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The pernicious influences of the fire and move on Talitha were only beginning to shine through. So gentle and innocent a creature should not have been exposed to such a harsh element of the world so early, and yet it would help her to buck up and grow.
In the end, she was as much a Lykoi as any, but not, for once, through Kaena, which meant that her life would be guided by something else.
Something that wasn't psychotic.
Softly creeping across the sand directly in front of her den, from which she never strayed out of sight, she appeared very much a young huntress to-be. Talitha's form was slung low to the ground, pudgy belly wobbling gently against the sand with each of her forceful steps, with head and tail tucked low.
And as she stealthily advanced on the imaginary herd of buffalo, she could almost hear her father cheering her on in her head.
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indent There had been three things that had shaped Gabriel’s young life; his brother’s murder, his first murder, and Faolin’s departure. Those three things had twisted him into something that no longer resembled wolf or coyote. He had a circular scar on his right palm, a perfect circle as if he was Christ reborn. It had not been by divine right that such a scar had come, though Gabriel would never admit it. The truth of the matter belonged to Gabriel and his sisters, both long gone from these wicked parts of the world.
indent He had been watching the girl playing in the sandy-dirt outside of their den. They lived above the ocean because Gabriel would not risk a low point in the event of attack. He would not risk seeing another child die on the beach. Sprawled on a flat rock, the dark-faced male could very much have been an attentive guard dog in another life. The scars and the viciousness in his eyes said otherwise, though.
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They were up and running.
And she, sleek and powerful rather than rather roly and quite slow on her large feet, pursuing them.
Vehement was her passion for it, for blazing after the strong forms of those who ran, and though she hunted out of necessity, it was like a sport, a game between she and the buffalo. In this case, they were not real. Whoever faltered first would win, until next time.
Perhaps such a vivid imagination would lead the child to something greater later in her life, but it took mere moments to snap out of the imaginative daydream and pounce with a babyish snarl onto a rock on the beach, tail waving. Instinct said, "bite," and down went her jaws, grabbing the stone and shaking it free of the gritty substance that held it.
And then up into the air it went as she let go mid-shake, and her crimson eyes zoomed in on it like tiny hawks, and she almost gave chase but for the notice of her dad up there, watching her.
She looked just like him, and she would, but she didn't really know it yet.
Daaaa! She turned from her game and pranced on over to the rock upon which her father relaxed, or appeared to, every movement of her announcing sheer joy.
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indent Instincts were deep in the blood of all animals, and it gave Gabriel great joy to see that his daughter was showing such promise. Both of his children were smart, and both showed great potential. In time, he would teach them to hunt, to kill, to lead, and to hate. He would not deny that wolves were wicked or that he himself was mostly wolf—he would not blind them, however, as his mother had tried. He had the Lord for that. Both of his children, children who would look far too much like him, were going to learn His teachings.
indent Wagging his tail, Gabriel extended his head, sniffed his daughter, and gave her a lick on the face. “What were you hunting?” He asked, attention drifting from her only momentarily to give the area around them a once-over.
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She attempted to return the gesture of affection as her father's tongue swiped across her face, but she was much smaller and much slower, and so her tongue swept instead across mid-air, though she did beam at the Inferni leader as her tail waved rapidly behind her.
At least that much she could show without fail.
I's hun'in' buff'los, she said proudly, though without arrogance, for she had not capture one nor got anywhere really too close before she'd noticed her father. That, of course, was something she didn't need to mention. She had wanted to catch one to share with Zeke and her family, but that hadn't really gone as planned.
Wa'shoo do'n', da? She turned her head to survey the places where he had been looking just then, frowning slightly at the plain-like territory and the lack of anything interesting there.
Maybe he'd seen a bird fly by doing something strange?
Or perhaps a stray buffalo had passed over that hillock over there, catching up with the herd, and she'd missed it?
What if he was disapproving of her having not noticed that stray elder? Oh, whatever would she do if he was upset with her for not catching one? But of course they had not been there at all. All that was around her were rocks and sand and grasses.
That was all there ever had been.
