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Jezebel had started to get the hang of clan life quite easily, settling herself amongst the caves by the coast. She had already met a couple other members of Inferni; Ryan whom she had easily gotten along with, and an eccentric girl named Zana. Yet she had still not seen Gabriel since joining, and though they had caught up on much since they had last known each other in the South during their youth, the ashen woman still wanted to know more. Jezebel set out in lupus form, her fur soft and flowing, it's dark tones blending amongst the tree cast shadows with flashes of the white upon her chest, lower face and inner ears. Her ruby eyes sparkled with the excitement of the run as she sped through the forest of Inferni looking for Gabriel's distinct, and musky scent. She found it everywhere, along each blade of grass and the bark of the trees. She tried to keep track of his freshest scent, wandering towards its source, back towards the caves. The woman slowed to a stop, bones reforming and sinews snapping as her limbs stretched and her form took on more humanoid qualities, until finally she stood straight and shook her dark, wavy hair from her red eyes. Looking about curiously the curvaceous woman walked slowly froward, scenting the air briefly before pausing and letting loose a low howl for Gabriel, hugging her arms as a light breeze tickled at her shortened fur, her tail starting a slow and rhythmic sway as she awaited for her old friend to answer with a smile in place.
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The dreams kept coming back.
Gabriel had been awake since before dawn, sitting at the shore. It was peculiar that such a place would make him feel comfortable—given that his brother had died, screaming, on the sand, and given that Faolin had been stolen by the sea. Still, it was what his home had been for years. Even in California, when the city had burnt and the screams of the dying had been all around, Gabriel had gone to the sea. Under his body the sand was packed loosely and cold, reminding him of how the nights had been in the desert.
He had been there when her voice rose from the east, and he turned his head at the noise. How peculiar it was that she should find her way here after all that had happened, and after so many years. Pushing his hair out of his face with a scarred hand, the Aquila answered her voice with his own, inviting her to join him at the shore.
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Her smile widened at the answering call, her features glowing as she headed towards the nearby shore. It took about ten minutes until her feet finally left prints in the loose, cold sand as she made her way toward his sun silhouetted form. "Gabriel," she called happily as she approached, throwing herself down in the sand beside him with a laugh as sand sprayed up in the air. She sat there quietly for a moment, pushing her curly back hair behind her left ear, which twitched towards the sound of the water making its way toward the shore, draping her tail over her thigh. "Do you come here often and sit alone?" She asked curiously, a sly smile in place as she looked at the triangle shaped scar upon his muzzle, following the line of his neck down to the scars upon his shoulders and arms, a small knot forming on her brow as she resisted the urge to trace each one delicately with her fingers. "You've gotten so many more since I last saw you," she said quietly gazing for a moment longer at the scars upon his arms, before looking up into his gold-yellow eyes. She had gained quite a collection of her own over the past couple years, but not as impressive as Gabriel's, hers were mostly covered by her soft ashen fur, some not even noticeable unless you felt along her arms and torso, and she ran her hands along her arms then feeling a slight chill as a small breeze picked up.
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Despite the weight of days, he smiled broadly as she approached. It was a remarkable thing, to have her appear as she had. The woman had been a great comfort in their youth, sitting up overnight and speaking about everything that they had come from, and everything they had been. None of that had mattered in the southwest; there was only blood. Wolf or coyote. In the end, though, even that had meant nothing. Fire cared little for blood or ideology—fire only cared for fuel and for what it could take as it fought to stay alive. And it had lived for what felt like forever. It had still been burning as he turned east.
Even at the mention of the scars, he smiled. She had been there the day he had gained the one on his face, helping Eli do what he could to treat the wound. The gray wolf had been his one and only mistake during that war, and it was a fault of his pride that he had allowed such a thing. God could not stand the prideful, Eli had reminded him, and advised he take the wound and resulting scar as a warning. So he had. “There’s always war,” he said. “There are always people out for blood.”
The wind tugged against his fur, and his long hair blew into his face, causing him to shut one eye. The other saw all too well that she was cold, and without hesitation, he put one arm around her waist and tugged her in towards his body. “It’s not as warm here as it was south, Jez.” A faint smile.
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[html]I love your new set! Don't mind my sudden burst of inspiration. lol
_____How she terribly wished to brush her lips against the corner of that smile. Since seeing him again after the two years that had past so many fond memories had come back to the ashen woman, yet seeing him again also brought back dreams and horrors that she desperately wished had never been associated with this man beside her. But the past had been what molded their future, and what had caused her to never stop searching for her closest friend. Gabriel. She almost uttered his name aloud as her ruby eyes gazed into his golden ones, but she caught it in a sharp intake of breath as he spoke.
