voice, it was rare that someone said no. The information would still be in the computer in the morning, the butler had assured his charge. And Dick's mind would be sharper after a good rest.

So he had complied. He yawned, fumbling for his cell phone on the dresser. Finding it he flicked it open, blinking owlishly in the sudden bright light. Once his eyes had adjusted, he typed up a quick text message and sent it off.

Now he could go to sleep.

Batman's eyes narrowed, studying the building ahead of him.

There'd been a break in the case.

Scarecrow had made another attack on Metropolis, this time targeting a museum. The league had promptly responded, rounding up the terrified citizens and getting them to the hospital. Scarecrow had managed to escape, but one of his henchmen had been left behind.

One of the panicked museum goers had brained him with her briefcase.

Now he was here leaning over the edge of the roof wall, gazing down at the building the man had cited as being the Scarecrow's new hideout here in Metropolis. Standing to either side of him was Wonder Woman, The Flash, and Green Arrow.

He suddenly frowned and straightened, his hand going to his belt.

Were they not on a mission Barry and Oliver would've burst into laughter at the sight of the much feared and dreaded Batman, who had often lectured them when the ringing of their cell phones gave them away on covert ops, pulled out his own cell phone.

"Checking your email?" Oliver teased.

"Or Facebook?" Barry added.

Oliver grinned. "Nah, it's gotta be Angry birds." He answered, having been busted once for that himself at a League meeting. Hey, how was he supposed to know that his hand was pressing to hard on the volume button?

The looks on the faces of the league when the little bird's shriek suddenly screamed out of his phone had been priceless though!

"Nope, it's totally gotta be a girl friend!" Barry argued quietly, though still loudly enough for Batman and Wonder Woman to hear.

"How can it be his girlfriend, Diana's right there!" The minute the words were out of Oliver's mouth, he knew he was in trouble.

The Dark Knight's eyes snapped up from the bright screen of his phone, pinning both men with a truly awful Bat glare.

"It's Robin, updating me on his status."

Oh yes, they would pay for those comments after the mission was through. It might not be tonight, it might not be tomorrow. It might not even be that week! But they would pay. The Bats always repaid debts and pranks.

Something drew the Batman's attention back to the building, and after a moment he pulled a grapple gun from his belt and fired. "Move." He growled, and leapt from the building's roof.

Green Arrow and the Flash were quick to follow. They were in enough trouble already!

Behind them Diana smiled. She'd been able to glimpse the message over the Dark Knight's shoulder. She shook her head and leapt after them, using her lasso like their grapples. If only Oliver and Barry knew.

Batman would've received a whole lot more ribbing if they'd been able to read the message!

Home safe and sound. I'll need to talk to you later about the case. Good night Tati.

Coyote heaved a sigh of relief as he slid down into his den.

He waited just long enough for the hyena to follow him in, then closed up the opening behind her. It still amused him that the team just automatically assumed she was a boy.

He grinned, ruffling her fur. "Must be the muscles." He quietly teased. She snorted in reply, nipping playfully at him before trotting over to the fire and the boy who sat next to it.

Coyote grinned and followed her. Crouching down behind Thomas, he wrapped his arms around the small boy's bony shoulders. "Hmm… Honey I'm home." He teased. "What's for dinner? It smells good!"

Thomas giggled and pulled out of his arms. "I don't know, you were the one to put it under the fire to cook before you left!"

Coyote pretended to think about it, then nodded. "Ah. So I did. Well, I guess I'd better dig it out of there and see what it is!"

He snagged an old broken garden shovel, kept specifically for the purpose of retrieving the meal from under the hot coals. He nudged the coals out of the way and slid the shovel under the metal box and carefully pulled it out, setting it on a nearby slab of concrete to cool. He couldn't douse the box with water to cool it, he wasn't sure it was water tight, and the last thing he wanted was a soggy dinner.

"Did you find him?"

Ah. There was the dreaded, but sure to be asked, question. Any suggestions? I could use a little help here!

Mini Me snorted at the request. You never listen to my suggestions! Not me pal! You were the one who wanted to play hero! You're on your own with this one! Count me out!

He sighed. You're a big help. He met Thomas eyes. "I'm afraid not Thomas. We haven't found much of anything yet. I'm sorry…"

Thomas nodded, pulling his knees up close to his chest and staring into the depths of the fire. " 's okay…"

Coyote gave him a tender smile and gently lifted the boy's chin. "Hey. We'll find him, don't you worry. Now that we've got the superhero sidekicks helping us out, we'll find him in no time!" He ruffled Thomas's hair. "You'll see."

Patting the boy's shoulder he gestured to the metal box. "Now I don't know about you, but she and I are starving! So what'd you say we crack this open and see what I made in my sleep this morning?"

Thomas laughed and nodded. Using Thomas's scarf as an oven mitt, the two pried the lid open and peered inside the steamy interior.

Coyote bit his lip, face burning with embarrassment as he viewed the somewhat over done contents.

Oh, bravo! Well done! The voice in his head laughed. I don't care what your parents say, you were born to be a chef! You should go out for Le Cordon Blue!

Coyote groaned and put his head in his hand, rubbing his eyes tiredly. "Not one word." He growled aloud. "Not one, more, single, solitary, word…"

ROFL, hilarity and cuteness ensue! Lol, believe me I had a lot of fun writing this chapter and subsequently reading it out loud to my siblings! Glad to hear that you guys are liking Coyote and his Hyena. I've gone ahead and drawn pictures of them and posted them to my DA account. I'll be linking them to my profile in the very near future so you gusy can take a gander at them if you wish. To the Seeds of Evil alumni reading the story, I will extend the favor to JJ (probably cuddled up with Bud and Lou or something), just as soon as I finish the artwork!

Review please! As another writer hear on FF said, reviews are like bunny's! You leave them here and they multiply into chapters!

Until next time...