The robbed that smiles,steals something from the thief"

~William Shakespeare

The night is cold, colder than the previous ones and eerily quite too ,the patrol guards have taken their beast form like every other day and the common weres are warming up their tents,the kids running around and causing wreck, everything seems normal,as normal as a pack of weres could be.

Then the cry of a baby is heard,sharp and disturbingly loud for the sensitive ears of the folks ,a girl with red hair,down turned blue eyes and pale skin,it appears she was born to a lowborn were couple where she was pulled out of her mother's corpse and her father (Bryn) continues to deny her as his and that he saw a person in the dark swap his baby depite the contrary claims of the midwives,he refuses to comfort the child and lays beside his mate's corpse.

The baby's cry grew louder and louder till the night guards arrived to take her to the pack's hall,under the decree of Alpha Meade that every newborn cub be brought to him before it's fortnight, normally couples spend the first two days cleaning and connecting with their cubs but Bryn didn't burdge as he continued to mourn his mate.

Alpha Meade of the northeast pack, furious at Bryn's defiance ordered him to be brought forcefully,dead or alive which created a fuss throughout the pack causing flooding of the hall as everyone wanted to have a glimpse of the "loud, red haired baby". When brought bloodied Bryn repeated that the baby wasn't his.

"Then you accuse your wife of infidelity,is that it?" questioned Kieran, the pack's beta

"No...no...no,I know what I saw, that child isn't mine,....it isn't, my wife and my baby are gone" Bryn continued to whisper.

"If what you claim you saw is true,how come none of the midwives saw it?" The alpha questioned

"There was a darkness..........like a thick black wall ,I saw this from outside the tent,then someone in a cloak took my baby from the midwives and replaced her with that ...... everything in the tent was still even the wind paused , please believe me." he explained amidst sobs

"Please help bring my baby back "he continued

The alpha tired to feel through his connection with his pack members ,and he felt nothing but pure grief and sorrow ,he then asked that the midwives be brought.

"It is true that the child was bore out of pain, however I cannot account for whatever else he said." Sara one of the midwives testifies

"If so we cannot rule out the possibility of what he said, you were all in the darkness according to him,how else would we explain the col....." Kieran was amidst his sentence

"Shadow.." the alpha mused

"My lord?"

"Not someone in a cloak...or darkness either,it was a person wearing darkness,A SHADOW" Meade muttered

"Witchcraft!!!!" someone yelled from within the crowd.

Multiple gasp echoed in the halls as everyone began muttering and coming up with their own theory,

"Let's burn it " someone said

"let's keep it,the mother would be back for it,then we shall kill them both " said another

"Are we sure Bryn isn't just shocked by grief.....or drunk?"they continued

Through all this,the "loud red haired baby" never stopped crying.

"THAT'S ENOUGH!!!" Meade's voice boomed

"Bring the child " he ordered as the hall quieted down.

Still crying,the "loud red haired baby " was brought and Meade examined the child,he sniffed and wrinkled his nose.

"Smells like a cub to me and the hair........" he stopped abruptly.

Recognition dawned on him as he saw the figure inscribed on the baby's nape in bright red ink.

"Nine" he whispered,and the"loud red haired baby " was no longer loud

"......nine" he whispered again.

"Bryn, " Meade said

"My Lord"

"Swear to me, that you're not hiding any information regarding the birth of this child"

"I swear to you my Lord,by my fangs and furs,I have told you all I know"

It is true that the enemity between the weres, vampires and witches have lasted for centuries,with the weres playing a vital role in the witches endangerment, hence raising questions at the birth of this child however if the claims are true it would be unwise to terminate a possible chance at upholding peace with the witches.

"Fine then, I'll assume you're forgetting something"and with that Meade slams into Bryn's memory.

********

Sulphur

Black pepper

and darkness

That's what it smells like as Meade tries to push past Bryn's mental shield

Once

Twice

Thrice

and on the fourth trial, he's mentally forced out of Bryn's memory, surprised and puzzled.

"This child would be kept under my fur and protection, whoever has a contrary opinion should sharpen their claws and fangs, for they stand to oppose me" Meade declares and not seeing any response walks out, leaving the hall with two things:

The child

and what he heard while in Bryn's memory

ABSUM