Expeditions and the Unexpected

Wherever 'here' was, Karina and her sister were here, the London Portkey had worked and they were in the wizarding world. Well, in the middle of a dense overgrown forest.

"Kat, head directly North until I say stop ok?" Karina turned into her Phoenix form and flew up aboe the trees and flew more half an hour before she spied a lake and called down to her sister that she was going to land.

The lake looked beautiful and this place seemed nice a place as any to take a rest for a while. She laughed as she saw her sister turn back and struggle out through some bushes picking branches out of her hair and panting for breath.
"Oh come on Kat, it wasnt that far to run, and the forest wasnt that bad was it? Come on, come try the water, it looks great doesnt it?"

Karina took off her clothes and lay them in a neat pile on a rock and jumped in. The water felt so cooling and soothing, and it helped her relax her mind for a few seconds for the first time in a long while.

Katrin had been silent and sullen the whole way there. She watched her sister fly upwards into the sky and turned into her wolf form and ran in the same direction after her sister. The foliage was thick and kept scratching at her which was annoying, and her legs and paws were killing her after a while. She heard the caw and saw the lake ahead and began to turn back.

"Ow ow... stupid... thorns and..twigs... You wouldnt know, you didnt have to run through it. And its ok for you just flapping your arms, im using my arms AND legs, so im bound to get tired."
She plonked herself down by the lake side and dipped her feet in. "Im ok just like this thanks sis. You swim if you want, i'll keep a listen and look out."

It was nice to see her sister happy, but Kat could never let herself relax, not even for a moment. After about 20 minutes, her nose and ears twitched.
"Reena! Theres someone coming." Kat turned into her wolf form and backed into the lake and kept low. WHoever was coming, if they tried to hurt her sister, she'd tear their throat out.

"Haha, ok Kat, fair enough. Well we can rest now. Suit yourself, but the water is lovely." Karina took a deep breath and dived under the water, having a look around, always liking to explore places. She wondered what creatures lived in here that she may discover one day, and hoped hse wouldnt be pulled down by one of them.

She'd been happy swimming around and laying on her back with her eyes closed when she heard her sister call out in alarm. She turned serious and quickly donned her bra and skirt and gripped her sword tightly. Her gun was holstered to her body along with her wand in case she needed them.

"Stay out of sight Kat, i'll deal with this..." She was alert and ready for whoever came near. If they meant hearm, she'd pick up on it and wouldnt hesitate to attack...

Ace had turned back into human form at the first sound of human voices. He recognised them, he was sure he did. But all voices sound the same to him now. He stop long enough nor care to stop long enough to figure out who was who normally.

With Nyx running along beside him, he slowed down to a walk as he walked out into the clearing. "Arina?" He asked as he caught first sight of the woman. He was sure it was her, he'd not forget her in a hurry.

Karina was confused, did this guy know her or had he just mistaken her? She didnt know how much of he life was a lie... Her Aunt never told them anything, and her love had blanked her mind and Kat's and gave them new lives so it was hard to tell... but for now, she was on the defensive, although not hostile; this guy was powerful, but not for the moment threatening.

"No sorry, you must have me confused..." Did she know this man..? There was some twinge of recognition which made her wince and cover her eye with her hand where a headache emerged. She shook it off and put on her jacket to cover herself, but she kept her grip on her sword and her stern look.

She could hear Kat growling behind her and caught a glimpse of her wolfs eye colour flickering. Had she met this man once before too...? She hated not knowing... but she was who she was now.

"You strike me as a man who is searching for something... Not trouble I hope..."

Ace narrowed his eyes at the woman and then the girl. There was no way he'd made a mistake. He'd taught the girl himself once, there was no mistaking. "Your name's not Arina?" He asked, placing a hand on Nyx's back. She was acting as restless as Ace felt and that was never a good sign.

Whilst his concentration lay on them hers scanned the area, making sure they were alone. They hadn't stopped and talked to anyone in 5 years. The only times they stopped to talk, they were, interrogating the whereabouts of his son.

"Trouble has it's way of finding me. I don't need to go in search of it. What brings you to England?" He asked. The last he'd seen them, they had been in Russia. He'd left in such a hurry, he'd not had chance to say goodbye.

