|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Fri Nov 28, 2008 3:26 pm
"Lykae Private Investigations." The secritary's bored tone floated over the line, agitating Amy's sensitive ears and nerves. It had taken her hours to work up the nerve to call, and would've taken her hours more had she not already had the number handy.
"Yes, I'm wondering what the cost is to look for a missing person."
"Have you filed a missing persons report with the police already?" Amy swallowed hard. This was where it would get hairy.
"Ah, no, this isn't really something to involve the police in--"
"Not to worry, ma'am, all of our investigations are done with your privacy in mind, as well as that of the person you're looking for. Our rates are $4,500 for a month or 100 hours with our finest investigators. Every additional eight hour day is $250.00..." The woman droned on for a moment as if she'd gone through this a thousand times before and it had gone past rehearsed to boring to tears. Amy felt like crying, too, but not because she was bored. She'd started a new manuscript that she'd show her publisher sometime soon, and hopefully that would help fund this expidition. She hadn't been doing as much work as she should since coming to the islands. Wandering Moons was a good, steady income as well, but it had never been meant to be a moneymaker.
"I assume payment is due upfront?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"And do you make any guarantees?"
"If they're out there, ma'am, we'll find them." That's right; she remembered Will telling her that there had only ever been one case left unsolved. "Would you like to make an appointment to come in and speak with one of our investigators?"
"Ah, yes please. When? Oh, as soon as possible." She had an inkling of an idea of where Polaris was, but she knew there was a reasonably short ferry that led there on the other end of the island, which wouldn't be too much of a hassle to find tomorrow. The appointment wasn't until two in the afternoon, so if she left early enough...
"And who should I make the appointment under?" Amy cursed herself; of course, Will would recognize it immidiately.
"Amaryllis Lark," she said finally. There was a pause on the other end, and the tapping that had started when she'd begun making arrangements paused as the woman registered that.
"I've got a note here that says to forward all calls from Ms. Amy Lark to Mr. Lykae directly. If you wouldn't mind holding for just a moment...?"
"Ah, yes I would actually," she hurried to say. "I'll see him tomorrow at two, though. Thank you very much for your help, miss." Before the poor woman could argue, Amy quickly hung up the phone, hands shakaing. Was this the right thing to do? She hardly had the money for such an endevor, but she didn't feel right asking Will for anything. She would bring all of her determination and her checkbook with her tomorrow, when she'd lay it all out for him.
And what information did she have? With a wry twist of her lips, she thought that the werewolf had better be the best, because she had hardly any. A verbal description of what the lands looked like and their inhabitants, a few legends and names of important people and monarchs.
"So, you're going to Gothalis tomorrow?" Amy shrieked and nearly jumped out of her skin at the sound of Blank's voice, so close.
"How in the world do you do that?" she gasped, placing the hand without the phone in it to her wildly beating heart. To this, he shrugged, telling her that Cornet and Kururu had found him and told him what'd happened. He didn't answer her question about how he managed to appear out of nowhere, but she didn't really expect him to.
"I want to come with you, if you have to go." Amy frowned at his comment.
"I don't mind your going," she said slowly, studying him for a moment, "but why so solomn?" He paused as if thinking over his answer.
"Gothalis isn't a nice place to nice girls like you," he finally said. "It would be better if I could get Dontaine to go with you, but I don't want him there, either."
"Why would it be good for Dontaine to go with you?"
"Gothalis is a dark city," he explained, having a seat beside Amy on the couch, propping his elbows up on his knees and steepling his fingers in a way that she didn't usually see the laid back chandra. "Most of its denizens are werewolves, like Will, demons, like Dontaine, or any other number of not-so-friendly people. At least, not so friendly to a kirin and an angel." Said kirin released her heart in favor of tugging on her ear, unsure of what to do.
"I need to go," she said, trying to make her voice sound firm. It kind of worked. "I think...there was something really wrong when Cade found his way back. If he needs me, I have to find him."
"What are you going to do when you find him?" That she couldn't answer. What could a small, frail kirin do to help a veteran prince? She didn't know, but she knew the answer if she didn't find him. Nothing. And that was the one thing she was determined not to do.
"I can't do anything if I don't," she said with a sigh, her shoulders slumping. "What would you do...if Dontaine had disappeared, and you knew that something was the matter? Heard him cry out? Thought that he was hurt somewhere, maybe alone?" Blank's expression grew grave, his eyebrows furrowing. Amy thought that if she could see his eyes--if he had eyes at all--they would be narrowed dangerously. But that moment came and went, leaving only a shadow of determination.
"When you put it that way," he said with a sigh, trailing off. "I'll stay here tonight, if you don't mind terribly, and we can leave first thing in the morning. It'll probably be best to take your car to the ferry, and into the city if you don't mind crazy traffic." He glanced outside at the sunny yellow Jetta, grimacing. "We'll stand out like a sore thumb, but hopefully we won't be long." Amy nodded her agreement.
"First thing tomorrow, then." With that agreement made, she tried to go about the rest of her day as usual, as much of a joke as that was. Every time she glanced at the window, she thought of Cade there. Every time she walked through the front door, she saw the scars in the wood, signs of his distress.
Tomorrow couldn't come soon enough.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Nov 28, 2008 3:30 pm
Will was sifting through paperwork when his secritary knocked quietly on the door. Without looking up, he barked for her to come in, jotting quick notes down in the margins.
"Sir, I just wanted to let you know that you have an appointment for tomorrow," she said quietly. Since 'quiet' wasn't exactly the word he'd use to describe the other were, he turned to her and raised an eyebrow as if waiting for the other shoe to drop. "Well, its with Amaryllis Lark." Shocked silence followed, but only for a moment.
"I thought I told you to forward all calls to me?" But the question held no heat; he was more wondering why she'd bother make an appointment. Janice was a lot of things, thorough being one of them. The only reason she'd make an appointment was if it was for business.
"She called about a missing persons case," she said, tentatively entering the room with the printed up paperwork. "I didn't get any information, and when I offered to forward the call to you, she rushed me off the phone." Will sighed. He hadn't really expected her to call him back, not after as mad as she was the last time they'd talked, but he'd hoped...well, he didn't know what he'd hoped, other than that he hadn't hoped she'd call him about finding somone. Almost immidiately at the heels of that thought came worry. Who was missing?
"Thanks," he said, somewhat dismissively as she placed the papers down on the corner of his desk. He glanced over it, but it didn't seem like Amy'd given his secritary much to work with as far as information. It would have to wait until tomorrow. As he tried to go back to his papers, make a few phonecalls, he couldn't help but think that tomorrow couldn't come soon enough.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Nov 28, 2008 3:34 pm
Will was at his desk at 2:00pm on the mark when there was a tentative rap on the door. Fighting the urge to jump up and make a mad dash for it, the were stood, walking over and opening it slowly as if it had been anyone else behind it.
There, on the other side of the door, was a face he hadn't thought he'd see again. This time, however, she wasn't happy, wasn't smiling, and dark circles had started under her eyes. Her wild green hair was more frizzy than usual, and the sentinal at her back was a little more grim.
"Hey, Will--I mean, Detective Lykae," she said with a shy smile.
"Ms. Lark," he said, gesturing for them to come in. He wasn't sure what he expected of this meeting, but he could smell the tension in the air. It might be his imagination, but he had a feeling that for once, it wasn't because of him. At least, not wholly. "Please, have a seat." Though he wasn't sure what kind of footing they were on, he pulled out one of the chairs from his desk, offering a hand for her to sit down. Oh, it was a dirty trick--he knew she was too polite not to take his hand. But he knew that she hadn't come to talk to him.
"So..." He settled back behind his desk, trying to find the businessman that lurked somewhere deep inside. With Amy around, he couldn't quite manage to pull off cool proffessionalism. "Who is it that we're looking for?" Amy looked away, and Will immidiately knew it was the Competition that he'd be looking for.
Well, damn.
"Cadeon Woede," she said, pulling her gaze back to him. "I don't...have a picture or anything, but he's pretty distinctive. I brought a written description, along with all of the other information that I have. I'm sure you'll think of more, but I thought..." Fighting off the urge to ramble, Amy instead rustled through her generally neglected briefcase to find the papers that she'd printed just the night before.
As Will accepted them, he saw the chandra out of the corner of his eye, and he wondered what the hell an angel was doing on this end of town, and how they'd managed to make it in at all. Delayed worry struck him; what was she doing on this end of town? Offhand, he could think of half a dozen vampires that'd give up their immortality to taste a kirin, just once. On the same train of thought, apparently, Blank settled up against the doorframe, where he could easily intercept anyone that came in.
"A centaur?" Will couldn't help but asking. The writer in her showed a little in her description, and though she kept the tone neutral, she hadn't left anything out, which would be good if he was to find someone he couldn't see or smell. On the other pages, was a description of the place she thought he was.
