[html]
indent It had been Corona that had convinced him he needed to come here. Sickness or not, he had a very set purpose in seeing his father. That man had been involved in this, and that man was now ranting, losing control of his own body and tongue. If he explained the truth of their little coup-de-gras, then he would be risking both Gabriel’s visage of integrity and his own life. As much as he disliked his father, Gabriel still needed him, and he knew that should anything happen it would affect Corona in stride.
indent That was why he had left when they finished speaking, traveling on four legs and moving at an easy pace. For those few hours he kept drifting in and out of focus, and despite the still-fresh battle scars, he appeared completely relaxed. This was a strange meditation he had picked up over the years, this absence of thought, and it served him well as he neared his destination. It was only when the scent of coyotes and wolves, and a vague, wafting sickness came that he stopped. One short, loud bark was issued, requesting the presence of the man his sister had mentioned.
[/html]
[html] http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj31 ... rel/t5.png); background-position: bottom center; background-repeat: no-repeat;">
_____As weird as it was, he was getting used to all of the attention to their borders, at least from one side. The western side had been lain to a bit of waste as of late, while paths were beginning to carve themselves more and more into the landscape. He had been lingering around the lake front most of the morning, satisfying himself in thinking that all was going to be dealt with. They had people who seemed to know what they were doing every time they looked at the sick and for the more part, aside from an outburst or two from the camp site, things were much more quiet.
_____Although, just maybe, he thought that was a sign of death. Some time ago just to occupy himself, he had retrieved a shovel as a just in case plan. Or when things were ill, didn't they burn them on a pyre? All of it was lost on him, but Laurel was halfway walking the line between optimism and pessimism, not entirely calling himself a realist. But now he was pulled back out to that east and north border, eventually coming to see the dog-like marked hybrid and also recognised him to be the other from Inferni.
_____“I was wondering when you'd be turning up.”
[/html]
[html]
indent The elder coyote struck Gabriel instant as being remarkably familiar, as if he had seen him before. No, it was not him, exactly, but the set-up—Gabriel was reminded of Rurik, his once-friend and drinking buddy. It was a fleeting image, and then the voice came and drew him back. Despite the situation, Gabriel almost smiled. He hadn’t been expected anywhere friendly in a long time. Each time he came looking for someone it usually ended in bloodshed, tears, or death.
indent “My cousin and sister told me about this place,” he explained, looking up at the other leader. “I found it a little hard to imagine, I’ll be honest.” Coyotes leading wolves? Gypsies living in a campsite and somehow becoming infected with a mystery illness? Oh it seemed quite surreal. “Corona mentioned our father was here,” he stated plainly, not hiding his intentions.
[/html]
[html] http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj31 ... rel/t5.png); background-position: bottom center; background-repeat: no-repeat;">
_____Even though he smiled briefly at the mention of them being a little hard to believe, it was soon gone. But it was Esper Hollow, that little band of gypsies in the middle of nowhere where everyone seemed to be incredibly baffled that there were coyotes that existed outside of Inferni. Even more concerning—they wore clothes. He had heard it all too many times before. “You must be Gabriel,” he said, quite sure that was the name he had heard someone use. The cousin he presumed (or was it that he knew? He couldn't remember.) was Anselm, so the other, Corona, must have been the other girl he had seen briefly.
_____“He's being kept over this way,” the older man said as he turned back towards the camp and headed off, “I had to keep him separate from the others since he's been a bit… hostile, you could say. Most of them are hallucinating but he's the most mobile of them.” Maybe a good sign, but then again it was also a bad sign if he managed to get out. But Poe had been with him and he kept an eye on the area much more than before.
[/html]
[html]
indent Like a stray dog, Gabriel trotted after the coyote. “Yes. I’d take it you’re Laurel,” he more stated then asked. Anselm had mentioned a female leader as well, though the area seemed strangely empty right now. Of course, Inferni was much the same—everyone more or less managed to stick to themselves, and were often out of the Waste during the day. Gabriel was no different.
indent At the mention of his father’s condition, Gabriel let out a snorting laugh. It was the first time he had laughed out of genuine amusement in months. “I hope you locked that room,” he laughed, allowing himself to push the issue of Talitha back behind his mask and his mirror.
