I need not one thing more

Yet now I'm standing here, my heart so full, I can't explain
Seeking faith and speaking words I never thought I'd say.

How on earth did she every agree to doing this? Because this was what family did right? Crucifix couldn't be around to watch over her baby sister for all hours of the day. Because of her declining mental state, it was sure to be doing her mother some good to have time to herself. No doubt that there were times when she looked at her new child and all she could see was the man that was her father. Izual had committed a terrible act against her.. but really it wasn't Dahlia's fault. It wasn't like she had been asked to be born into this world.. it wasn't like she had begged Izual to create her.. or even the Lord for that matter. She was innocent in all this.. and Faith would like for things to stay that way.

Her younger sister had long since opened her eyes and was making her first steps around the room that her and their mother shared, but even so, the darker sibling felt the need to keep her close. This was the first time the young pup was coming outside of the room.. and no doubt she would want to see everything the mansion had to offer.

The lighter pup hung from her arms as the robed sister made her way to chapel. It was at least one of the smaller rooms in the mansion, and at least this way maybe she could begin introducing her sister to the family faith.. even if she couldn't understand it all that well. If anything, it wouldn't be very hard to lose her sister.. maybe just in the pews if for some reason she managed to slip away and wander off.

As Faith made her way into the chapel, she carefully shut the door behind her. She was careful to make sure that Dahlia was still comfortable in her arms while she was moving around with one free hand to close them off from the rest of the mansion. Once everything was well, her paws carried her over towards the front, moving onto her knees. It was at this point that she set her sister down at her side. The little one was confused to her new surroundings, but seeing as her darker sibling was so familiar, it was good to keep close to her, just like it was to keep close to her mother. The Triones' head lowered towards the ground, eyes closing as she silently began to pray to the Lord above. Her hands carefully came together, palms pressed against each other as she continued in silence.

Do you mind if we forward date this to the 13th? +400 words.

In Scintilla there had been Speakers, those who preached the Truth and incited action among soldiers and common-folk against sin in all its shapes and skins. Goliath knew the stories of war and hellfire and had been made an example of, too-large and too-different to be a product of anything but some secret sin. He might have cast his faith aside under such persecution, but too much of it made sense to him, and some beliefs were more ingrained than others. In the end, he could only have hope. The meek would inherit the earth.

Stepping into the small chapel and spotting the big wooden cross on the wall for the first time, he’d smiled.

Since then Goliath had visited the place from time to time. It granted him respite because it was, if nothing else, a peaceful and quiet place. Sometimes he thumbed through the bible, slow to read the words; he might not have understood if not for his familiarity with the names. He always prayed before he left.

Today he stank of dung and horse sweat, and scrubbed claws through his growing-shaggy hair as he stepped into the chapel. He dipped his fingers in the sconce to wet a smudge of dirt above his eye (its ritualistic purpose was unknown to him) then looked to the pews.

A figure knelt there, head bowed in prayer. Goliath lowered his ears and moved quietly, hoping not to disturb her—but then a head popped around the bench and stared at him with owlish eyes.

“Oh.” Goliath’s tail began to wag.

Yet now I'm standing here, my heart so full, I can't explain
Seeking faith and speaking words I never thought I'd say.

Though Faith was focused on her prayers, she made sure to keep one eye open for her sister. Though she didn't wander away too far, she was still at least exploring a bit of the room on her own. All pups were curious, and the only worry in her mind was about her sister's age. Really she should still be with their mother, but staying in that room all day couldn't be too good for her. As long as she was watching over here, then there was sure not to be any problem.

The Tirones' ears moved to the sound of someone else entering the room, but seeing as the one who came in did not address her, there was no reason to break from her praying. She wouldn't want to disturb this newcomer if he or she had just come to send word to God in silence. Dahlia had noticed him though. She had wandered away to just in front of one of the pews in the front, towards the alter. Her eyes went wide at the stranger that had just come into the room. Instinctively, she began to move closer to her sister, hiding a bit from view. This broke the girl out of her trance, "Something wrong Dahlia?"

