Moved to Fight

"You seem rather chipper." Derrick said to Kendra who was tapping her foot to an unheard tune and marking on a map. She felt happy, felt good all day and she gave him a bright smile.

"I feel just fine, great actually." He smiled back at her. Then gestured to some reports that Linda had brought in.

"It looks like there's been a few attacks, in Shanghai a housing complex was attacked. The news said it was gang-related." She had been just skimming them. Though Derrick seemed bothered by it a bit.

"In reality?" She asked with a sigh looking at him.

"A mix of shapeshifters and werewolves destroyed the complex holding a few different animals. Also weapons against their kind."

'I see." She said and went back to tapping her pencil.

"You don't seem too upset about it."

"Should I be?" She asked. He stared at her and frowned.

"Something's different about you today. You're rather upbeat but uncaring about humans more than normal." Well her mind was still stuck in the gutter at the moment, and her body felt on high. She kind of wanted to go out and find him, needing to simply hear or touch him. That alone would make her more giddy than she was. Also, she knew that in some ways Xerxes' views were starting to become her own. The more she looked at those she worked with, the more it changed.

"Except for you Derrick, the others don't care what happens to me, so why should I ?" Derrick got up and looked around before closing the door. He hit some buttons and sat back down.

"So we won't be overheard or recorded." He said and cleared his throat.

"You've spoken with him again." He accused.

"Maybe I have." She said evasively.

"He's polluting you."

"Maybe he's opened my eyes."

"Why are you so callous all of a sudden?"

"Are you forgetting the fact I was shot, or how they speak about me when I'm right there?" Kendra challenged.

"They don't really mean it, you're needed. He doesn't know you or care what happens to you." She made an annoyed sound and shook her head with a laugh.

"And the rest do? No Derrick, you won't ever understand until you aren't human. This is the line between you and me, human and non. Just leave it alone Derrick, my mind isn't going to change." He looked at her and after a moment got up and moved leaving the room.

Kendra felt a twinge of guilt. Derrick was a good friend to her and she shouldn't have told him off that way. Still, he really wouldn't understand until he was her, or another that wasn't human. Personally, she thought that Xerxes made a lot more sense than humans did. That and she was extremely drawn to him. Oh well, guessed she'd find out in the end how right or wrong she was.

She decided that she needed to leave this place it was getting rather depressing and she was in a good mood. She got up left the room she was in and went to grab her coat and then went out the door. She passed Carson who was going in to get sleep and he looked extremely tired. He didn't say anything as he passed her and she just continued.

It was dark out now and the stars shone rather bright in the clear sky. Her breath came out in a white puff as she moved down the stairs to the road where she was moving to go for a walk. Off to her left, she caught movement and noticed Niki there and he was out of view of the housing building behind the garage and holding area they had for now.

He was pacing back and forth and seemed lost in deep thought. He was wearing a hole in the snow with the way that he was pacing. She also heard a bit of muttering and never having seen him so… worked up she moved in that direction. Her curiosity and talent pulled her toward him. She was only ten feet from him when he looked up and his dark eyes were even darker than normal.

"What is wrong?" She asked. He didn't pretend that something wasn't and just cut to the chase. Something she admired about him. Though he was careful when he spoke.

"This… being we are chasing. What do you make of him?" She was silent for a moment unsure of what to say. She gauged him and the look that he had and she just knew. It was the knowledge, this strange hope in the eyes. Or perhaps desire to do something.

"He spoke to you didn't he?" she said in a low voice. He was silent for a moment.

"Yes."

"He asked for your help?"

"Just as he's asked you." she gave a sigh. "You know that it is smart on his part. He is stripping the humans of help."

"Yes, he is. Is he true to his word?" He asked.

"As far as I can tell, yes. Very much so." She meant that on several different levels. He was lost in thought again and Kendra was getting conflicting feelings. "He's going to do something isn't he?"

"It matters not." She narrowed her eyes.

"What is he going to do?" She looked toward the mountain. Was he going to kill the group or others?

"He isn't there for now. I'm not sure where he is. I have things to do before the night is over." Niki said and moved from her toward the house. She was suddenly confused and wondering just what was going on. Niki seemed to know something she didn't.