Karina noticed a look of recognition in the mans eyes, in fact, his eyes were distinctly familiar... Kat crawled out of the water and curved herself around her. Karina knelt down and wrapped an arm around her sisters wolf-neck trying to keep her calm.
"Kat... do you know him... I may have met him once..." She whispered into her sisters ear, but Kat continued to growl.

Karina dug through her sachel and pulled out an old sketchbook; if she had met him before, his face would be in this book. She answered him whilst still flipping through the pages.
"Ive lived here for years, i'm trying to make a home for myslf and my sister where people wont screw around with us. Im not taking anyones shit anymore. I hope trouble doesnt find you because i didnt want to have to wash blood of myself the second i arrived in a new place."

She stopped on a page and her eyes widened. There he was, but the picture was dated years ago. There was something written at the bottom: "Ace Volkov... he left without saying goodbye when my world was dark..."
She dropped the book and looked up almost in horror and disbelief, backing away into the lake with her sword pointed forward. "How do you know me...? I'd rather not have to force an answer out of you the hard way, you look like you've got enough things to deal with..."

Nyx gave him a little nudge with his nose, a sign that the wolf before them wasn't what she seemed. But he knew that already. She was a little girl, trapped in a wolfs body not that he'd let on right now.

"I wouldn't ask you to fight my battles Arina. I'd get you and your sister safe;y away before i killed them." He admitted, he didn't seem to notice that mentioning death around others was wrong. He'd been killing mercilessly for so long now it had become second nature.

He frowned as she spoke his name. He'd left without saying goodbye when my world was dark... He'd not even though about her life when he'd left. He was more concerned about his son. If anything had happened to him he'd kill anyone he'd come into contact with, man, woman or child.

He didn't even move as the sword was lifted. He was used to threats, it what kept him alive. "You used to work for me Arina. Back when i was Highmaster at Durmstrang." He explained, someone obviously didn't want her to remember something. But what? Was it him? Had he hurt her that bad that she'd asked someone to make her forget? No it had to be something else.

"I won't be forced by threats Arina." He frowned.

"Ive had my share of fights, i'm a big girl who can take care of myself and my sister just fine."
Karina heard Kat growl and she had to nudge her. "Dont lose control again Kat..." She said quietly through gritted teeth.

Karina's head started to hurt again. "Stop calling me that! My name is Karina Fenixfire, not Arina... too much has happened. I..I dont believe you.." She didnt know what to believe, he did seem to know her, and she had met him, she just couldnt remember.

She put away her sword and tried to think for a moment, but this relapse nearly cost her. If she didnt have fast reactions, she wouldnt have been able to lunge at Kat and pin her down before she flew at Ace.
"Kat no! Hormorphous"

Kat's memory wasnt as bad as Karina's, she recognised thi man and had mixed feelings of hate, respect and indifference. She was snarling and her fur was wavering as demonic energy was surfacing in her out of anger. She bared her teeth and pounced forward but Karina pinned her and turned her back into her human form.

"WHY?! Why did you just leave! You have no idea what happened to her becuase you werent there! That wolf necklace you gave her was a joke! Its a good thing she died and was reborn! It was her only chance of recovery! You must have knwon she cared for you! And now Leo is gone!" She screamed at Ace; she hadnt changed much since she was a child.

She wished she hadnt spoken now though... she knew Karina would have questions... the lie was easier to believe than the truth...

"...So... did you ever find your son or those monsters who... well, you know..."

"Im sure you think that, but im not facing just your average men... Nevermind." He said waving it off. He'd be facing assassins, hunters, and who knows who else after the people he'd killed and annoyed over the last few years.

"Karina then." He shrugged. "Whatever you prefer." He wasn't going to moan about it. If she preferred to be called Karina, then what difference did one letter make?

Ace balled his fist around Nyx's fur to stop her from attacking the girl as she pounced. He'd take her fight if she'd have made it but instead Karina beat her to it. "My son needed me." He admitted, his eyes glazed over as he though about his son. His hand tightened his grip on Nyxs fur until she gave a yelp, which instantly broke his thoughts and broke him back to the currently situation.

"I've killed those responsible. Axels, exchanged hands but i'll find him. Im one step behind them now, i can feel it."

Kat could hit herself for being so stupid and losing her cool. In some ways, she was still a child.

