Chapter 5

As Slade and his son conspired throughout the school year Jack was having the time of his life. Shifting in public, learning new abilities and finally being a part of his class. The day before Christmas break during control class Mr. Brady told the class to keep working on speaking in Animal form, they would have a test on it when they came back. Jack and Hal rushed out as the bell rang cheered with their classmates as they rushed to get ready for the big class trip. Every Christmas break the whole freshman class would be taken to the mountains to ski and snowboard to their hearts delight, maybe sit by the fire, or try to steal a kiss from a girl.

Grabbing their snowboards and their overnight packs the boys met up with Alex and Sam to get on the bus and head out, not knowing this trip was going to change their lives forever. While the kids were heading off to have adventures and new experiences, the Alphas were getting ready for the Gathering this quarter. Barbie and Preston unknown to anyone were heading there together after their secret date. They didn't want to make a huge deal and throw away the progress the clans had made by working and being together. Telling Lee, but especially Slade would throw the power dynamic way out of focus. Arriving early they sat at the table and talked quietly as Lee sauntered into the room a little later. Acknowledging the two Alphas' presence with a nod, Lee Sat across from them and looked at his phone waiting for his wife to text him if she wasn't going to be there.

Abruptly Alice ran into the room of the Gathering grabbing Lee's arm and yelling for them to all get down and take cover. As she said this bullets started peppering the whole room about waist height demolishing anything in the room not close to the ground. Shifter fast, all four hit the ground and waited for the bullets to stop, as whoever was shooting paused to reload, all four jumped up, found a window or hole to look out of and realized they were surrounded. Slade was standing next to a shady looking man in what looked to be a black hooded robe.

Knowing they could hear perfectly well with their shifter hearing Slade didn't have to raise his voice when he addressed them. "Don't worry you all won't die just yet, I'm going to let my friend here take you to your cages. My boy Franky is playing out his part as we speak. Soon we'll know if your kids will be a problem in the future or not." As Slade was speaking trained shooters with enough tranquilizers to put down 5 grown elephants burst in and started shooting at the Alphas. Barbie and Preston stuck together in the corner were taken down first with two quick shots to their chests. Lee and Alice being Originals would need way more than a couple tranquilizer darts to take down. 

Being shot multiple times the two Lion Shifters tore through the room in a calculated frenzy. Stopping long enough to get their bearings, they charged the door only to run into the black cowled figure. Taken by surprise they stopped in their tracks assessing this possible danger. Slowly they both spread slightly apart and moved forward ready to pounce any second. The figure in black threw up his hands and yelled incoherently. Immediately the two shifters were thrown back into the room by a force that could only have come from the man in black.

Knowing now they were dealing with a Wizard their tactics changed. Both Shifters without stripping blew out of their clothes as they shifted pouncing at the figure. Both landing in the space where he should have been they looked around frantically taking in their surroundings. Being accomplished shifters they could talk in animal form, so Lee huffed and asked Alice where he went. Not knowing but feeling a growing urgency to get away Alice said "I don't know he just vanished. How did they even get a Wizard to hunt other Magical beings, and what is Slade doing with them?" Unhappily Lee said, "He must have made a deal."

As the two lions talked and planned on how they would escape, that dark figure was weaving a very powerful spell that would even incapacitate an Original if they were taken unawares. Hating what he was doing but compelled by the control collar around his neck, Sebastian Black released the energy in a primal scream as it covered the entire building in a pitch black wave. Hearing a scream both shifters turned to look at the front door. Seeing complete darkness they turned to run but before they could shield off their minds it hit them and everything went dark.

Slade standing next to the spent Wizard smiled broadly. He was finally going to be able to rule all of the North American Shifters. He would be a KING! Turning to look around at the neighborhood he had vacated for the capture, Slade sighted the leader of the Magic hunters walking to his car. He moved to intercept the mysterious man but felt a sharp stabbing feeling in the back of his neck. Instinctively touching his neck he pulled out a tranquilizer dart. Looking up at the leader of the hunters he croaked "We had a deal!?!?" The Mysterious man just smiled and nonchalantly said "I don't make deals with filth."

Sebastian seeing this play out felt bad for those he had to detain but didn't feel anything but contempt for the traitor. Looking up with his head still hidden by his hood he drew the attention of the hunters Leader. A terrible murderer, a man named Xavier Creed. Standing only five foot four Xavier was an older man almost in his fifties, with grey hair cut in a military fashion. He had yellowish piercing eyes and a long neck that made him look like a vulture. Xavier sneered then motioned for Sebastian to come closer. "What's wrong Sebastian, are you tired of capturing your disgusting little magic friends?" Before Sebastian could even answer Xavier spit on his cloak then said "I don't care how you feel slave, just do what we tell you next time or I will use that collar to make you feel pain you can't even imagine!"

Sebastian, making himself look cowed, bowed slowly and walked backwards. Disappointed the shifters didn't get away because he let the female shifter see him and run in the office to warn the others he shrugged and decided to at least make sure he could do what he could for them while they were alive. Sebastian had been a slave for at least two hundred years and he was so tired. Helping the Magic hunters was the worst thing he could think of, but even after a hell this long he wasn't strong enough to kill himself and make it all go away. He just kept following orders, as poorly as he could, and trying to forget his involvement as fast as possible.