Kendra stood there for a bit, the cold breeze moving hair in her face, but then at the end of it, she decided to just go into the town. She walked down the road and stared upward, clouds were starting to come in now. The wind is a bit stronger. She sighed and moved out passing a few houses and then into actual streets.

She looked at the buildings and the poor conditions and the feel of this place was a bit more like despair. Fear was also here, areas like these tended to have the highest rates of crime. She passed through not seeing anyone and made her way into a more business-like district. It was only mid-evening and people were walking around.

She caught sight of a few standing before a store that sold electronics. It wasn't very high-end, but it had a few TV's in the window and so she moved over. More because of the sense she got from the group and it was unease. She came up behind them and instantly knew that these were not humans standing there.

"Tiko, that's where Jasper lives." Said a younger girl pulling on the sleeve of the man standing there."

"I know."

"They did this on purpose, they're declaring war on us." Another said. This was a woman, and she looked rather angry.

"It's not the first one either." This from a second male standing a bit behind them. Kendra caught sight of the TV. Flames were being shown shooting up from a forested area, and there was an explosion.

The caption on the tv said that a special forces team had found a group of terrorists. Fighting had broken out, it looked like they had killed a good number of them. The scrolling words said that casualties were high on both sides. One glanced over her shoulder and immediately spotted Kendra.

"You, you're with them." The woman said. Well that was unlucky, wasn't it? The woman marched toward her and Kendra knew better than to turn her back. Kendra went backward being shoved hard suddenly by the woman. Kendra rolled and got up before the woman could land on her and start attacking. Wanting an outlet for her anger.

"I have nothing to do with what has happened," Kendra said keeping the anger and tension from going any higher.

"These humans attack us outright. You help them, traitor, human lover." the woman shouted looking upset and angry. They were given a few looks, and the young girl was crying.

"I am not, and I don't even know what happened," Kendra said keeping her tone calm. She knew that four of them were werewolves, the fifth she thought might be fae."

"As if you don't know, all those human organizations are connected. They attacked the homes of four families in Kuwait. Before finding them together, they killed them all." The young girl gave a wail and grabbed the one named Tiko."

"We don't know that they are all dead." Tiko said narrowing his eyes." The man who was fae gave an angry sound.

"I really don't know anything about it. I wouldn't participate in making it happen." Kendra said defensively. It was horrible to her to think that families had been killed. She also regretted coming up to the group, she should have paid more attention. But like always she was drawn to them.

"Liar, you go with them and tell them where we stay. Track us down, they'll come for us next."

"I haven't told them where anyone with children live, and those of you that saw me knew. I made sure of it and you left those areas." The woman was upset and angry and didn't believe Kendra. She swung at her hard and fast.

Kendra tensed waiting for the hit, the sound of flesh hitting flesh was audible. Kendra hadn't realized that she'd flinched and closed her eyes until she moved to open them and look. She'd expected a very painful connection between the woman's fist and her face. Instead in front of her Xerxes had caught the woman's fist in his hand. Seemed that he just appeared from nowhere.

"Don't." He said and let go of her hand. The woman winced and flexed it looking at him. He didn't look to have even felt the impact, though she did.

"She's helping them, why not? Have you seen what has happened?" She said clearly upset.

"I've heard." He sounded rather dark and Kendra glanced up at Zani who was perched on his shoulder like always. She realized that even though he looked relaxed and small, the way that he sat there he could launch himself off at a moment's notice.

"You defend a woman that helps humans?" Tiko asked and Xerxes looked at him.

"This is not the spot to discuss such a thing." He gestured to the street around them. "I defended a woman who took a crossbow through the midsection of a few werewolves and set a phoenix free. What have you done lately?"

Xerxes moved between a few buildings and Kendra took off after him. It was an open space, but no one had been paying them attention. The group seemed half shocked and unsure at the news but then Kendra heard several following. Zani turned looking back at her and then at them. Clearly, Xerxes wanted to get out of the view of the public. It was very open back there, though he had not meant for all to follow.