_____Jezebel nodded sagely, agreeing completely with what he had said, having seen first hand as he had the need to stake ones claim, to empty the enemy of his life, his blood so that others could live, could conquer. Looking back on the war now she saw them as sad days, but deep inside she knew a small part of her had enjoyed toying with the enemy, felt no remorse for taking a life, and also had felt a great accomplishment in being able to heal the wounded, her friends. She gazed solemnly at her hands for a moment, which now lay palm up upon her lap, ears laying back against her head and causing her dark hair to cascade about her face.
_____Though soon his touch brought her back to the present, and she looked up suddenly as he snaked his arm around her waist and pulled her in, tensing by the sudden -- and warming flush -- of Gabriel's closeness. “It’s not as warm here as it was south, Jez.” Smiling meekly with laughter in her eyes she relaxed into his embrace, leaning her head against the rough textures of his shoulder and placing her hand across the hardened muscles of his stomach. It felt all to right, all to natural being here, in Gabriel's embrace, she could have almost sighed and dozed off if something had not constantly tugged at the back of her mind, had been a main curiosity and worry in her ever since joining Inferni.
_____"Gabe," she began tentatively, almost sad to be ruining the moment, as she knew this very well might do. "What ever happened between you and Faolin?" She winced noticeably at mentioning the other woman's name, though tried her best to keep calm and composed, unsure if she was touching a sensitive subject or being to forward about the fact behind her true affections for Gabriel. She remained silent, waiting as she tried hard not to look up into his face as she continued to lay against his form. [/html]
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Her scent was like something from a dream. It was familiar, and comforting, but it was almost unreal. Everything about her seemed unreal. Gabriel could not recall much before the Voice and its command. Even his childhood was beginning to fade. He remembered his brother’s death, and he remembered the woman in the wilderness. She no longer had a name, though. He remembered coming home, and he remembered the war and the battle with the Storm-wolf. That he recalled if only for the twisted scar on his shoulder. He remembered his wife and children, and he remembered how they had been. Then there had been the Voice. After that there had been fire.
Gabriel had brought about the end of two worlds, and could not justify either. He knew it was right, though. That was something he would never deny. The Aquila’s eyes remained focused on the ocean, distant and hollow. It was not until the woman spoke that his ears twitched and his head turned slightly. There was rage in his blood but it was muted; he had begun to feel less and less as the days went on. “We were happy for a while,” he began. “Had two wonderful children. After the fire we came here, and things were good until the war started. One of the leaders of the pack to our south, Dahlia de Mai, took it upon himself to crucify a woman and her child of our clan. It could not stand unpunished,” he growled, all the rage of a terrible God in his voice. “I sent my children away with their godmother and her brother and Faolin followed. My daughter returned a few months later. She was captured…and her uncle raped her. Thank God that Faolin returned not long after to help her heal. Then…then she vanished.”
He could not stop the words from coming. It seemed that some flood-gate had broken. “She came back a few months ago, with another man. Apparently a storm had washed her to sea, where the coyote had found her. Then they both disappeared.” Gabriel went quiet suddenly. After what felt like forever, he continued. “I think she went with him,” he said lowly, the pain of betrayal deep in his voice.
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_____Jezebel tried her best to relax against him as he started to speak, answering the question she so desperately needed an answer to. Everything he was saying was new to her, though when they had reunited not even a few days before he had mentioned a few things; such as the fire, and a vague mentioning of the war. Jezebel seemed to conveniently look over the fact that a fire seemed to follow where ever Gabriel went, it even lay dormant in his eyes.
_____She looked back up at him then as he spoke of a woman and child being crucified, and a growl rumbled deep in his chest, causing Jezebel to tense up against him and hug him closer. Hearing about Faolin after what had seemed like a life time brought back memories of the Gabriel who had been so in love with the copper woman, had spoken of her often to both Jezebel and Eli. To hear she had vanished, had disappeared with another man after all Gabriel had been through spoke of great betrayal, especially when his children had been left behind as well.