"Um, what did you say happened?" She swallowed hard, looking back down at her folded hands. He knew she was fighting the urge not to tug on her ear.
"It's kind of hard to believe..."
"Try me," he coaxed. He'd heard all sorts of things, so he doubted she could come up with something that would surprise him. Then, of course, he was surprised. Had it come from anyone but Honest Amy, he'd question what'd happened at all. Every now and again, during her story, he'd glance over at Blank, who would shrug. As if he expected anything different at this point.
"...and then he was gone." Her hands clenched on the brown skirt she wore and tears swam in her eyes. But she cleared her throat, trying to push her emotions aside while she worked with Will--he was being very calm and professional; returning the courtesy was the least she could do.
"Excuse me," she muttered, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand as she pulled herself back together. "I wish I had more information for you. Do you think...you can take the case?" Before he could speak, she hurried to add, "I talked to your secritary yesterday, and she quoted me the prices. I think if we made an agreement for one month, I could pay upfront, and then if--" This time, he interrupted her.
"I can tell how much this means," he said on a sigh. "Amy, you know all you have to do is ask and I'll do this, right?" Even then he was fighting the urge to pull her into his arms, hold her while she cried for someone else. Damn him, he'd do it, too. There was something about her that made him want to take care of him. He could only guess that it had something to do with pack instincts he'd been ignoring for so long. This time, she did reach up and tug on one ear, toying with the curly green hair at the end that had been blending seamlessly with the hair she had pulled up in pigtails.
"This is...a weird situation," she said. Wasn't that the truth? "And I wouldn't want to impose, and I don't want to ask favors. I know we didn't part on the best terms..."
Will walked around the desk, propping himself up on the counter when he really wanted to kneel in front of her. Look her in the face. Tuck that strand of stray hair out of her face. He stuffed his hands in his pockets.
"I sent you those papers because I wanted to make us even," Will told her, though this was something she'd already suspected. "I'd hoped...well, in light of everything, you might still consider me a friend at least." Liar, liar, pants on fire. The stupid childhood rhyme flashed through his mind and, as adolecent as it was, he knew it to be true. Amy, in her tense state, seemed to relax a little and probably wouldn't have caught the lie in the best of circumstances. Blank, however, raised an eyebrow, though he didn't say anything. As usual, Will ignored him.
"Let me help," he said quietly, finally giving in and settling in the chair beside her. But even as he offered to help her find the one she really cared about, selfish thoughts stirred. Thoughts that he tried desperately to crush before they came to frutition. He'd like to think that he wasn't that much of a b*****d, at least most days.
"Thank you so much, Will," she said, still sniffling a little. Because he knew she wanted him to, he gave her a quick hug--friendly, nothing more--before helping her out of the uncomfortable office chair.
"I've got a few loose ends that I have to tie up here before I can start a new case, but give me a couple of days and I should be free again." That'd give him enough time to finish up what he could and hand off what he couldn't. "In the meantime, let me see you back to the ferry. Its about lunchtime, anyway." And that way he wouldn't worry about them running into anything--anything else, anyway--particularly nasty on the way back. This time, both Blank and Amy seemed relieved, even though Will had a sneaking suspicion that the chandra knew exactly what he was thinking, even as he tried not to think it.
He'd help her find her boyfriend, but in the meantime, he was the one that was here. You never knew what could happen, right?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Nov 28, 2008 5:50 pm
"Hey dad, I need you to do me a favor." Will spun in his office chair as he looked over the cases that he wouldn't be able to finish in time to start on Amy's. "No, I don't need you to be the best man at my wedding. I need you to finish up a couple of cases for me." He sighed as he listened to the speech he'd expected before he picked up the phone.
"Yeah, I know I'm not getting any younger. The case? High priority. I need to get to it ASAP." With practiced ease, he teased his dad with questions that had been left unanswered in the other cases that he was working on. Of course, he'd give his dad half of the pay he'd recieved for them, but really what the older were loved was the thrill of the chase. In these more 'civilized' times, that thrill was hard to come by.
"Oh, Prince Cadeon Woede. Appeared here out of nowhere, vanished again. His girlfriend's looking for him." Though his stomach tied in knots calling Amy the 'taur's girlfriend, he wasn't about to go into more detail for his father, who was already on his tail enough as it was. He hadn't been pleased to learn that his son was dating (kind of?) a kirin. You'd have thought he was dating an elf or something the way the old wolf had railed at him.
"I'll find my own b***h soon enough, dad." And then, of course, he heard all about what his father thought of calling noble, full blooded were women bitches. Like they were some kind of dog. Like I'm some kind of heir producer, he thought to himself. If it were possible, his parents would've skipped the children phase and gone directly to grand children. Not that they didn't love him, in their own way, but fullbloods of yesteryears had their priorities in one place; making more fullbloods.
"I appreciate it, old man," he said with a smile. "Yeah, I'll let you know how it goes." Maybe. "Yeah, tell mom I said hi. Yeah, I'll be over for Christmas, as usual." Exchanging farewells and you-should-come-over-mores, Will hung up the phone, tossing it back in the cradle before settling in front of his computer.
A beautiful tool, he thought to himself, starting off with a couple of basic sarches. At first, he turned up quite a few myths and legends about various horse people, centaurs and satyrs. There weren't any on Polaris as far as he knew, but that sounded like something that would be found in Lyte. He made a mental note to make a few phone calls to contacts there to see what they knew.
The sun was setting in the sky before he rubbed his eyes, pushing back from the computer, trying to ignore the buzz it made as it printed up papers. He'd start sticking them with the notes he'd made the next day, maybe even make a chart to try to separate truth from fiction, if there was any truth to these stories at all.
But the fact was, he was finding a lot more than usual right off the bat. It was a lot more to sift through, to be sure, but it meant there was sustenance to at least one of these myths. All he had to do was put everything together to find...something that matched Amy's description of what this mystical, magical 'taur land was supposed to look like.
He hated second hand sources, but as far as they went, Amy's wasn't bad. She had a good memory, and paired with good writing skills, he had all of the information that he needed. Dammit. One less excuse to go and see her. However, if he could find a couple of things that were pretty close, he could take them over and see what she thought. Oh, and maybe bring her flowers. To make her feel better, of course.
Right.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Nov 28, 2008 9:03 pm
Amy sat at the dining room table stirring a cup of hot tea when Harlequin, one of the three chandra sitting down with her, finally spoke.
"I'm not sure this is a good idea," she said quietly. Amy glanced up; for the witch to try to play the voice of reason, she knew it must be serious.
"What's not a good idea? Getting Will to help find Cade?" Harlequin nodded, chewing her bottom lip a little as if she wasn't sure how to break the news to her, but Amy just shrugged a little, looking into her tea as if that would answer her questions.
"I need to find him," she said simply. "I really explain it."
"You miss him?" Kururu piped up, finding a seat in front of Cornet on the table, propping her chin up on her hands as she gazed at Amy. The kirin was still trying to be happy--it was her general state of mind, but it was hard. A lot harder than usual.
"I do," she admitted, taking a quick sip. The warmth seemed to chase away a little of the chill that had settled in her bones since the rain started, and since Cade had disappeared so suddenly. "But that's not why. I knew he would leave eventually. I just...get the feeling that something is really wrong." The echo of a scream and his scrambling, trying to come back. Fear that washed over me, drowning me. Was it mine, or his? She couldn't tell then, and she still couldn't. It probably didn't matter.
"But...Will? I thought you were done with him?" Cornet framed Kururu with her own arms as she mimicked her pose. Not knowing what else to do and being without a current project, Leilani did the same, though she only watched. Amy shook her head, a smile turning up the corners of her mouth even as she sighed.
"I can't trust Will in a...romantic relationship. But I think he'll help me do this. And," she added ruefully, "he's the only one I know to turn to. If there's a way that I can find Cade, Will will probably be able to find it."
"You don't think he'll like...try to stall just so there isn't any competition, do you?" the pixie piped up. Amy hadn't thought of that--her mind just didn't work that way. Despite the initial shock of it, she shook her head.
"No, its a professional matter now," she pointed out. "With his reputation on the line, he wouldn't. Plus...I just don't think he would do that."
"You didn't think he'd do a background search on you either." It was about that time that Cornet took off her hat and covered Kururu's head with it, allowing only muffled sounds to come out. To Amy, she smiled sheepishly, apologizing for her familiar's actions. Thankfully, Amy was too used to it by then to take offence; or she was too numb.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Nov 29, 2008 12:21 pm
So the next few days, Will is up to his eyeballs in centaur myth and legend, making phone calls and going back and forth between Lyte and the islands, trying to find out what's fact and what's fiction. Every time he finds a little bit of information, he also finds an excuse to go over to Amy's house to either go over it with her or to 'try to take her mind off things.'