"You'd be suprised what my sister has faced and lived through... She's not as weak and pacificial as the woman you once knew..."

With her head bowed sorrowfully in shame, she turned to her sister.
"I'm so sorry Reena... I promise i'll explain all this to you... This man, Ace Volkov, knew you a few years ago as Arina Fridolf. He knows about your healing powers. When we went in to hiding, we changed our names and lived in Germany then moved to Russia, where Dahlia, the woman hiding us, made me attend school."

"I.." She coughed due to her throat and fists tightening begrudgingly as she turned to Ace; she hated having to swallow her pride for someone she held a dislike for. "I apologize for my behaviour... I hope you find your son soon..."

She turned back into her wolf form and raced away at top speed. She wished she had been allowed to forget like her sister, but she hadnt. She knew the truth about herself and Karina and what they had been through thanks to Leo's timeturner; and she had spent years running from it and denying it, but it looked like that wouldnt be so easy now. Oh why couldnt she have stayed in their safehouse in Yorkshire?! Why?! She just hoped no-one else would remembe her, and that Karina would eventually forget again.

Karina released her grip on Kat and backed slowly away. "I...I died...?"

How did Kat know these things? Why had she been lied to? Was anything that she knew actually real? Her brain throbbed; how she wished she could remember...

"So...so you do know me..?" Karina dropped her weapon. "I...I didnt mean... Forgive me I..."
She turned to face the lake with tears pricking at her eyes and her arms wrapped around herself.

She heard Kat speed away and slowly turned her head to look at Ace and approach him, but she had her head bent to the floor because she didnt know what to say to him. She knelt down in front of Nyx and stroked the creature gently. She was still crying and confused... Even as a grown woman, she needed a hug; she hadnt been held for such a long time.

Her throat was so tight her voice was barely a whisper.
"I'd have come with you if you'd have asked... I would have helped you find your son... I want you to have him back and be happy..."

He looked at them both, really looked at them both. It was obvious they hadn't had a simple life but then who did now a days? No one he knew or met did anyway but perhaps that was because the only people he met we mafia related.

He nodded his head to the young girl. If he could he'd willingly give her the childhood she deserved. For someone so young she'd taken on so much, it reminded him oddly of his own son and the childhood no doubt stolen from him. He'd missed the past five year of his life and there was no getting those back. "Thank you."

He nodded and picked up her weapon. "It's not safe to be unarmed." He said holding her weapon out to her. "Especially not around me. My minds not as sane as it used to be." He admitted. He cared for her once so he couldn't lie to her, he couldn't risk it.

He narrowed his eyes as Nyx stiffened. Neither of them were used to the human contact. The only time they were touched was if they were being threatened and that never went down well those those that did it. With a slight nod from Ace though Nyx relaxed a little and began to remember the touch.

"You would have been a distraction. I couldn't risk someone else i cared about getting hurt. If i knew... If i knew you were in danger, i'd never have left you alone."

Karina wiped her eyes and took a deep breath and smiled as she stood up again, pulling herself together. She took the weapon back but put it away.
"Is anyone sane these days?" She laughed softly. "Its alright, you had to do something alone, and i wasnt completely on my own with Kat looking after me, so i wont hold anything against you, and im sure Kat will forgive you in time. I mean, im alive right? So danger mustnt be able to touch me haha."

She looked at him and somewhere in her she knew they had been friends once before.
"Well, im glad to know not everyone i knew is dead." She nested her head on his chest and wrapped her arms around him in a quick friendly hug but soon let go.

"So...care to sit down and have a rest while you tell me whats been happening for the past few years?" She smiled and took two sitting cushions out from her bag. "Ive got some food if you and your partner there are hungry. Honestly, when was the last time you took it easy?"

Ace shrugged. "I wouldn't know. I hardly one to judge, i've not had a civil conversation in years." In fact she was probably the last person he had really spoken too before he left to go looking for his son. If he hadn't had to leave so suddenly, he would have liked to have said goodbye and left her in better conditions but he couldn't.

"You two have been okay though right?" He asked. He couldn't live with himself if he'd left them in a total nightmare, he did still care for them regardless of his situation. His son was just his first priority are the minute so he had to be found before he did anything else.

