The night wind is sighin' the night bird is cryin' whippoorwill whippoorwill;

He calls in the gloamin' to his mate that's roamin' whippoorwill.

-Whippoorwill by David Houston.

Over the next couple of days, Brother Roger and mockingbird practiced on the shape-shifting ability. After many hours of , the bird finally was able to control and hold its shape a prolonged periods of time.

Brother Roger realized that when mockingbird took a shape of different people or individuals, it still retained one of Roger's characteristics. Hopefully, the flaws would be too small to be noticed for his plan.

During the weeks of training, his sister came to visit. She was convinced that he was headed down a path of no return.

“I want you to be there to see my child, your nephew,” she said when visited.

She did her best to convince him to abandon his crusade and come back to the Church. At first, he was reluctant, but realized that if he needed show his face around every once in a while.

The would-be spies and tail would become suspicious. His plan would be carried out on the night off December 1st, the night when Astral Fight Club – London would be officially opened.

During every opening, there would be a big party at the Central Bank. Gates would be set up so combatants could easily travel from city to city.

Even the Saber Regency would open up its doors and have parties that would last for days. It was a good time to make a move.

That night vendor, musicians, and duelists were at the various places celebrating. Brother Roger stopped at the booth sponsored by the guild named Redneck Agenda. They were selling BBQ ribs, burgers, and had a tur-duck-on the grill.

Rather than fighting and competing in mage battles, the guild house specialized in having fun, getting drunk and eating.

While Roger was ordering a shredded beef and sausage link burger, smoked with apple wood, mockingbird pointed out the tail.

The bird spotted a girl was a short female with long red hair, and her eyes were a deep emerald green, but no glasses. She was dressed up in tight jeans and flannel button up shirt.

Brother Roger knew it Whippoorwill’s avatar because she was as pale as a ghost, very un-redneck like.

In addition to that, she kept playing with the bridge between near her nose. A nervous habit people who wore glasses usually had. She was flirting with the leader of the guild, Alabama George, who had come to with a fresh case of beer.

Since the Redneck Agenda was only one of two food vendors at the Chicago location, supplies were going quickly.

Once Brother Roger received his food he walked off. The tail broke off her conservation and followed. Walking down the street he had mockingbird turn the magical tracer back on. Mockingbird made it flicker as if it was a light that was half screwed into the light socket. She held her distance and continued to follow down the dark streets of the business section.

As Brother Roger turned the corner, of the block where the Speakeasy was at, the whippoorwill battle avatar let out a scream. It only lasted for a second and then there was silence.

Brother Roger stood over her body, and she was bound up with musical notes. The musical notes and words wrapped around her tightly keeping her in suspended animation.

He closed up his copy of the Gospels and put it in his pocket. Mockingbird deactivated the magical tracer.

“Good luck and God speed,” Brother Roger said as he picked up the body of the bound avatar and teleported home.

Mockingbird changed into the redhead. After that, she concentrated and began to vomit uncontrollably.

Within a few minutes, Whippoorwill and two other of the guild members from the House of the One God appeared. They were heavily armed and their bladed weapons were drawn.

“What happened?” Whippoorwill demanded.

“I don’t know, I was following him, the tracer flickered and the next thing I know I was surrounded by light and was puking up pea soup,” Mockingbird said still coughing.

Mockingbird then started to change into a whippoorwill bird, then into the a parrot. The bird turned translucent and back to normal.

“I’m sorry, I can’t control myself,” Mockingbird complained.

“I think that Holy Roller tried to exercise her!” said one of the bodyguards.

Whippoorwill nodded and cradled the parrot into her arms as they teleported back to their guild house. Once inside mockingbird’s form was forced back into its original image.

Expecting this, the bird began to change colors. She carried the bird into her room where she could try to examine her avatar. One of the guards, a younger-looking male with curly brown hair followed her. He was followed by a British bulldog.

“Do you know how to fix it?” he asked.

“I don’t know if I can. There isn’t much research on battle avatars. They are not spirits, ghosts or anything living or had once lived. Most of what’s known about them is all hear-say,” she said as concern in her voice grew.

Mockingbird changed into a moose, filling the room. It tried to take a bite out of the dog, scaring it out of the room. As the bird was dragged from room to room, it observed the excessive amount of candles and incense being burned.

"This place is a fire trap," Brother Roger said looking through his Avatar's eyes.

The bird began a mental countdown. Exactly, one minute later it was forced to change back into a mockingbird.

Taking advantage of the confusion it turned into a mouse and ran out of the room. Mockingbird, with the mental help from Brother Roger, figured that if it changed shaped every 45 seconds, it would prevent a forced shift back to its natural form.

“Well we can’t just leave it like this,” the bodyguard said as they sprinted off after the mouse.

“Go to the Savory House and tell the Queen that I’m going to be delayed till I can figure out what to do about this,” Whippoorwill said trying to coax the scared mouse from under a couch.

The guy started to turn around and stared back at her mouth breathing.

“The one in Berlin, you idiot,” she said as Mockingbird shifted into a black and white Jersey cow.

From his room he aimed a pair of crosshairs on at the door to the House of the One God. Brother Roger rested his finger on the trigger as he pulled it.

The hiss from the rifle sent a .22 projectile towards the door. As it opened the bodyguard Roger extended his fingers. The round slowed down and stopped in mid air. As he walked closer, and the bullet hit like leg like the force of a feather.

He closed his hand the tracer attached itself like a claw. He closed his eyes and could feel it beep away in the back of his mind.

“We have what we need, now get out of there,” Roger told Mockingbird.

The man slammed the door behind him. After hearing the noise the cow and began to kick and buck wildly.

The cow knocked over a lantern, which was being used to melt scented wax. The fire quickly spread throughout the House of the One God. Mockingbird took the opportunity to flee.

Most of the guild members were either at the various parties or elsewhere only a few people remained at the guild house. Those that remained had never bothered to study the water element. As a result, the fire burned out of control.

After releasing Whippoorwill’s bound battle avatar, Brother Roger and mockingbird then left for Germany.