At first, he just helped her out around the house. There was a little bit of painting to be done, and he helped her reinstall the window seat. She nearly lost it, though, when they had everything set up and she tried it out. Kururu had to tell Will that it was where she would sit and spend time with Cade, which irritated and frustrated him--mostly because he hadn't menat to make her sad. Will promised Amy then that he'd find her centaur.
Two weeks have passed, and it seems like Will is getting closer. He's brought over books of lore and thinks he might have tracked down the Woede family line. But he's working so hard, and Amy starts to think that everyone thinks of her as helpless. Not in a day to day sense, but small, scrawny Amy hasn't been doing any of the heavy lifting when it comes to the search for 'her centaur.' But she's a kirin--she has her own mind, and her own magic. She knew that Harlequin and Leilani had tried to scry in the lagoon--tried to see something, because magic was thick there. Maybe there she cound find the only other kirin who would be willing to help...
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Nov 29, 2008 12:23 pm
As told by Amaryllis Lark I took a deep breath as I made my way through my own house like a thief in the night. Everyone was asleep, and thought I was aswell, but I didn't like the feeling that they were obligated to take care of me. Poor, pitiful little Amy. She'd needed help with the mean ol' werewolf that wouldn't call her back, and she'd needed help to find a man that would treat her right. Now she needed help to find him. Well, I appreciated their caring, and their concern. But I felt the sudden need to prove to them, and to myself, that maybe I could do some things on my own, too.
Before I tugged the door open, I wrapped my rain jacket tighter around me and checked my boots--they were hunter green, which hopefully would keep me from attracting too much attention. I didn't know what I was doing, really, but even then I didn't think it would work if any of the chandra or Will thought to babysit me.
My thoughts lingered on the were a little longer than they probably should have, but walking over the scrapes Cade had made on my front porch, desperately trying to come back brought me back to reality. Back to where my mind should be. I needed to find him; something was really wrong. I knew in my heart that if something had happened to me, he would stop at nothing to find me.
Closing the door quietly behind me (not that it really mattered, with the rain falling as hard as it was), I headded into the night, fishing my small pink flashlight out of my pocket. Though I'd hoped it'd at least help me make my way through the spooky, rainy night, it did little more than reflect off the raindrops that fell like a curtain in front of my face, making the shadows around me even deeper. I hadn't thought that was possible.
That's alright, I told myself, trying to find the fierce amazon that was somewhere deep (deep, deep) inside. I'm not afraid of the dark. But even in my head my voice seemed to wavier a little; I'd always been an early to bed, early to rise kinda girl, the dark always holding the unknown. I watched as the shadows danced threateningly in and out of my perifiral vision, branches that seemed so pretty in the light of day now looked like claws in the watery moonlight, reaching for me as I passed. My breath hitching in my throat, I tugged my coat closer as I pushed my way through the night.
I had to do this. I had to know that I could do this, that I wasn't useless.
Though I knew it couldn't have been more than an hour, the walked seemed to take an eternity, jumping at every shadow, straining to hear every snapping twig--as if I'd be able to hear anything over the rain and the amazing amount of noise I managed to make as I stumbled through the woods of Lun. Aren't kirin supposed to be graceful? I thought as I clutched my flashlight, puffing out a breath. I guess I'm not that good of a kirin, but that was something that I'd come to terms with a long time ago. Something I was trying to fix now.
Finally, I thought I heard the sound of water on water, the sound of raindrops as it hit the lagoon. I didn't dare hurry with my sloshy boots through the thick underbrush, but when my tired feet found a trail, you better believe I was going just as fast as I could manage. That still wasn't more than a jog, but hey, I was trying hard. When the trees broke in front of me, showing me my first real view of the lagoon, I thought I'd cry from relief. Instead, I carefully followed the waters edge, back behind the waterfall (since I couldn't get any more wet anyway) and into the cave that Leilani had told me about.
Moonlight filtered in through the waterfall, giving the cave in front of me a magical look. Scanning the area with my flashlight, I felt more like the victim in a horror movie than the star of a fantasy book, but I'd take what I could get at this point. It was dry, and it didn't seem like there was anyone--or anything--in the cave but me. Now if I could only find those springs...
A little farther back into the cave than I would've liked to go, I found it, tucked in a far corner. The steam rising up from it promised warmth against the chill that'd settled in my bones now that I wasn't outside in the warm, balmy rain anymore, but I didn't dare go in when I couldn't see the bottom. Tugging on my ear with my free hand, I got a handful of sopping wet hair and managed to drip more water down my arm and into my coat.
"Dang it," I muttered, releasing my ear and shaking my hand to try and get the water out of my once-dry shirt. Well, at least it had just been damp before. Looking around, I asked no one in particular, "Now what?" Predictably, no one answered. Carefully settling my flashlight on the ground where I knew it wouldn't roll anywhere (especially not into the water!), I snugged my coat around me as I settled onto the cool rock floor, gazing into the pool.
"When the sun and moon come together, that's where magic is the strongest." I'd known before that the fairy was a little...ah, abstract, but at the time, I'd really wanted her to give me a straight answer.
"When the sun and moon come together?" I'd asked, perplexed. "Is that a solar eclipse?" She'd shaken her head, as if I just didn't understand. Well, that at least was true.
"The sun and moon come together in the middle," she explained patiently. I'd seen her string a necklace with over a thousand beads on it--patience, at least, she had by the bucketfull. "Not an eclipse--the lagoon." I finally understood.
"So that's where the magic is strongest?" I'd asked her.
"When the sun and moon come together, magic is strongest there," she repeated, nodding. "And the tide of magic ebbs and flows with the waxing and waning of our mother."
"Your--? Oh, the moon." She nodded again. "So the magic is the strongest at the lagoon, when the moon is full." This time, she nodded more enthusiastically. She'd had the same expression when I'd asked her how Cade had gotten here in the first place, and it'd been just as hard to drag it out of her. But that was neither here nor there. For now, the moon was nearly full and here I was, at the heart of the lagoon. If anything was going to happen, it was going to happen here.
Grappling with the hopelessness I felt, I whispered, "Mother...I need you."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Nov 29, 2008 12:24 pm
"Its three in the damned morning," Will growled into the reciever, "this had better be good." He'd stumbled from his bed and grabbed the phone before it'd registered exactly what time it was. He'd been in the middle of a dream about...well, nevermind that.
"Amy's gone!" he heard desperately from the other end.
"What?!" He was wide awake now. He didn't know how Cornet had managed to get his number, but he should've known something was really wrong if they'd called him. Perhaps rightfully so, Amy's self-appointed guardian angels didn't particuarly care for the wolf she'd brought home.
"I don't know when she left," she hurried to say, ignoring the chattering pixie in the background, "but the power just went out. I went to make sure that she was alright, since she's afraid of the dark, but she wasn't in her room. She's not anywhere in the house, and Harlequin can't find her outside, either." He barely managed to catch the witch bellow that she wouldn't be able to find a damn neon sign with Amy's name on it in the rain that they were having over there. But Will was already tugging on the wrinkled clothes he'd taken off just a couple of hours before.
"I'll be over there as soon as I can." Not that it said much. He'd have to drive down to the ferry, and then see if he could catch a ride there. Their charters didn't start until ten in the morning and ran every time they had a full boat--which was to say, not very often. They recognized him up there by this point, so they might give him a hand, but he doubted it.
"Blank wants to know if you can meet him at the ferry. And where did you come from, anyway?" Will didn't answer the second question--it hadn't been spoken directly into the phone, so it must've been directed at the angel.
"Uh, yeah," he muttered around where he was tugging his shirt over his head. As an afterthought, he grabbed his coat and his flashlight before heading out.
"He says he can give you a lift." Splended. If it was anyone else, Will would've told her then to take her problems and shove 'em, they weren't worth cozying up to the angel for. But their mutual dislike could be put aside for a moment, since Amy was gone. Agreeing to meet him at the pier, Will tossed the phone back in the cradle and rushed to finish getting ready.
Where in the hell had she gotten off to? he thought frantically, barely managing to grab his keys and lock his apartment up behind him before taking the stairs down two at a time, spitting him out in the garage.
Though the streets were fairly empty (or at least, empty for Gothalis traffic at any time of day or night), the trip to the pier took longer than he ever remembered it taking, and he squealed to a stop in the parking garage, throwing what he figured was enough money for an overnight ticket at the poor, sleepy guard at the front before dashing to the end, where Blank was waiting for him.
"That was quick," he commented. "So...how's this gonna work?" Blank held out his arms and smirked.