_____"I'm so sorry Gabriel. Sorry that I could not be here for you sooner." Jezebel said softly, trying to capture his gaze with her own. Trying to not only be the comforting ear he could confide in, but the emotional shoulder he could lean on as well. "What are the names of your children?" She asked after a moment, knowing that perhaps speaking of them for a time would help dull the fire and pain she could see he was trying to hide. [/html]
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Their eyes met and despite the terrible anger in his heart, he smiled. She was open and genuine, as Faolin had once been. He no longer knew that woman, and he hated that fact. It no longer mattered, though, he supposed. She was gone. If she returned again, he would not recognize her. She was dead to him, gone away with the steel colored coyote that she had come with. Gabriel exhaled, and let go.
“Ezekiel and Talitha,” he said, and the smile remained because he knew that she would understand. Those names meant something great, and one had all-ready proven to be true.
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_____"The prophet Ezekiel and 'little girl arise', little Talitha." Jezebel smiled as she described their meanings, knowing full well the importance of their names as Gabriel had surmised. With a small laugh that chimed through the brief silence, Jezebel moved away from the warmth of Gabriel's side, stretching before placing her hands in the sand on either side of her. "I can't believe how good it feels to see you again," she sighed, tail swishing over her thigh. "It seems to have been quite a long couple years for the both of us." Jezebel murmured, crossing her legs and resting her arms on her legs, leaning forward to study the rough texture of the sand in front of her, her hair cascading back around her face once more.
_____"So," Jezebel began to break the silence, looking back over at Gabriel. "Where does the great Gabriel spend most of his days?" She asked, her smile growing and laughter glimmering within her ruby eyes. "I want to see where you like to go, where the leader resides. If you don't mind showing me around that is." [/html]
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He smiled, and brushed his hair behind his left ear. It was wonderful to have someone recognize what those names meant, what he had intended to do for his children. Both of his feet dug into the sand, and he thought of the thousands of times he had done this—three different coastlines, two at the end of this world. Both had gone up in flames. Gabriel stared ahead at the ocean, but he did not see it. His eyes were both remarkably hollow, as if he had left his body behind and gone somewhere else.
And indeed it seemed like it, as they lit back up at her voice. He turned his head and met her gaze, smiling still. “As you wish,” he laughed, and pushed himself up. After helping the dark-furred coyote to her feet, he began to walk towards the slope that led up to the plains. “My home isn’t that far from here, if you want to see that,” he called over his shoulder, amber eyes shining in the half-light.
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She watched as his eyes went hollow and listless, as hers often did when she was lost in thoughts of her past. Though never lost in thought for long when there was someone to pull you out of it. Mirroring his smile she took his hand as he helped her up, brushing some of the sand from her fur before catching up to his bronze form, and falling in close beside him. “Sure,” she conceded, following him up the slope that would lead them toward the grasslands of Inferni. After a time of walking in silence, Jezebel keeping pace with the much the taller Aquila with ease she sighed contentedly, a barely existent breeze refreshing against her soft ashen fur, she studied the dark brown hairs upon his forearm with light interest before striking up their conversation once more. “So have you been here this whole time since California? I know there was another fire and you had to relocate, but where you before all this?” She asked, curious to know if he had headed here straight away, ran back to Faolin, or if he had considered other options along the way. What of the family he had spoken of in their youth? Not wanting to bombard Gabriel with to many questions at once Jezebel kept the rest of these unspoken thoughts to herself, fiddling absently with the cross around her neck as she once more pushed the hair away from her eyes.
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They shared that same terrible history in their past; of the war over blood, the Midwest and its terrible empty landscapes, and the deep south and the danger further west that had met with them. For all they knew, Eli was dead—if he was, Gabriel would not forgive himself. “I came back for my family,” he answered, both ears turning back slightly as he thought instantly of Andrezej. “The place I lived in my childhood had long-since been destroyed. Their clan was slaughtered. Inferni was where I belonged.”
Pushing his hair out of his face, he absentmindedly let one hand drop and grasp her own. It still amazed him that she had come this far after so long, that time and distance and the elements had not destroyed her. “I’m really glad you’re back.”
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[html]Omg cute! I'm so sorry I didn't get to this sooner. Things have been hectic.
