Frozen Lakes and Forest Fires

Chapter 4

Alistar watched the sun begin its slow ascent into the sky from the porch of Hammer's tucked away ranch house. He leaned his hip against the railing, basking in the stillness of his morning post-workout routine. Dressed in just a pair of Hakama pants, the cool September Mountain air cooled the sweat from his bare chest as he sipped a mug of strong black coffee and smoked his first cigarette of the day.

Pushing off the railing he settled himself down at the high-top patio set, the only addition he had made to his friend's home when he moved in. Cecilia and Hammer had decided to move into the Alpha Suite of the Pack house, while Oscar and Franny lived in the Victorian house where Cecilia and Oscar's tattoo shop was located. Hammer had insisted Alistar use his house, otherwise it would just lay empty.

His eyes darted over the papers he had covering the tabletop, it was dominated by a large, unfinished map. He had been working on it for the last month. He had finished the town itself, the map highly detailed and accurate, like a large piece of artwork but he wasn't satisfied. He wouldn't be until he had all the mountain territory done, including all the homes deep in the woods and surrounding areas.

Pages of notes and sketches littered the table, all his ideas on how to best ward the town, weak spots, plans for various situations from attacks to natural disasters. He was sure the wolf Pack had a grasp on things, town safety was their responsibility but his training and specialty in the coven was security, wards and runes. He had quite a few ideas on how to best protect the town without completely cutting it off from the rest of the world or losing the welcoming feeling of a Safe Haven Town.

The ideas had been starting when he first came into town, it had been easy for him to slip in unnoticed. After the battle with the Mage Cult, he could easily admit to himself that he was bored. Making security and contingency plans was something he actually enjoyed and the challenge of protection for an entire town in the wild kept his mind busy.

He was well into his second cup of coffee when he heard motorcycles approaching and felt the tingle through his magic as they crossed the wards he had put around Hammer's property. Normally he would have made it impossible for anyone but him to cross his wards but he was trying to be less paranoid.

Alistar stood up and leaned his shoulder against the porch rails again, sipping his coffee as two motorcycles came into view from the trees.

As soon as they parked Alistar could see the difference in his best friend, he looked settled and calm. The red-haired mage approached him with an easy grin. They grasped forearms in greeting before Hammer pulled Alistar into a quick hug.

"You look good brother. Your magic is calm today."

Hammer laughed, "I can say the same to you. I won't ask how long you've been up to have meditated and done all this work." He gestured towards the table full of papers.

"You know what happens if I am idle Hammer."

"An idle Mage is a useless Mage."

Alistar smirked at the familiar saying, something Hammer's Father would often say to them both.

"What exactly is all this about Alistar?" Cecilia asked, "This looks like more than an accidental loss of control."

"That's because it is. Steffan is an entirely different issue than what I've been working on."

"Well one thing at a time then. Tell me about last night." Cecilia stood, feet apart, arms crossed, eyes focused on the map in front of her, but Alistar knew he had her full attention.

He was impressed by how natural she was at her role as Alpha, her power and command were never forced, they were just who she is.

Alistar detailed what happened after he left the bar, how he was on the outskirts of town, near the lake, mapping the area when he noticed the drop in temperature and suspected an attack from the Cult only to find Steffan, trapped in his memories, powers out of control.