"We get to be real chummy for a while." Damn it all. At least the angel made good time. Will thought that Amy had better have a good reason for disappearing like this or he was never rushing over to the islands again. He as, admittedly, surprised that the chandra could make the trip at all. His wings were large enough to carry Blanks five foot frame, but Will pushed six feet, and must've outweighed the chandra by at least fifty pounds, probably more.
Either way, the trip was immeasurably awkward but short, Blank practically dropping Will onto the driveway. And they hadn't been kidding when they'd said it was raining! Cutting on the flashlight he'd brought with him, Will made his way into the house, not bothering to knock.
"When was the last time anyone saw her?" he asked the chandra, sitting on the couch.
"Before bed," Harlequin piped up. "About nine."
"Any ideas where she might be?" Harlequin, Kururu and Cornet all shook their heads sullenly. Leilani did not. He hadn't spent a lot of time around the fairy, but he'd gathered that she was a little spacey. She answered direct questions, though.
"Leilani, do you know where Amy might be?" She blinked owlishly up at will, almost like a deer in the headlights.
"Is the moon full?"
"No." Thank God. This much agitation would've made the situatuation a lot hairier had the moon been full. Will liked to think he could be cool and level headed when he needed to be, but the full moon had...well, predictable effects on 'people' like him. The fairy shrugged.
"Where would she be if the moon was full, Leilani?" he asked, trying to be more specific.
"Where the moon and sun meet." What in the hell was she talking about? He scanned the faces of the other chandra around him, and the pixie, but they didn't have much more of an idea than he did. Moon and sun, moon and sun... Will thought frantically for amoment, running his free hair through his scruffy, unkempt blank hair. Where the moon and sun meet...
"Sol and Lun? Is there a place where Sol and Lun meet?" She beamed up at him. "Where do they meet?"
"The lagoon," Blank said suddenly.
"That doesn't make any sense," Harlequin huffed. "Why would she want to go when the moon was full? Why would she be there at all?" Leilani shrugged. That she didn't know. Will could tell by the absent fiddling of the fairy's fingers that if there had been more sufficient light, she'd be beading.
"That's where we need to start, then." Will turned for the door, and everyone stood to go with him. "You guys need to stay here. My night vision is better than yours, and the last thing we need is more than one person wandering around the islands, lost." For once, Blank agreed with him, though he didn't like it. The angel knew he wouldn't be able to fly through the woods in this kind of weather anyway.
"But you don't know the way!" Harlequin protested. Will grinned, tapping the side of his nose.
"You know what they say," he said. "I'll just follow my nose." Kururu groaned as he went out the door once more. Lifting his face, he took a deep breath, closing his eyes. Letting the sounds and smells soak into him, into his mind. He smelled the rain, the woods around him. He smelled the chandra, and their unique, earthy scent. Below that was something different, though. Almost flowery. Unique. Will didn't know what other Kirin smelled like, but he pegged that smell for Amy.
Knowing that everyone in the house was glued to the windows, watching him, he stepped into the rain, shining his flashlight into the woods. With the rain coming down, it was difficult to see where the grass had been disturbed hours before and most of her scent had long since been washed away. Will knew that if he shifted, he could see, smell and hear better, but he hadn't wanted to...
Things might still get a little hairy after all.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Nov 29, 2008 2:10 pm
As told by Amaryllis
I wasn't sure what I expected, but waiting as minutes passed on the cold, damp floor on the cave wasn't one of them. Tears of frustration gathered in my eyes; I hadn't asked her for anything in twenty three years and she couldn't answer me just once? I sighed as I felt my feet start to go numb.
Just as I was about to give up, I felt...something. A shimmer in the air. A breeze where there shouldn't have been one, and the fragrance of flowers where moments before there had only been the smell of damp cave and lagoon water. Jerking my eyes up, there was no flash of light, nothing else to announce the arrival of someone new, but there was the soft sound of clicking hooves on the cave floor.
She was...beautiful.
She looked like a doe of pure white, with scales of gold speckling her back and covering her haunches, leading down to delicate, golden hooves that looked so out of place on the dark stone. A long tail, so out of place on my almost-human frame seemed to blow in the nonexistant breeze, the silky white hair at the end gleaming even in the dim light from the moon and my flashlight. It seemed like the only thing similar between us was her emerald green eyes and the gold horn in the middle of her forehead, almost down between her eyes.
Daughter, I heard a voice in my head, like bells, or the wind rustling through leaves. I've waited twenty three years to hear you say that. As if she wasn't quite sure of herself either, she took a tentative step towards me, and another, and another. My heart raced as I wondered if I would ever look like that, instead of like a twelve-year-old boy with troll ears and an out of place horn.
One minute, the kirin stood before me. The next, a woman. The same fragrant breeze passed through and I blinked as if to clear my eyes. She was actually shorter than I was, and more petite, but it didn't make her look young or gangly--instead, she looked etherial, her pristine white curls falling nearly to the floor, her ears and tail like mine. My breath caught in my throat. My mother. Even her skin was alabaster, her simple white gown seeming to glow in the dim cave.
Her steps came only slightly faster this time as she walked closer towards me. I moved to stand, but instead, she knealt on the floor beside me, brushing my face with her cool, smooth hands. Like she couldn't believe I was really there. Like she had to touch me to make sure I wouldn't disappear. Though I was sure it broke some kirin code of dignity and etherial, otherworldly-ness, I couldn't help it, I threw my arms around her. Somewhat awkwardly, she returned the gesture.
"Daughter, tell me what it is that you need and it shall be yours," she murmured into my hair, stroking my back gently. She was so different from the woman I'd called mom for so long, though I knew I'd always love her and my 'dad.' Before I could stop myself, the whole story poured out; I told her about Will, and about Cade. She laughed at my bemusement when I'd first met Will and mourned when the centaur disappeared, whispering condolences in my ear as I tried not to cry.
"I know that something's wrong," I said miserably, "but I don't know where he is, or how to get there. Will and everyone that I live with...they're all doing everything they can. I just feel so useless." I sniffed. "I don't know what to do." It seemed that my mother sighed slightly as well.
"I cannot tell you what to do," she said softly, almost sadly. Her green eyes were so much wiser than mine, as if she already knew what would happen no matter what I did. I knew what came next--I had to think carefully about what I wanted, and then...
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Nov 29, 2008 4:02 pm
Will knew that he'd never be able to catch her scent in this weather. Not like he was. Sighing, he carefully set the flashlight down and took off his coat, then his shirt. He thought he heard a screech and a crash as at least Kururu fled from the window as quickly as she could. As if any of them could see much anyway.
Completely without modesty (but with a great deal of discomfort in the rain), Will stripped down and put his clothes inside his coat, hoping that it'd at least keep it somewhat dry until he got back. Then he looked up at the moon, and allowed the Wolf inside him wake. As usual, he wasn't graceful about it.
A growl was ripped from somewhere deep inside him as Will doubled over, clutching his midsection. As his hearing changed, he could hear quite well as his bones rearranged and his joints shifted. When he could no longer stand upright, he fell forward, catching himself on misshapen hands, that soon finished their transformation to paws.
Shaking himself free of the last of his humanity, Will huffed a little. He hated that part. But instead of the slightly shaggy-haired man, now stood a 200 pound wolf--nearly four feet high at the shoulder, thick black hair that glinted like obsidian in the moonlight. On his muzzle and in a patch on his chest was a fleck of white, along with the tips of his front feet and his tail. His 'shoulders' and paws, however, were more like a panthers than a wolfs. He didn't know quite why this was, but he never questioned it. Dragging his mind back to the present, he put his nose to the ground.
As if sensing something more evil in him than the night, the shadows seemed to shy back from the edge of his vision, his green eyes seeing far more in this one than his feeble human frame. Similarly, a new world of smells opened up before him. If he paid close attention, he could find the flowery smell that he knew as Amaryllis' and hers alone. Picking up the flashlight in his mouth, he took to the trail.
The rain and the cool did not deter him, nor the forest; all of it seemed to aid him in his hunt. In the mud, he could see vague footprints, in the forest, awkwardly twisted branches where she'd passed. As silent as a shadow, he followed her trail. At an easy lope, he covered ground quickly, easily finding the beaten path that Amy had followed to the lagoon.
Stopping, he lifted his head. The rock didn't carry her scent as well, nor did it leave a good trail, and he got a couple of good snootfulls of water before he picked up her trail along the edge. His heart thumping in his chest as he walked, he prayed that she hadn't somehow fallen in. Every step he took made him grow more tense even as he was relieved. At the waterfall, he cocked his head to listen--were those voices coming from inside?
Miserable in more ways than one, Will sat at the edge of the cave entrance and listened to Amy's side of the story. Oh, he'd heard it all before, but she must be telling someone different this time--someone she obviously trusted. The Wolf stirred at that thought, but he quieted it down--something a lot more difficult in this form than the other.
