1,559 words.
####His words were sure to startle her and, true to his expectations, it was easily understood that they had done just that. There was no way for him to change her reaction to his words and appearance and, truthfully, he had not really considered what she would have to say about the blood and wounds. The grave tone of his voice, however, seemed to have done what it was meant to do, and she accepted his request without questioning him. For that, he was very glad, as this was going to be incredibly difficult to begin with. In return for her compliance, Vigilante knew that he would have to adhere to her wishes, as well, and at the tug of her hand on his arm, he followed her inside without another word. The house did not look much different than it had the last time he had been inside, although Ayita’s two children were nowhere to be seen in the immediate area. Their absence did not strike him in any way, but instead, he made his way to the couch where they had spent time together once before. He perched on the edge of the cushion awkwardly, allowing space for Ayita to do what it was that she wished to do, inhaling deeply and shakily as he sat down. His eyes fell shut, which did not surprise him, considering how emotionally and physically tired as he was.
####There was no way for him to put off everything that he needed to say, so as he exhaled, he decided to put everything out in the open at once. He knew, of course, that he would not be able to stop himself from speaking once he began, and there was no way that he could turn back now. Ayita needed to know everything that he was going to tell her. It would certainly be difficult, but maybe it would make being with her easier for him. He always felt guilty about keeping his secrets from her, when she so willingly had shared hers. “Ayita, you need to know something. I’m not a good man, and that’s why I haven’t told you this. I have not shared it with anyone here, except someone like me,” he added, correcting himself as her thought of the lone coyote, Onus. They had found company in one another in their professions, Vigilante’s from the past and Onus still doing it. “I wanted to tell you this so long ago, but it was too difficult to think about how you might react. I did not want to frighten you away, and the thought of losing you as a friend was unbearable. But Ayita, I need to tell you this now, and it can’t wait any longer. You, of all people here, deserve to know all of this.”
####He drew in another shaky breath, finally opening his eyes and letting his emerald gaze settle on her. “My name is not just a name, but also a profession. A vigilante is. . . Someone who kills those who do something bad—murderers, rapists, twisted folk. The pack that I came from was very superstitious, and passed down their legends through generations of the dogs that were inducted into the council of Elders. Every time they were passed down, something changed, as will always happen. Eventually, the legends told of a brother and sister with specific appearances. The male was meant to save them all from evil, and the female was meant to give her life to save someone she loved. My parents were the leaders of our pack, but most things were in the jurisdiction of the Elders. When my sister and I were born, we fit the physical description for the legends. From the day of our birth, the Elders controlled us. They named us Vigilante and Martyr,” he said, though his voice hitched on his sister’s name. It was still difficult to think about what he was going to say, as well as it was difficult to think of his late sister any other time, but he had come too far to stop now, and Ayita deserved to know everything, not bits and pieces of his story.
####“We were raised in a cave, separated from the pack. My training began when I was very young, and by my first birthday, I was already doing the bidding of the Elders. Ayita. . . I have killed so, so many. There is no doubt in my mind that these people deserved it. As I said, I was trained in the art of vigilantism, and only killed those that did wrong. No children, and if I could help it, no women. I drew that line for myself. Martyr was simply raised to be caring and tender, and when we were a bit older, the Elders told her she must have a litter of puppies. They picked the father—I do not even know his name, and he never took part in their lives. Regardless, the April after our second birthday, my sister gave birth to four puppies. There was one male, Pello, and three females, called Rashelle, Pippa, and Lolita. As they grew, it became evident that Pello was growing to be very violent and disturbed. On more than one occasion, he attacked his sisters, and even his mother, as well as quite a few outside of our family. He seemed completely uncontrollable, and Martyr and I both felt helpless. I was torn. He was becoming the very thing I sought to destroy, Ayita, but he was my nephew, my flesh and blood.”
####“I did not have to make that decision, however. The Elders took me aside and told me what I had to do, and to this day I wish I had not done it. Through their instructions, I. . . I killed my sister on our third birthday. They told us that it was the only way to stop Pello, and because it was what they told my sister she had been raised for, she was so willing to give her life to save others. She was a great woman, and when I met you, you almost reminded me of her,” he said quietly, shoulders sagging at the memory. This was very difficult for him, but he had not taken his eyes off of Ayita yet. He felt that she deserved to hear this completely, and he would be disrespecting her if he did not look at her while he spoke. Vigilante was not looking for her reaction, however, but simply so that she knew he was serious about being honest with her. He wished he had been honest with her from the start; it may have been easier if he did not care about her so much. “After she died, very peacefully mind you, in contrast with the others that I have killed, I fled. I could not bear to see what would happen when someone found her, as the Elders had only told the two of us and would not allow us to tell anyone else. When I fled, I came here after a few months. It seemed very safe, a great distance from my old pack.”
####“However, a recent encounter made me realize just how small the world really is. Two days ago, I was in the city, and my niece appeared. Lolita was always different, never quite right in the head, but now she believes that she is dead. She told me that Pello’s violence did not stop after my sister’s death, but actually escalated, and then he killed her, or so she seems to believe. She attacked me, and though I knew her intent was to kill me, I could not fight back. I deserved it, and for some reason, she did not finish what she had started. It was then that I realized that I had no reason to stop,” he added in a brief whisper. “Ayita, I need to continue doing what I was trained to do. You need to know that I have killed many before, and that I plan to begin again. I want to keep my jobs away from the pack, though. It will be no one that you know, and there will be no danger to you here. However, if you come in contact with a cream-colored female from Dahlia de Mai with bright red hair and a red tattoo between her eyes, do not tell her you know me. Lolita is unstable and very, very dangerous.”
####It had been his plan to stop there, but apparently, the fates (if there even was such a thing) did not agree with his intentions. Before he could stop himself, Vigilante found himself, breathlessly whispering, “And Ayita, I think I love you.” The words took even him by surprise, as he had not wanted to scare her away with his story and then tell her that. Evidently, he could not help himself. A slight look of shock registered on his face as he realized what he had just said, but he could not think of anything else to say. Instead of trying to find a way to fix what surely was a mistake in words, all he could do was watch her helplessly, as if afraid she would cast him out and hate him for the rest of their lives.