[/html]
[html] http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj31 ... rel/t5.png); background-position: bottom center; background-repeat: no-repeat;">
_____He confirmed who he was with a nod as they ventured deeper into the thick of the forest. “The shed isn't really locked, but a friend of his has been keeping an eye on him. It seems like as long as someone's in there with him, he just talks to them. Sometimes he makes sense, most of the time I don't think he does.” But then again, Laurel hadn't thought he made much sense the moment he had brought Laruku back either, so who knew when it was that he had actually gotten sick. “I did have him tied up, but he broke free of that after a couple of days. Whatever this sickness is, it's going a good job at making them all dizzy and weak so at least they're not wandering around and getting hurt.” And then the campsite came up through the trees, although it was really the camp fire that Laurel noticed before the wooden shack and its smaller shed. When they were readily seen, he gestured accordingly. “He's in the shed, then there's a friend of his, Laruku, in the other building. And one of your siblings, Jasper, he's in there too.”
[/html]
[html]
indent Whatever the sickness was, it was doing its part in pushing his father over the edge. Gabriel knew in his heart of hearts that Ahren was long gone, and that he had been mad long before any of them had realized. Frowning slightly, the hybrid stopped and regarded the shed and the building. After a few minutes, he looked back at Laurel, eyes dark. “Three of them?” It was worse then he had thought. Still the fact that the three were infected and had presumably be in contact meant the suspicions about it spreading were not false.
indent “What sort of things has he been saying?” Though Gabriel’s tone was only mildly interested, he was remarkably worried. If Ahren had let anything slip…oh, he didn’t know just what he would do.
[/html]
[html] http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj31 ... rel/t5.png); background-position: bottom center; background-repeat: no-repeat;">
_____“Well for one, he's insisted a few times that he'd like to kill me, but I can understand that,” he shrugged, only chortling momentarily. “But he and the others just talk about everything. I don't know if they're talking about the past or talking with hallucinations or what. I'm pretty sure one time he mistook me for someone else, kept saying that he ‘told her to tell me,’ and then he came at me with a stick.” But there had been something else, hadn't there? “He also kept telling me that he didn't kill someone, that he gave someone a jawbone. It was weird, whatever it was.” And from that point on, Laurel had only peeked in on him. He hadn't had a conversation with Ahren since, only the people who had been actually talking to him.
[/html]
[html]
indent Though Laurel did not understand, Gabriel realized in an instant what his father was speaking about. It was one of those memories that made his eyes go blank and his face turn dark. He remembered the jawbone. Kaena had been with him when they had burnt it. It had crackled, popped, and been buried in the sand of Hell’s Coast. “If that’s the case he’s talking about the past. He gave the jawbone to my mother,” he said, though he explained nothing more.
[/html]
[html] http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj31 ... rel/t5.png); background-position: bottom center; background-repeat: no-repeat;">
_____Another nod, but he didn't inquire into that past, despite the look that came over Gabriel's face. It seemed interesting, but after what he had heard about Inferni, he felt like he could draw his own conclusions. “Well, outside of that, it's really the only thing that I've known him to say. You can go in and see them if you want, though you might not want to get too close. We haven't figured out how it's spread or if it's something they've eaten or drank.”
[/html]
[html]
indent “Thank you,” he said. Then Gabriel took a moment to make the change from lupus to Optime form, and stood fully. Though he was still shorter then Laurel, he could better look him in the face. His red-blonde hair fell around his face and he extended his right hand—one which bore a scarred stigmata from so long ago. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to talk to him alone. I do, however, want to speak with you when I’m finished. That all right?”
[/html]
[html] http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj31 ... rel/t5.png); background-position: bottom center; background-repeat: no-repeat;">
_____“That's fine with me,” he said as he accepted the offered handshake. “Take as much time as you need, I'll be hanging around over by the fire when you're finished.” He could only imagine just what Gabriel wanted to talk to him about, but he could reckon it had something to do with the politics of things. Inferni was the coyote clan and Esper Hollow just happened to be sitting around housing a mix of coyotes, hybrids, and wolves. Wolves for the most part, he didn't think cared one way or another about the clan.
[/html]
|