"I don't know what to do," he heard her say, sniffling.
"I cannot tell you what to do," he heard another woman say softly. He fought the urge to shake his head--they sounded...similar somehow. Amy's voice an almost childish, unpolished version of the other. Knowing that, even if he made a sound it would be muffled by the falling rain and water, he crept closer to the mouth of the cave, listening intently.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Nov 29, 2008 11:57 pm
((So...yeah. Dark writes in red, me in green. Want to RP with me? Send me a pm!))
The light was flashing on Dark's answering machine when she got back to the manor which seemed strangly empty. Next to the phone there was a note from Dontaine, *Gone to Amy's. Amy's missing and they're calling Will to go find her. Gone over to help where I can.* Dark's eyes imediately flashed a dangerous violet hue as she picked up the phone and hit the 1 on the speed dial calling Amy's house, but even before there was an answer on the other line she was heading throught the manor to the front door ready to head that way, imediately whether there was an answer or not.
Cornet nearly jumped out of her skin and Kururu shrieked when the phone rang just as lightening struck. Who in the world could be calling?
"I'll bet its Dark," Harlequin murmured. They'd tried desperately to call her first--anything but the wolf. Something they hadn't really thought about until just then. "Hello?"
"Did you find her yet?!?" Dark said through the line without bothering with any of the common curtisies that would normally start on a phone call. She didn't have a good feeling, why Will why did they have to call the wolf in so close to the full moon. This was bad news and Dark didn't like it one bit.
"Not yet," the witch said sharply. Looking over at the window where Blank stood, still vigilant, her suspicions were confirmed by a quick shake of his head. "Will just left. And he...I dunno, Dark. He's gone all furry." The normally rough-and-tumble chandra swallowed hard; she didn't know what to think about the werewolf on the best of days, but Changed? She'd heard all sorts of stories...
All Dark had to hear was the start of the word fur and she clicked the off button of the phone and tossed it on the nearest table and was out the door. By the time she reached the porch her body was already going through drastic changes. Her eyes glowing purple and her wings appeared, streaks of white in her hair. The darkness of the outdoors swallowed her and the next moment she was in the front hall of Amy's house. "Where?!?" she demanded dangerously, by then more and more of Saige was showing.
"They've gone to the lagoon," Blank said, calm as ever, though even if something had shown his eyes it was impossible to tell. "Dark, he grabbed the flashlight on the way out. He must still be thinking reasonably...for the moment. If you surprise him, though..." He let the sentance trail off. Anxious werewolves were dangerous creatures, and Blank suspected that Will would be rather posessive of the kirin.
Saige laughed as she finally was mainly taken presidence. "He won't hurt Amy, stay here. I can get there alot faster and certainly before he's there. I'll make sure nothing becomes of Amy and this particular wolf needs a taste of the islands." She said with a glint in her purple red eyes, the purple the only indication that Dark was at least somewhat present. Luckily Dark and Saige always had the same oppinions about others. "Take care of the girls." She said and in the next moment she was gone as quickly as she appeared as lightning flashed over head to show her disappearing into thin air. When she appeared again it was at the lagoon and Saige crouched down ready for a fight she could smell the thickness of good magick in the air and knew Amy had company but not of the bad kind. She could also smell the stench of wolf approaching and she was ready.
With the flashlight in his mouth, the wolf moved silently through the forests of Lun, following the scent he knew would take him to the kirin. The smell of flowers, even in the rain, a twisted branch, a stray footprint that hadn't been erased in the mud might as well have been glowing arrows pointing to the path that she'd taken. When his padded footfalls fell on a well beaten path, he knew he was close. Suddenly, he stopped dead. There was something else here. Somethind Dark. The Wolf inside him growled, his hair bristling--was Amy in danger? His muzzle peeled back from the flashlight, revealing insizors as long as a mans finger. He thought for a moment about putting down the flashlight, but Will knew that Amy might need it. Instead, he walked carefully forward until he identified this new, strange creature.
Saige waited silently and though the night was dark and lagoon was only particially lit in moonlight with flashes of lightning it didn't matter. The red of Saige's eyes were practically in full claim, as was everything else of Saige. Which could come in handy the night being far from a stranger to her and created more shadows, shadows that she could use to her advantage. She heard the snarl before he actually came in sight but it didn't matter much she had already been facing in his direction. Her place between him and the lagoon cave entrance where she knew Amy was safe. "Go home dog." Saige said in a practical hiss as she locked his gaze with her red eyes.
The Wolf growled and Will fought to try and figure out who this strange girl was. Worrying the handle of the flashlight in his teeth, he continued on into the clearing, though he stopped at the edge of the rock outcropping that surrounded the lagoon, his paws on the edge. If the trail he'd followed up to this point didn't waiver, he was between him and his quarry. In response to her demand to leave, he dipped his head and laid his ears back--he wasn't going anywhere until he'd done what he'd come to do.
"She's fine dog.Doing what she needs to do. Leave before something bad happens..." Saige said shifting her stance slightly hand twitching slightly to grab the dagger in her boot. Lightning flashed causing a drastic shadow where she was and one right by him. She took the moment of the bright flash to vanish from one spot to the other.
Will wrested control from the beast, eyeing Saige. Even the Wolf realized she would be a tough opponent should they fight--he couldn't tell how she traveled, other than too damn fast. But he couldn't shake the feeling that she was watching over Amy--protecing her from him. The thought rankled, but it meant that she knew Amy, and cared about her. Acute green eyes studied the red-eyed gaze for a moment, watched carefully as she wordlessly threatened him. Mentally, he did a quick rundown--the only person (and at this point, he used that term loosely) that Amy knew that wasn't chandra was Dark. Dark? Setting the flashlight down, he tested the air. Though it partially resulted in a nosefull of rainwater, it couldn't mask scent. The ********? And she was worried about him? Though he growled, he nosed the flashlight forward, taking the opportunity to take a tentative step towards the waterfall.
"Uh uh uh wrong move pup..." she said and moved again putting herself between him and the waterfall. "You need to turn around and go back to where you came from. You're a damn fool for even coming the night before the full moon." She said laughing at him then. She could tell without even talking to Amy that what she was doing was important and if the wolf showed up that was going to put everything to s**t.
[Slightly continued conversation between Amy and her mom, where basically she gets the 'ask and ye shall recieve, knock and the door shall be opened to you' thing which doesn't make a damn bit of sense to Amy. Her mom looks out through the waterfall and sighs, though nothing can be heard in the cave of what's going on. She briefly makes arrangements to meet again, the night before the full moon next month and vanishes just as suddenly as she appeared, much to Amy's dismay.]
Outside, the wolf didn't growl...but also didn't move. His feet braced apart, his claws inching out, scarring the ground beneath his feet. She was a fool for mocking the beast, especially if she thought that was the best way to send him packing.
"Tisk tisk even you should know better. Go home Will. Amy will be fine and will get home safely. If you care about her at all you will go home." She said choosing to tug on the heart strings this time as a different tactic, she didn't like the wolf sure, but she could sense Amy coming soon and the last thing she wanted was the girl caught up in the middle of a fight.
Once Saige was certain Will was gone and the threat of the wolf was gone she turned and walked towards the cave entrance to help Amy, and by the time she got to Amy she was well Dark again at least for the most part, the rements of Saige only showing in Dark's eyes that seemed purple rather then their normal blue. "Amy! There you are." Dark said to alert her that she was there.
"D-dark?" Amy tore her gaze away from the blurry shadow that had just disappeared into the woods to face her friend. "What are you doing here?" Her heart sank. No wonder it had been such a short visit. If all kirin had the same compulsion she had, she could understand why her mother wouldn't want to be around anyone else.
"Power went out, and Harlequin and the others went to check on you, you weren't there. They got worried and called me. Leilani had a feeling you might be at the lagoon so I came looking for you." She said weaving a partial truth for her friend so she wouldn't worry about the fact that there had almost been more then just a search moments ago. "Come on lets get you home again so we can get you warm and dry." She said and offered her hand to Amy to help her along the slippery rocks.
"Oh. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make everyone worry." A weak smile lit her face as she took Dark's hand, carefully picking her way back down the rocks. Suddenly, she stopped, seeing for the first time something that hadn't been there. Bending down, she saw a heavy duty flashlight. Gingerly picking it up, she peered around. "Where did this come from?"
Damn him. She silently cursed at Amy picking up the flashlight. Thinking quick on her feet she rubbed the back of her head, "I had stuck it in my back pocket, I was going to climb into the cave to make sure you didn't fall into any of the springs, must have fallen out though." She said with an awkward laugh.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Nov 30, 2008 1:09 pm
I'd seen her for the first time. Dark didn't ask and I didn't talk about it, but I think she somehow knew that something had happened back there. And what exactly had happened? I wasn't sure. Not really.