When she saw her sister looking over her, towards the back of the room, noticing the male there. Judging from the way his tail was wagging behind him, there was some excitement in seeing the pup in the room. One hand moved over her sister's head gently as she spoke, "There's nothing to worry about Dahlia. I am sure he doesn't mean any harm." A smile moved onto her face as she addressed the male, "It's a pleasure to meet you. Please forgive Dahlia. This is her first time out."

+300 words.

Owlish eyes stared at the giant, and the puppy shirked back against the red robes of her guardian, who placed a mahogany hand on the child’s head and reassured her.

Goliath lowered his tattered ears hesitantly when the older girl—for she was just a girl still, couldn’t have been more than a year old if that—addressed him, and he was prepared to be rebuked or judged in that glance. However, she only greeted him with a smile, one that Goliath returned.

“No need t’ forgive anythin’,” he said, his voice low but quiet. “Thought it’d be odd if she wasn’t a lil afraid of me.” Most of the puppies in Scintilla had cast him similarly worried looks, the big and strange mongrel that their parents ostracized. Some he had befriended through natural charm, but the suggestion of adults turned these against him readily enough. Only a handful, like his cousin, had come around.

“I’m Goliath, new around here,” the male introduced, stepping closer. He settled down onto his knees in the pew on the other side of the aisle, looking at the puppy and making a small, comforting noise in his throat as his tail continued to wag.

Yet now I'm standing here, my heart so full, I can't explain
Seeking faith and speaking words I never thought I'd say.

Faith was aware of how young she looked compared to the other luperci members of Inferni, especially with a young pup being so close to her. She wondered if it was possible for someone so young to still be mistaken as Dahlia's mother rather than her sister. Surely it would be easy to spot that one out right? Even so, the most she could do was give the man a smile. It was clear that he was not here to bring harm to either one of them, so there was no reason to be so protective of her sister like she would have to be with her mother.

The robed girl was not sure where this male had come from. He must have been new seeing as she didn't recall ever seeing him when she was much younger. His statement did puzzle her a bit. Why would it be strange if pups were not afraid of him? Perhaps the size had something to do with that, especially seeing that her sister was still only a month old. She wasn't sure what to give him as a response to what he had said, so hopefully her smile would be enough for him, as well as a nod in his direction.

So he was new, just as she had suspected. He introduced himself, so it was only fitting that she do the same in return. Once he had ventured closer to the pair of females, it was time that she spoke up again, "I am Faith de le Poer, and you've already met my sister." One hand trailed along the top of the gray and red pup's head. The pup herself rested along one flap of her sister's robes, watching Goliath with a mix of worry and curiosity. Her ears turned forward as he made the noise within his throat, catching her attention, though seemed to just look up at her sister with a confused look on her face, "He's trying to be friendly with you Dahlia."

+300 words.

The little pup looked to her sibling for reassurance, and Faith soothed her. Goliath, meanwhile, smiled and shrugged his broad shoulders, moving his legs out from beneath him to sit tailor style on the chapel floor. “S’all right. She’ll come around or she won’t.” Most flighty things, whether they were children or horses, disliked being cornered; it was best to let the creature come to him of their own volition. Sitting and chatting with the older sibling would help, too, and give Dahlia time to get used to his presence.

“Faith’s a nice name,” Goliath said with all honesty, smiling. “Your ancestor Gabriel de le Poer? Some folk still talk about him in Zion.” The stories faded, though, as over a decade had passed since the hybrid’s involvement and the burning of SoCal. His descendants, having gone AWOL, were spoken of in an entirely different manner. It was strange to think how names mentioned in passing had such a connection to Inferni and his homeland, and how Goliath had ended up here after it all. He took a deep breath.

This breath leaked out steadily as he lifted his eyes to the Chaos Star painted on the wall, and other decorations -- from candles to a wolf skull -- that gave the room a different feel than the other hollowed-out places in the mansion. “I didn’t know anyone here believed,” Goliath murmured, his gaze returning to Faith. “Least not for sure.”

Yet now I'm standing here, my heart so full, I can't explain
Seeking faith and speaking words I never thought I'd say.

Dahlia was still, admittedly, very young. Well, young not only compared to her older sister, but young in the sense that she was out before she was able to do so on her own. Still, this interaction with another member of the clan, even someone who was new, might be good for her. It would help her to understand the dynamic of those they all shared a home with as well as letting her learn the faces of those within Inferni. Members came and went, but as she grew older, she would need to be able to recognize them. There was always a place to start for everyone.