His first reaction to the hug was to throw her off, then he simple froze, then he relaxed all in the space of a few short seconds. He was feeling far too many emotions recently, first with seeing Ric and now with Karina. Meeting up with people again was becoming too much.

"I don't know if i can. Axels out there waiting for me somewhere Karina. They could be doing anything to him." He frowned. It had already been five years, it was unbearable to think about what had already been done. But it had been 5 years since he'd actually taken a break. He couldn't remember the last time he'd actually sat down and ate something and talked to someone.

"Oh come on now Ace, i'd hardly class you as insane. Just, slightly out of touch with people, which is easily rectified."

Karina pondered on his question and laughed under her breath. "Well for all i know all my memories are a lie so you'd be better off asking Kat. But as far as i'm aware yea. My friend took us in and we lived happily in his house in Yorkshire as a family. He disappeared and left me in the care of a friend of his who i fell in love with and even got engaged to but he died, i dont know how. So now me and Kat are just doing a bit of travelling really. No issues with her demon side though and financially we're set so yea I guess you could say we're ok. How have you been though? You must have had it pretty rough out there." She was genuinely concerned about him, he struck her as a man harbouring a lot of guilt and pain.

"Well, we could walk and talk and eat instead if you wanted, that way i'm not stopping you from heading where you were headed. But i seriously think you should let yourself rest even for a short while. Whoever the people where who took your son, they were out to hurt you not him; he's a valuable assest to them to use to get to you so he could even be fine."

She poured him a hot drink and fetched some warm meat stew out of her bag. "I know it doesnt look much, but it tastes fine and it keeps me and Kat full enough when on the go."

She looked over the lake and frowned with worry. "I cant believe she just took off on her own like that...i hope she'll be ok... she always comes back to me in a terrible state... I can understand why your so desperate to get to your son, you want to make sure hes safe and you hate not being able to protect him. Thats how i feel with Kat; i'd do anything for her and she'd do the same for me.Being apart from those you love...is damn hard..."

He smiled. "You haven't seen the things i've done. There's nothing i wouldn't do anymore and now that thought no longer scares me." He explained as his mind flashed back to the many things he'd done whilst he'd been in search of his son. There was nothing he wasn't prepared to do to find him.

He nodded, he could accept that. He had left them unprotected so that was as good as he could really expect. "I'm sorry again for just leaving you. It was unacceptable." He frowned and became slightly confused by her question. "I'll be fine once i have my son." He said to pass the question. He really didn't think she ought to hear about the past few years.

He glanced at his watch and frowned. "5 minutes then i must go. Ric won't be back yet anyway so i can sit down for 5 minute but then i really must be going." He said picking a good spot at the roots of a tree and sitting down. He couldn't remember the last time he'd really just sat down to chat with someone and eat, it felt good.

"Thank you." He smiled accepting the drink and stew. Now he thought about it he really was hungry. His eyes followed hers and he let out a high whistle to which Nyx darted off in that direction. "Nyx will keep an eye on here and bring her back." He nodded. Just thought thought of his son out there with those strangers was sending his thoughts murderous. He'd end the world if he had to to get him back.

Karina shrugged and continued to smile at him. "No I havent, but i've seen a lot of bad things, and heck, its amazing what people are prepared to do. You wouldnt think it to look at me or Kat but we do fight, and we dont stop until we win. Although... Kat's always been more willing to go a bit further..."
She had often glimpsed a murderous look in Kat's eyes as if she wasnt herself, as if she had killed before and would again if Karina wasnt around to stop her.

She laughed lightly and waved her hand in the air dismissively. "Ahh really, don't worry about it. We're a tough pair of ladies."
She sighed with a small smile; it was ok if he didnt want to talk. "Well i hope youfind him soon. In fact, I have a feeling that your much closer than you think."

"Don't worry, I wont keep you long. Hey, hows about I give you some food for the road?" She smiled at him and wrapped up some fresh warm meat and bread for him.

"Oh no no no, Kat will be miles away by now and that poor creature of yours must be tierd, call her back. Kat will come back when she wants, not now when shes lost her cool."

She examined his face and could tell his mind was racing.
"You want to walk and talk until we have to part ways? I can tell you dont want to waste any more time just sat here when you want to get somewhere."