Ask and ye shall recieve, seek and ye shall find, knock and the door shall be opened to you. It didn't make any sense to me. Oh, I recognized it as a verse from the bible--some book, some number, I didn't really know which. I wasn't much of a studious Christian the best of days, and with my brain foggy from all the excitement and the lack of sleep, there was no way I'd be able to remeber what it was from. Either way, I wasn't sure that was really what she meant.
Somewhat sullenly, we came back up on the house. I apologized to Dark and hugged all of the chandra that had freaked out so badly at my absence. Why had I been gone? There was something that I had to do. Had I done it? I didn't really know. I didn't know if I was grateful for their respecting my silence or not.
As suddenly as she'd arrived, Dark was gone and the chandra dispersed...into different parts of the house. I guess they either were too tired to go back to where they'd come from or they wanted to make sure that I was alright. I was touched, a little, as I tried not to feel like they felt obligated to take care of me again. Though I was too tired to shower free of rainwater and the mud I'd collected, I was very much looking forward to collapsing into bed; I wasn't used to being up so late. Maybe it was because I was so tired that I didn't at first notice the way my window fogged at the bottom, as if someone was breathing against it.
~~~~
She was his pack. He had to look out for her. The wolf had known that the red-eyed creature would smell him coming if he'd tried to follow them back to the cottage, so he'd abandoned it for the moment--a retreat he would not forget. But he managed to stay out of her way as she brought the kirin back to him.
Keen ears picked up their conversation from around the front of the house, and Will dimly noted that he was correct hin his assumption that it had been Dark that had contfonted him. At least, in a sense it had been Dark. But the Wolf was more concerned about the kirin, now apologizing wearily as she made her way back into her bedroom. Though he watched the door anxiously, he moved quickly before she opened it.
Miserably, he sat in the rain, under her window like a damn stray dog that had followed home the person who'd given him scraps. In this case, scraps of affection. His hackles rose as he thought about it, and the way that 'Dark' had called him dog, and pup. From within his gloomy thoughts, he heard a conversation taking place in the bedroom.
"What do you mean, you called Will?" Amy's voice picked up, but only a little--she was too tired to do anything more. "Is he here somewhere?" Whoever she was talking to responded that they didn't know--his clothes were still in the driveway, but he hadn't come back for them yet. This was followed by lame excuses about how he'd probably seen that Dark had found her and left. Didn't she see the flashlight?
"Yeah, I thought Dark had brought it." From inside the wolf, Will felt a bit of satisfaction.
"He...what?" It must be Blank she was talking to--whoever it was was too level headed to be any of the other chandra. If he listened closely, the wolf could hear the angel explaining what had happened, and how he'd changed to track her down. Did they have any idea how hard it was to keep on a human objective when it was so close to the full moon?
Dark must've. At the thought of the red-eyed girl, he had to tamp down a growl.
"But he's still out there somewhere?" No, I'm right here. Even the wolf wanted to sooth her frantic tone, but Blank did it just as well. He assured her that Will was probably out running under the moon. It was what they did. It was true--his paws itched to do just that. But she was his pack. He was supposed to watch out for her. I'm not out there, I'm right here.
Almost as if she'd heard him, Amy quit pressing Blank for answers, isntead thanking him quietly and excusing her self to go to sleep. Then she did something he didn't understand--he heard her walk over to the window where he sat, rapping on it as if to get someone's attention. Curiosity getting the better of him, he peered over the side, catching her green eyed gaze in her own. Her breath caught, but not in fear. Slowly, maybe so she wouldn't startle him, she pushed open the window.
~~~~
"Will?" The wolf's ears perked up and I nearly gasped. I hadn't thought I had the energy to be surprised again, but finding a werewolf outside my window had donen it. He was huge; had I been outside, his shoulder would easily have come up to my waist. I'd had no idea...
"Will, were you looking out for me, too?" I asked quietly. His quiet, steady gaze met mine and that strage feeling, the one I'd had a moment ago while I was talking to Blank, washed over me again. Unfamiliar with werewolves, there was no way I would have been able to recognize it for what it was.
"Did you run into Dark?" I hadn't expected his hackles to rise and him to growl at me, a horribly menacing sound. Cringing back from the window, I fought the urge to slam it shut in his face; not only would it probably upset him more, it wasn't likely to help. "Oh, ok," I said shakily. "I'll assume you guys didn't have a friendly chat." I didn't know what to call the noise he made, but he stopped growling at me, huffing out a breath. Whining a little, he rested his head in the window. I had the feeling he was sorry for worrying me.
"Everyone was really worried," I told him softly, resting my hand nest to his muzzle, where he nuzzled it. I fought the urge to scratch him behind the ears, not knowing quite how he'd react to that. "Is there...a reason to worry? I know the full moon's awefully close." But he only looked at me again, leveling me with a steady gaze. Almost as if he wasn't denying what he was, and that it might be dangerous. Maybe to me.
"In the morning, I'm going to go get your clothes and wash them for you. It's the least I can do." He licked my hand. "But maybe you should run for a while." When he sighed again, I sighed right back. "I'm not going anywhere, ok? I'll be here."
For a moment, I didn't know what to do or thing. There I was, talking to a werewolf that had his head stuck halfway into my bedroom window, promising that I'd stay where I left him. A sense of surriality stole over me, and I knew I had to get to bed soon before I really lost my mind. During that moment, it also seemed like Will might not be satisfied, that he wanted to come in and make sure that I was alright for himself. I was reasonably certain that I could trust him, but I wasn't sure. Worse, I didn't know if he was sure. Finally, he nuzzled my hand once more before withdrawing.
Though I knew his bright white spots should show up in the predawn light, he faded as if he'd never been there in the first place, and I fought the urge to poke my head out the window to check for myself. Had I been dreaming? But more than seeing him leave, I...felt him leave. It was weird.
"I've got to get some sleep," I murmured, shutting the window and drawing the curtains. My wet, dirty clothes marked my trail as I dropped everything on the way to bed, snuggling under the covers. There would be plenty of time to worry about all of this after I'd rested somed. Maybe then it would make more sense.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Nov 30, 2008 3:06 pm
The next day, or more correctly, later on that day, I didn't crawl out of bed until nearly noon--something I hadn't done since I was in college. Groggy and feeling like I'd slept with cotton balls in my mouth, I crawled out of bed and to the kitchen, where a messy breakfast of eggs and pancakes awaited me.
Maybe them worrying over me wasn't so bad after all.
"Morning, kinda," Kururu chirped, announcing my afternoon emergance to the rest of the house as she fluttered into the kitchen, finding me rummaging around for the syrup and some milk. She didn't shriek when I peered over the fridge at her, but she did beat a hasty retreat, saying something to Cornet along the lines of 'zombie' and 'medusa.' Awesome. So I knew I looked as good as I felt. Shortly after she left, Cornet came in and set the table for me, my following meekly with the glass of milk and what was left of the syrup.
"Did you sleep alright?" she asked, settling me in. I didn't see Blank or Harlequin anywhere, though the witch generally slept until this time or later on a regular basis. I'd asked her about it once, but she'd seemed surprised that I didn't do the same thing.
"Yeah, thanks." It seemed like she really wanted to ask me about what had happened last night; according to Blank, she'd been the one to sound the alarm that I was gone in the first place. "And...thanks for yesterday, too. I mean, for calling Dark and Will. I didn't mean to worry you guys, but..." She waved a hand (paw?), cutting me off.
"Don't worry about it," she told me lightly. "I just didn't know where you'd gone. And I know that you're..." She trailed off. Yeah, I was afraid of the dark. It was silly, but true. I felt kinda warm and fuzzy that she'd remembered that, though I still hoped she hadn't told Dark or Will. We chatted for a while as she pretended she didn't want to ask me about what happened, finally leaving me to my breakfast/lunch. I'd tell her about it, I'd tell all of them about it when I could, but for now, I didn't know what to say or how to say it. I had more going through my head than I could possibly say or work through, so I did what I usually did when I had that problem.
I wrote stuff.
My day was spent going back and forth working on the manuscript I'd mentioned to my publisher about and working on what my mother had told me. The first ended up being a romance codenamed 'lost and found,' and the second...well, that was a little trickier.
I thought about cracking open Ol' Faithful, the King James Bible that my 'partents' had gotten me, but not only did I not particularly care for King James, I also didn't know where to start. So intsead, I typed it into the computer, my trusty friend. Within seconds, I had the information I was looking for.
Matthew 7:7: Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you
It went on to talk about the power of prayer, and how much God would do for his children, but something caught my eye. In all of the translations that I'd looked up, the word 'door' was not in any of them. Not in this verse, anyway. I pondered on that as I bounced back and forth between that and 'lost and found.'
