Vegetables and Birth control

Over the next week and a half, Ash’s days fall into something of a routine. She would wake up, wrapped in Micah, to someone knocking on the door, Micah would complain that it was too early and he wasn't training this early any more, or if Zander had control, they would just get a growl as a warning before he opened the door in his underwear and marched them out of the flat.

Sometimes it was Kit, he was trying to get to know Ash and Micah more and would bring breakfast up for them all to eat together, Micah wasn't keen on the idea of Kit being one of Ash’s protectors, Ash had filled him in on what her grandmother had told her about the protectors and how that would work. To say that he was unimpressed about the feelings that some of them may have for Ash, his Ash was an understatement.

Other times it was Xavier or Loki or Rowan with news or ideas to share. When it was Loki, if he didn't get the answer he wanted he had been known to burst into the room and either throw himself onto the bed and try to make Ash smell like him or steal her from Micah’s arms. Loki nearly always found himself being thrown out.

After breakfast, Micah and the warriors would train, Ash was playing catch up but she was a fast learner and managed to pick up everything she was taught pretty easily. Kit was being trained, it looked to Ash like the wolves were still trying to test him.

They told him he couldn't use his magic, then would try to have him learn incredibly complicated techniques and moves. Kit was holding his own, he never refused anything and was slowly improving. They hadn't yet given him any weapons though, Ash could tell that they didn't trust him.

Sometimes Micah would spar with him, other times Kit and Micah were forced by Rhys to work as a team against other warriors in groups of increasing size. Sometimes Archie joined in training, he was helping to show the pack how to fight against magic.

After training Ash would shower and do school work until lunch. Which she shared with her grandparents, Kit, Micah, Rowan and Melody, and Loki, generally. Though sometimes other people joined them.

Her grandparents were working with Ash and Kit to train her magic, teach her about her powers and how to record like a history keeper. Her grandmother had brought her a selection of books, the most beautifully decorated tombs that fitted her whole aesthetic, they were dark reds and blacks and purples with a few gems on the front and the leather decorated with ankh’s and pentagrams in gold and black.

Her name embossed on the back cover. These were for her personal thoughts, for keeping her spells in, to use as a diary, whatever she wanted, once she had got the skills down in the scruffy, lined workbook they were using for practice.

Ash was slowly gaining more and more confidence with her powers as her control grew. She learnt more offensive and defensive magic over the days she spent learning. She loved to shock Micah, Loki and Mark with these new moves when they sparred.

She learnt how to shield people and objects, how to pick them up and move them too, how to cast illusions and glamours, as well as the basics of push back, wind storms, making it rain over a person, and rings of fire. Ash was working on fiery rain, that would be brilliant for another rogue attack, anyone would hate fire raining down on them.

Her skills with her blades were increasing too. She could beat Mark and Loki most of the time, though Octavia said she was using her magic without knowing or showing it, using it to sense what they were going to do next and avoid the attacks easily.

Once she started to use both simultaneously, only Micah stood a chance. Micah learnt quickly to watch Ash’s eyes, they fascinated Zander and he would get distracted easily, but for Micah they were a give away for when she was using her powers and he would do the opposite of what he was thinking to throw her off. Micah had shared this with Xavier, so that Ash could have sparing partners who would continue to challenge her, but he was still a little hung up on the change in her eyes to actually think.

Ash was loving learning more and more about her powers and how she could use them. She missed being able to spend time drawing and getting know her pack, but she was hopeful that there would be more time for that when her grandparents left.

She adored sparring with Micah and Zander, they were a good challenge, and it was so much fun to be able to pounce on Zander’s back, they always ended up filthy and laughing like mad men, and neither of them could really tell who won. Loki would spar a bit like that too but Ash got the impression that everyone else was too scared to really give it their all with her, too scared of Micah’s reaction if they were to inadvertently hurt her.

One day, towards the end of Octavia and Archie’s visit, they spent the afternoon in the flat, talking, answering all the left over questions. Ash was zoning out as she sat on the sofa between Micah and Kit, Mark was in the window and Loki on the floor in front of Ash, it was as if the men were making sure that she couldn't go anywhere without them knowing.

Ash didn't even know who was talking or what they were talking about when she lifted her head to ask her own questions “Do I live forever too? Like Micah and these” she pointed at the wolves as she looked over her grandparents.

Loki burst out laughing as kit looked around at her, slightly startled. “We hardly live forever love, its just that we age much slower” Micah said gently, though Ash knew he was stifling a laugh too.

“Once you reach your majority, usually somewhere between 21 and 25 you should age much like you mate” Archie said, a smile on his face and a small chuckle in his voice.

“What about my dad, you said you think he was fae? Is that going to affect me later in life? Like is there some kind of inherent allergy to sweetcorn or resistance to birth control I need to know about?” Ash asked, pulling herself to a proper seated position with Loki’s head.

“We are guessing he was fae yes” said Octavia slightly sadly.

“Well your elemental powers are amongst your strongest, which could be due to that lineage. We cant predict how they will evolve with you though. Fae powers can be hard to predict in that way. And.. well as far as I know you shouldn’t suffer any vegetable allergies or birth control resistances.” Archie replied, still smiling. Even as Ash and the others burst out laughing at the last comment.