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indent It was better she hunt buffalos, he supposed, then wolves. That was what Kaena had always had them imagine. Still, she had trained her children with the instincts and desires that had kept them alive. Of the eight, which had turned to six, only the two eldest boys had remained. Natural selection, he supposed. Gabriel was glad, in some small way, that his children would never meet their grandmother.
indent His golden-yellow eyes turned puzzled as his daughter frowned, and he shrugged lightly. “Watching. Do you have something more interesting in mind?” Talitha’s imagination, it seemed, was without end. He could only imagine what wild dreams she might have when he began delving into the mysteries of his religion.
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Watching.
Maintaining vigilance. Of course, her father was a guard if ever there was one for their family.
I's w'tchin' too, da. She nodded strongly and turned to look in the direction where Gabriel's gaze went, determined to be as patient and as cautious as her father. She didn't care much to do more than that. What was life if there wasn't to be downtime sometimes?
And her brother was the more rambunctious of the pair, for sure. Ezekiel would be one for adventures, and Talitha would be the brunt force that opposed all who sought to harm her family. She would be likened to their shield, but not a judge, for she was too sweet and too kind for such things as that.
This supposing that life's curve simply remained uniform, and didn't move elsewhere with its twisted designs. But none of that was relevant at the moment to the two month-old youngster.
What was relevant was watching like her father, watching the horizon for dangers that might threaten them, in case they came forth.
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indent Children often became icons in their own way. Molochai had been mother’s son with Corona at his side, Baneesh too headstrong to see danger coming, Ithaka too bold, Rikka and Vitium and Conway all muddled versions of one another (though Conway was the second to break away and Gabriel supposed that was how it was meant to be). It was Gabriel, though, who had been cast out. This was not the doing of his family, no, but a madman with a crooked smile and wild eyes. Now he was a product of the wild and the Lord. He carried his mother’s eyes and his father’s build but it was heaven’s wrath he brought down on the world.
indent Smiling faintly, Gabriel turned his eyes back out to the tree-line below them. Eventually he would have to move beyond it and strike a cold terror into the heart of his enemies. They, the wolves, they were all his enemies. Gabriel believed that above all else because experience taught him this was true.
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[html]Her eyes shifted over the horizon as she stood there, still as a statue with purpose exuding from her very being. Her paws gripped the sand tightly, as if she were threatened to be lifted away by the slightest of winds that might break from the ocean, but it was all simply part of her vigilance; she felt she could move in a second if she had to. She narrowed her eyes, brows lowering into a small frown as she continued to watch quietly, until finally silence hit a point where it wasn't fun any longer.
Wha' are we watchin' for, da? Though it was obvious that their intended target was intruders, it wasn't like there was any chance that they would come over when their glances faltered for but a moment. She, blind to strategy, could not see how that could ever be possible, and so child-like curiosity had a way with her.[/html]
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indent His ears swiveled before his head turned, giving his daughter his whole attention. It was slightly remarkable she had kept still as long as she had, in his opinion. “Intruders. Danger. There’s a lot of bad things out there, Talitha,” he said, shifting his weight and sparing a glance down to the tree-line momentarily. Shrugging lightly, the doggish hybrid stretched out his front paws and exhaled heavily. “You need to watch out for strangers, at least while you’re little. There are people who would try to hurt you.” Because of who you are, he almost said, but held back.
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That bit of information, however helpful, would have been disturbing to Talitha if naivety did not come off her in waves. So young, she couldn't grasp the idea that anybody would want to hurt her for any reason: She'd never done anything to them. Her face scrunched up in distaste at such a suggestion, as if to say, "No, dad, you're just jokin' around." She didn't understand, fully, the importance of being Gabriel's daughter. It seemed like an extension of him, sure, but aside from that there was nothing special about it.
In her eyes, at least, he was just her father. Best father ever, maybe, but still her father. She huffed gently as she flopped down on the sand, feeling her stomach ache gently with it and wincing at the sensation. When it passed, she looked back up, ears turning back slowly as the question that danced on her tongue drew closer and closer to the tip. What if he didn't want to answer it? It wasn't very important, after all.
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indent Of course she asked, unwilling to compromise. It was a trait of the de le Poer’s and the Lykoi’s. She was her father’s daughter, that much he saw. He smiled faintly and gave her a loving nudge with his muzzle. “Because you’re a princess,” he said, hoping that might explain everything. There would be no good in scaring her half to death without proper cause.
indent Rising to his feet, the hybrid continued. “I think that’s enough watching for now.” He had spotted movement in the forest and recognized it as his cousin, who vanished as quickly as he was spotted. “What do you want to do?”
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