At some point, when I couldn't sit hunched over the keyboard any more, I ventured outside to grab the pile of clothes that still sat, undisturbed, in my driveway. Looking all around the driveway and house, I didn't see any other traces of Will, and I couldn't decide if that was a good thing or not. But I told him I'd have his clothes ready and I would. Skittering back into the house, I ignored the strange looks I got as I stuffed everything except his jacket into the washing machine, wondering how they'd been folded so neatly under his jacket. I guessed that meant he had to take them off first. That done, I was drawn back to my computer. Back to my notes.
"What are you trying to tell me?" I murmured, gazing at the screen so closely that the tip of my horn brushed the monitor, leaving a small scratch in the glass. I sighed. I hadn't done that in forever. I rememberd the graceful way my mother moved, as if she never did anything like that. I wondered if I would ever be like that.
Probably not.
As the sun yet, I yawned a little, stretching. In the middle, however (which must've been a n interesting sight, to be sure), I stopped at the sound of a lone wolfs howl.
~~~~
I'm supposed to run with my pack. The calling dark brought the wolf forth again who, in turned, called for his pack. The kirin. Again, he stood at the edge of the forest and called for her.
~~~~
My first instinct was to stand up from my chair and head outside, following the lonesome howl. In fact, it took just about everything that was in me not to do just that. Also, no one had taken notice yet--it wasn't unusual to hear animals begin stirring at twilight.
The difference was, I knew this was Will. I heard him call again, felt it pull at me again, and I wondered what in the world was going on. Maybe it was just something about a werewolf howl? A quick glance around the room showed that Leilani was still dutifully beading and Cornet, Harlequin and Kururu sat at the table over dinner, which I'd taken at my desk. Not one of them did more than flick an ear in the general direction the call had come from.
Oblivious to my situation, the night continued to fall, the moon rising high in the sky. Though I knew I should be settling into bed soon, my sleeping gave me more energy than usual for later in the evening, and something whispered in the back of my mind that the perfect way to use it up was to run. Something wild. Something old. Again, not something I would recognize...unless I was a werewolf, which I most certainly wasn't.
~~~~
Will was not in attendance when the wolf had decided that he'd run alone for long enough. Though he loved his parents, he'd never quite felt right with their pack. Even when he'd run with them, he hadn't felt welcome, like he was on the outside looking in. But no matter the drama of it, no matter how it looked on a resumee, being a lone wolf was not the natural state of affairs. So when he'd started looking out for Amy, and certainly when he'd jumped when he thought she was in danger, the wolf had grabbed the opportunity kicking and screaming, claiming her as his pack. And now, the wolf called her to run with him.
When night finally surrounded him and the moon was high in the sky, the wolf padded slowly towards the cabin where it knew she waited.
~~~~
I wasn't sure how, but I knew when Will started coming to the house and I fought off the urge to gasp for breath. Was it safe? Would I be safe if I answered to whatever it was that tugged at me so strongly? In the darkness, I could see him walking towards the house. By Blank's reaction, I could tell that he could, too.
"Amy..." he said softly, half question, half warning. He'd noticed that I'd stood from my chair, even if I hadn't. With that, he got the attention of the other chandra, except for Leilani, who still worked diligently on whatever project she was up to her elbows in at the moment.
"Amy?" This time, a question from Cornet. I knew none of them wanted a repeat performance of the night before. I didn't want to worry them either, but I knew that Will was coming to the house whether I wanted him to or not. Though I was nervous, I was more nervous about what would transpire between him and my self-appointed protectors.
"I think I'm going running."
"That's not a good idea." Blank this time, but he didn't get up. If I knew anything about the chandra, I knew he wouldn't stop me if I had my mind made up. I didn't, but I didn't think he could change it in any case.
"I know." I couldn't tell them that I didn't know what Will would do if I didn't meet him out there now. I guess I hadn't realized until then why Blank and Dark had worried so much when Will had been sent to get me the night before; he wasn't really Will right now, was he? The sight of the wolf walking methodically towards the cottage answered that question for me. Though fear fluttered in my belly, I pushed forward. I supposed it was a little late at that point to really worry, but that didn't stop me.
"If you're not back first thing tomorrow..." Blank let the sentence trail off, but I knew what he meant. There would be a wolf hunt if I wasn't back, and I didn't want that. As much as I didn't like that thought, it was a little bit of comfort.
"I'll be back." Probably. And then I was walking towards the door. I'm coming! I didn't know what in the world I, a kirin, was going to do running under the moon with a werewolf, but I guessed he could worry about that since he wanted me to go so badly. As an after thought, I tugged on my sneakers, though I forgot my jacket entirely. Thankfully, the night was just damp and drizzly, unlike the monsoon from the night before.
I met him halfway up the driveway.
"Well?" I asked him. I noticed that his eyes were gold and nearly swallowed my tongue. But he didn't do anything at first except study me before turned away from the house, casting a glance over his shoulder at me.
~~~~
She didn't understand. The wolf could smell her fear and see her confusion, but with the patience of one that taught pups how to run with the pack, he taught the kirin what she was supposed to do. She wasn't as fast or as agile as he was, but he was surprised at her speed, keeping up with him even at a slow trot. Though he preferred to stick to the woods, he tried to keep to open plains and trails, the kirin hot on his heels.
The night was theirs.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Nov 30, 2008 3:55 pm
Sometime during the night, when Amy couldn't run anymore, they'd returned to the all but empty house, nesting on Amy's queen sized bed. Though the wolf would've been just as happy outside, curled up with his packmate for warmth, it had led all night and was content to follow the kirin's lead. Patiently, he watched as she pushed the covers off the bed, curling up in the middle. She laughed lightly as the bed groaned when the wolf joined her on it, but was otherwise quiet.
After walking a quick circle, the wolf found a comfortable place, curling up around his packmate, tucking his nose in the crook of her elbow even as she curled slightly to tuck her head on the other side of his, drawing her knees up and burying her hands in his thick, warm fur. The wolf listened as her breathing evened out, the kirin falling quickly to sleep.
It wasn't until then that she murmured the centaurs name, waking Will from the depths of the beast. As he realized he wasn't in the park with his parents and their pack, he lay perfectly still for a moment as he took in his surroundings.
Dammit, Dark was right to worry about her! But the wolf was quieter than he had been in a long time, settling in next to Amy as if it had always been so. Will didn't realize until then what had happened, and then it made her murmuring Cade's name even more painful. The wolf had marked her as pack. Though he knew that meant he would never hurt her in the throes of the moon, it meant a lot of other things that he didn't particularly care to contemplate.
Sighing, he curled closer, more protectively around her, burying his muzzle farther into the crook of her arm. He didn't know if the pack instinct was rubbing off on her or if it was her own need to protect people, he felt Amy's arms tighten slightly around his neck, comforting him even in sleep. He sighed, trying to accept the temporary reprieve while he could. The morning was probably not going to be as pleasant.
~~~~
"You know, this is the second time I've woken up with you in my bed."
"Yeah, but this time I don't have pants on, so you probably shouldn't move your hand." Amy went incredibly still and Will couldn't decide if he should run for cover or crack a rin laughing. There was a long pause, ample time to consider his options.
"Why don't you have any pants on?"
"Did I have pants on yesterday?"
"You were kind of furry yesterday."
"Yup." There was another long pause. He'd woken up in a similar position to how he'd fallen asleep, but at some point during the night (probably after he'd come back from being 'kind of furry' and she'd gotten cold) Amy had pulled the comforter back onto the bed, allowing for at least a little bit of desency. Now, she was facing him, wide eyed, pointedly not looking down towards the foot of the bed.
"I washed your clothes let me go get them I'll be right back." Will was amused that Amy suddenly didn't believe in punctuation, and despite the long night the night before, had plenty of energy to leap out of the bed and run out of the bedroom to fetch his clothes, which he hoped weren't still in the driveway. Faintly, he heard Harlequin yell, "Again?!" even has Kururu laughed uproariously. Sighing, he sat up and stretched a little, the covers falling to land in his lap. It'd been nice waking up here. He knew he shouldn't get used to it.
Pack... a voice whispered in the back of his mind. Viciously, he pushed the wolf back; he'd gotten them in enough trouble as it was.
He heard more than saw the door open and close quickly, a pile of clothes magically materializing, clean and folded, just inside. Taking the hint, he stood and dressed quickly, stepping out to find Amy at the door, blushing furiously. He supposed he owed her another apology.
"Amy, I..." Admittedly, he didn't really know what to say.
"What was that?" she asked quietly, turning her eyes up to his. He assumed she checked to see what color they were, breathing a quick sigh of relief. "I was sitting at my computer when suddenly..." The way she described it wsa very strange, because pack magic shouldn't really work with her not being a werewolf. But perhaps her being a kirin was enough?