The pup seemed content to remain at her robed sister's side, letting her green orbs observe the male while her older sister spoke with him. Gabriel. The only thing familiar about the name was their shared family. De le Poer. A slight frown creased along her features to this fact, "Perhaps he is, but I am not sure. I don't believe he is.. directly related to my family. We're descendants from a more.. religious background." That was her own statement. However true it rang was unclear. This other de le Poer could have been just as strong in his faith as she was in her own. Perhaps he knew more on the man than she did, which was next to nothing.

Faith was strong to some in the clan, and not to others. It was mostly present in her family, though there were others that believed. It was strange.. there were even those outside that clan that believed, just like the tan male that sat before her. Darkened hands closed together, palms pressed against each other in front of her before they opened up towards him, "My family has always been blessed with believers in the Lord. There are others, like Cartier, who also believe in him. Do you then as well? Has the Lord shown you anything?" Signs of the present and future, something she prayed for day by day along with his infinite mercy.

+300 words.

“Folk say Gabriel heard the voice of God,” replied the giant evenly. “But I don’t know much more ’n his name. The stories are generations old.”

The tales came from a time when fire cleansed the earth, when the wars between wolf and coyote were still young, though the Speakers were always careful to speak of this as God’s plan, God’s retribution, rather than the action of any singular man. In these ways they assumed more powers for themselves, the truth of which Goliath began to recognize only at a great distance from the preachers. The years changed the war, and it came violent and frenzied yet again.

His eyes glazed with memories, but then the girl opened her hands toward him, and Goliath smiled with melancholy. “He ain’t seen fit t’ show me nothin’,” he responded. “Back home my kin said it was because I was diff’rent. Too big, too stupid.” He shrugged broad shoulders and opened his own hands to show this to the girl; his dwarfed hers. “I believe in The Spirit. In the sacrifice of the Son.” He pointed to the cross on the wall. “But I ain’t sure I believe that God speaks to all men.”

He wasn’t sure if those who spoke in tongues and claimed to see omens were proper men of faith or if such a thing bordered on witchcraft and idolism. Men would grab at power in whatever ways they could, and didn’t stop at ostracizing others and blaming problems on scapegoats born just a little bit different.

Yet now I'm standing here, my heart so full, I can't explain
Seeking faith and speaking words I never thought I'd say.

There was a distant member of her family that was able to hear the voice of God? What an honor it must have been to be able to speak to the Lord himself. Then Faith could feel her ears falling down at another thought. Such a thing could have also been a terrible curse. What if this Gabriel had caused so many sins that he faced the wrath of God. What would the Lord say to him then? Would he even speak at all if it came down to that? Sadness mixed with her curiosity, "If that is true, I wonder what it must have been like to have the Lord speak to him. Maybe it helped him lead his life in the Lord's name." Or turned him against it.

The robed girl began to raise her ears back up to their position, but soon drooped down once more to Goliath's words. How could those he lived with say such things? What was wrong with being different? In the end, were they not all children of the Lord? He loved each of his children as much as the other, offering mercy to those who had sinned against him. Blue-green gaze followed along to the cross hanging on the wall. He believed, and that should be all that mattered.

One hand tentatively reached out towards the man, resting it along one of his broad shoulders should she be allowed to do so. A smile came to her face, "God works in mysterious ways. He has yet to show me anything either, if he will at all. I just do my best to live by him." She paused, returning the focus on her new friend, "I believe those who said those things about you do not truly understand the Lord. I am not saying that I fully do, but his followers are all different. I am not the same as my mother, nor my uncle, or anyone else in my family. Not just coyotes should be granted the Lord's mercy." For all she knew, none of this mattered to him, but maybe it may help him to look at things from a different angle.

Hand moved down as her eyes moved over to her younger sister, still watching the two of them from her spot among the pews she had wandered to, "Maybe my sister is a sign itself. A calling for what to do with my life, and a showing of my failures. I couldn't protect my Mama from him, but now I have a new sister that is not tainted by him and I will protect."

+400 words.