“It seems terrible fates have followed you for some time, but you have turned out for the better from them. From what I've seen you accomplish so far, the love you hold for your family, I am honored to know you.” She smiled warmly, averting her gaze for she felt a blush blooming beneath the fur across her nose and cheeks. “It's just all a part of the plan He has for you, and so far His rewards seem good.” Jezebel was of course referring to his children and the strong community he had established. Walking alongside him in comfortable silence, the ashen and cream splashed female not noticing at first that his warm and firm grip was clasped around her own delicate hand, for it felt so natural and comforting. When she did her ears flicked back shyly and a blush crept back onto her features, her smile brightening when Gabriel spoke. “I am too. I'm just glad I was able to find you. Perhaps I'll finally be able to settle down after these past few years of freedom,” she said, bumping into him lightly in a playful fashion, tail swaying contentedly. [/html]
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She understood in a way few did. Through the trials there had been rewards; Gabriel had never doubted his fate. It stood before everything that he had, and have served him well. The Voice never left him. Even in the madness of battle, in the tribulations of war, there had been that faith. She brushed against him and the Aquila smiled, nudging her back with his scarred arm. “I hope so,” he said, and laughed lightly. He couldn’t remember laughing this much in a long time. “I think you’ll do well here.”
They had, by this point, traveled far enough from the coast to reach the inner territory. The caves began to crawl out of the tall grass, marking their position like long-dead giants and sleeping dragons. “So we’ve covered my life,” he said, smiling. “What has Miss Jezebel managed to accomplish since I saw you last, hm?”
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The caves soon came into view as they continued further into the territory; the gray caverns large and intimidating, a rolling mass of rock tenderly sculpted from the earth itself. It was a familiar sight for Jezebel, for her home was tucked neatly within these rocks, further around the formation. Rubbing Gabriel's knuckles with her thumb in soft, circular motions she flicked one of her pointed, soft ashen ears towards him as he spoke. Yes, she did feel she would do well here, with Gabriel nearby and her dreams but not a far off reality. She wished to push the memories of the War behind them; locked safely away for inescapable dreams and quiet, comforting conversations.Gabriel's question caused Jezebel to smile sweetly as well, turning to look at his prominent, handsome features for a moment before casting her red gaze to their surroundings. “Well Ms Jezebel,” she corrected, a joking lilt to her voice, though really she had never been fond of being addressed as Miss before; she was almost four after all, and she definitely felt her age. “has been traveling non-stop for quite some time. I did return back to where I was born to see if one of my brothers might still be there, but it seemed that my family had abandoned that place some time ago.” And deep down she was glad that she did not have to actually see her mother or father, for she had never found a place in her heart for them. “After that I headed north, keeping clear of wolves in case one wished to seek their vengeance,” for she had tortured quite a few that might have survived and though she doubted they had she couldn't help but be cautious. “I also never joined any clans, though I made a few friends who made traveling easier, less lonely...” She looked back at Gabriel then, an uncertainty in her eyes yet a smile playing at the corners of her mouth. “I never found lovers or a mate. I guess I've really just been searching for the right one this whole time.” Her chest clenched tight then, not sure how he might take what she had just said, unsure if he might pull away. [/html]
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Everything they had done during the war had been swept up in fire and ash. In the end there had been no clear winner—those who had survived scattered after the fire. They did so with good reason, of course. The horrors of that final act had been too much for many to bear. Still the fire did what it was prophesied to do. Just as it had last year, when the smell of spring was still all around them. Would he have felt more if he had known so many had died trying to flee? No.
God had set him to burn.
Gabriel smiled still, interested in what she had done, and this smile faltered only slightly when she mentioned lovers. His had run off. She was as good as dead. “I thought I found the right one,” he said, looking away from her. “Apparently I was wrong.” After a long pause, he squeezed her hand and turned his face back to her, the smile now only slightly sad. But he said nothing. He had nothing left to say.
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His smile, such a contagious pull of lips, that Jezebel couldn't help but continue to do the same. When his smile faltered though at what she had said her ears flicked back and a concern lit a new light within her ruby eyes. He had thought he had found the right one, but he had been wrong. Did that mean that she still had a chance? That it was not to late, even after the heartache he had endured and apparently brushed aside, to make a place for herself within his wide and caring embrace? So far Jezebel could only hope, but that hope had certainly grown brighter since she had called for Gabriel earlier on.
“Life,” she sighed out with the breath she had been unknowingly holding. “Full of trials and errors that, it seems, no one can figure out or avoid.” She shrugged, one of those shrugs that can mean anything or nothing at all, squeezing his hand in return. “Let's call it a day then, huh? We've got plenty more time to catch up since I don't plan on going anywhere anytime soon.” With that she reluctantly dropped her hand from his comforting hold, waiting for their goodbyes so she could make her way to the small cave nearby where she had set up shop for herself. They always had tomorrow to talk and the day after, even the day after that. For now she was sure he had other business to attend to and Jezebel herself was still busy making herself at home after all.
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