"I'm sorry," he started off. "In cases of emergency like that, jumping into action is...well, a pack thing." She still looked confused, and he couldn't blame her. "We're kind of pack now."
"But I'm not a werewolf," she said, doubtful.
"I don't really know how that works, either," he admitted, scratching the back of his head. "But on...well, nights like last night, the pack is supposed to run together." He didn't mention that 'run' was also sometimes used as a euphamism for an entirely different nocturnal activity. As long as she didn't spend a lot of time around other werewolves, it wouldn't matter anyway.
"Oh." He could tell that it still didn't make much sense, but why would it? Deer were kind of herd animals, kinda, but kirin most certainly were not. She'd also been raised human, which wouldn't help any more.
"You remember in 'Hair of the Dog,' how Diana and Tristain...no, before all that," he added hastily. "The first full moon. That one. Its kinda like that."
"You read my book?"
"I read the trilogy." At first, she looked surprised, and for a fleeting moment, pleased. But she must've remembered that they were working together to find the one that she really cared about. "You did pretty good for someone who'd never met a werewolf, vampire, or Valkyrie before." She smiled, despite the backhanded compliment.
"Thanks. And yeah, I guess that makes sense." She'd written about how Diana, a human, had been turned and then adopted into the pack. "But I'm not a werewolf," she pointed out.
"Probably being a magical creature is close enough for..." The wolf he almost said, but that part of things tended to freak people out a little. They worked hard to make everyone believe that they were the same 'person' no matter when or in what form they were, but it wasn't...precisely true. Will had long ago come to terms with the beast he shared a form with. But she nodded, as if he'd said it anyway.
"For the wolf?" she asked softly.
"Yeah." She must've noticed. Memories from the night before were kind of fuzzy, no pun intended. Well, it wasn't as if she hadn't been warned; she'd obviously read enough of the background check he'd sent her to know exactly who and what he was.
"Well, I appreciate your coming after me. I know it's a long trim from Polaris."
"No lie," he muttered, remembering the trip he took, quite cozy to Blank. They stood awkwardly for a moment, wondering what to say to one another and Will wondering what she was going to say about being his pack.
"Well, I guess you should go home for a while. They're probably missing you. You've been gone for two days now."
"That sometimes happens when you work with weres," he explained. "But yeah. I should head out."
"Let me get your coat then." She walked him to the door as she grabbed his coat, brushed off and mostly wrinkle free jacket.
"I'll give you a call if I find anything." But she didn't seem quite as eager for information as she had been, but while he was a horrible enough person to wish it were because she was getting caught up in him, but he thought it had more to do with whatever it was she went off to do the night before. As if he were kidding, he smiled a little before saying, "Let me know if you think of anything?" Surprised, she started before smiling back.
"Ah, yeah of course," she said, her eyes telling him that the chances of that happening were slim to none. As they exchanged pleasantries and she sent him out the door, he sighed as the wolf protested. Letting the dog know where he could stick his pack, Will headed back to Polaris. He'd have a little explaining to do, anyway.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Dec 01, 2008 12:51 am
When Will left, Amy closed the door behind him and tried to close another door that had been reopened in her mind. She didn't think about how he'd come rushing to her 'rescue' at the mere mention that she might be in trouble. She was trying to find Cade, the one who'd always treated her, well, like a princess. Who'd never lied to her. She shook her head, relinquishing her hold on the doorknob and turning to look back over her notes from the day before.
The door. There was a door where there wasn't supposed to be one, and she was certain that her mother wouldn't have said it if it hadn't been on purpose. So maybe, all things considered, she hadn't known the older kirin for that long, but she seemed to do things just so...on purpose. Like there was no wasted movement, no wasted words.
Ask and ye shall receive, seek and ye shall find, knock and the door shall be opened for you.
My pen clattered to the floor before I could jot the first note today. The door? How could I have been so stupid?
"Amy, I've had about all the excitement that I can handle this week. You're not going to go running under the moon again, are you?" I heard Blank say from the couch, bringing me quickly back to reality.
"Don't think so," was all I said as I jumped out of my chair again and ran to the door, yanking it open again. Cade had disappeared from the other side. If I stood facing inside the house, I could feel the scores he'd made in the wood under my bare feet. Wiggling my toes for inspiration, I closed the door in front of me, staring at it as if it would give me the answers that I wanted.
Ask and ye shall receive. Though I felt like five kinds of an idiot, I asked the door where Cade was. The chandra began crowding around the windows as if all wanting front row seats to the show of Amy Finally Looses Her Marbles. I hoped it would be a good show.
Seek and ye shall find. I was looking for Cade. I'd been looking for him earnestly for over a week now, and I wrapped around me the longing I'd had since the last time he'd held me, or kissed me. I was looking for Cadeon Woede.
Knock and the door shall be opened to you. Steeling myself, I tried to believe that, when I opened the door Cade would be on the other side. I thought about his two-toned hair. I thought about his doe brown eyes, and the way his arms would feel wrapped around me again. I thought about pushing the door open the same way I pushed open the window in the kitchen, knowing that I would find him there. I knocked three times on the door--three was a good number, right?
The door swung open, but the chandra didn't move--it was as if they didn't see it. The same way I hadn't seen Cade disappearing until it was too late. In front of me was most distinctly not my living room. Instead of my nice wooden floors with the new burgundy carpet that he didn't ever walk on was scarred earth, stained dirt showing through where grass used to be. From the doorway, the sounds of a battle raged. A battle long passed?
"Cade," I whispered, my feet frozen to the ground. He was there somewhere. All I had to do was force my feet to move forward, but I couldn't make them budge an inch. It was then that I heard him--I heard that same cry that I heard when he'd disappeared, and I saw him fall in front of the door, bound hand and foot (and foot). Eyes wide with surprise--and terror?--his wide brown eyes looked at me for just a moment.
"Close the door!" he yelled at me. "Amy, for the love of God, close the damn door!" Jumping as if he'd slapped me, I lunged forward and grabbed the door handle just as a shadow seemed to pass over the sun. When I pulled it back closed with both hands, it felt for a moment like someone was on the other end, pulling, but...well, I probably wasn't stronger, but there was a good chance I was faster. The door slammed closed.
Seconds passed. Minutes passed, and I slipped down onto my knees, feeling those scores in the wood under my knees, the ones that shook so badly that they wouldn't support me anymore. I wished desperately that I could rest my forehead against the door, but instead I had to do this strange headbutt thing so I wouldn't stick my horn in the door. I wanted to curse, but I couldn't. I wanted to cry but the tears wouldn't come. I did, however, shriek when the door opened from the other side, tumbling me forward...thankfully onto the 'welcome' doormat that was right inside my door.
"How does that go? Much ado about nothing?" the angel said wryly, looking down at me. When I popped back up and grabbed him by the shoulders in a frantic grip, he raised an eyebrow at me.
"I saw him," I choked out. "I saw him on the other side of the door. I don't think you could see it cause you were on the inside of the house like I was on the inside of the house the day he disappeared and I couldn't see inside but this time I was on the right side I mean the outside of the door and I was looking through it to wherever it is that he is and I knew he was in trouble he was bound hand and foot and I wanted to go through but I couldn't and then he told me to close the door and then a shadow passed over the sun didn't you see that?" I gasped for breath and Kururu came up behind me and patted me on the back.
"So you saw Cade?" she asked. At least she didn't seem...to doubtful of my story. I nodded, half excited, half miserable, and half impatient. That's too many halves, I know, but bear with me.
"That's what I just said! I've got to do something...save him!"
"Slow down," he said gently, taking one of my trembling hands in his. "Save him from what?"
"I don't know, but he's in trouble. He was...he was tied up, tossed around like a ragdoll." The chandra gasped. What would be strong enough to toss a full grown centaur around like a childs toy? "Cade yelled for me to close the door before..." Before I could get my shaking knees and frozen feet to do anything. Before I could even pick my jaw up off the floor. Before I could do anything. I think Blank was looking at me sympathetically, but I could never quite be sure.
"We've got to go rescue him!" That, of course was Cornet. She always had that gung ho attitude, even when Kururu (for once) was trying to talk sense into her. What had Cade? What had happened? And why were we going to go running to a place where even Cade didn't want us to go? All good questions, questions I didn't have answers to, except for the lsat one--even though Cade didn't want me to go, I had to help him. I had to. I wasn't helpless Amy. I was an adult. I was a kirin. We didn't sit around and do nothing. Well, I mean, we kind of do, but its always proactive in a manner of speaking. Whatever. You get where I'm going with this.
"So what are you going to do?" the angel asked me, prying my fingers free of his arms. My grip wasn't a strong one, but it probably got uncomfortable after a while. There was a long pause as everyone looked at me.
"I don't know."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
