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Her clawed feet were extended on the damp sand, curling each time as the waves came to crash upon them. Ryan had made her way to the shore from her den – a rather short walk – and decided to recline on one of the few places where the beach was lined with sand. With her legs bent leisurely at the knees, the fabric of her dress had fallen high along her thighs and she leaned back to let the sun radiate against her face. The summer was coming to a close soon, but the weather had finally started to look up. They had actually had some days of sunshine to break up all of that rain, and Ryan couldn’t be happier. The rain had started to become more of a nuisance than anything – even the water in the bay had crept up higher along the shore.
Her auburn waves bounced as she flipped a few fingers through it. She had been confused lately – still trying to figure out what was happening with her in this life. DaVinci was gone now and had left Ryan’s heart in a depressing state. She wanted someone, anyone, to cling to. Anselm’s reappearance had done some to mend it, but not entirely. Her rank in the clan – well, she wasn’t sure how well she was doing. Ryan had to wonder if perhaps Kaena, whom she had learned was Gabriel’s mother, would do better serving by her son’s side. Maybe even Anselm, if he decided to stick around, would once again rise to his former rank. She sighed, smiling as the cool breeze from the bay whipped at her face and momentarily forgetting all her troubles.
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As typical, Gabriel was walking. He did this more then perhaps anything else in his life. Four paws hit and rose from the earth with intense purpose, though he had no location in mind. The Aquila was moving because he had not been able to comfortably in several days—the rain had rarely let up and any area that was not firmly packed had turned swampy. This was something new to the doggish hybrid, whom had never seen water turn so violent. In his world there had only been drought and fire; both of which had turned him into a killer.
He no longer thought about the drought. The fire he could not wash from his skin, his fur, his scent. Often he imagined he could smell ash. Each time he did he saw one of a dozen faces. It was either Rachias, screaming for her brother, a nameless stranger burning alive, or the terrible and knowing gaze of a boy he had raised. While the dreams had once plagued him, they had quieted as the weeks had turned to months and the months had passed the one year mark.
This did not mean he did not feel the weight of days dampen his spirits. This did not mean he woke each day without the smell of soot in his nose and the taste of sulfur on his tongue. So was the case today, where the Aquila could not shake the somber mood from his skull. As caught up as he was he did not notice the girl until he had nearly walked into her. Gabriel balked and took a step back, gold-amber eyes widening with slight surprise. “Oh, Ryan, I didn’t see you there,” he said, and offered her an apologetic wag of the tail.
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There was the soft crunch of paws on the sand and Ryan didn’t have to turn her head to know that it was Gabriel drawing closer to her. The slight breeze that blew had sent his familiar scent drifting by her so that she didn’t bother turning. He would stop by if he needed or wanted to talk. And Ryan, she figured, wouldn’t mind so much if he decided that he did.
The crunching was right next to her and then the gruff voice of the Aquila spoke, "Oh, Ryan, I didn’t see you there." She looked over to him and offered a light smile. Even in lupus, the smallest of the three forms, he still looked powerful. No wonder he seemed to be such a natural leader. Ryan felt sorry for anyone who dare defy or step in the way of Gabriel. "Don’t worry about it," she said softly, pushing some of the auburn curls away from her eyes. "How are you?" She asked to be conversational, but also because it seemed as if something was on his mind. After all, Gabriel would be the last person Ryan would peg as being so absentminded to nearly trip over someone else on his own lands.
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If Gabriel were to thank his father for anything, it was the wolf blood that gave him his mass. By all accounts he was not large at all—in comparison, at least, to a purebred. Regardless, it was not as if the Aquila looked much like either of his parents. Kaena was the only one who showed through him, with her eyes as his own. Even though the hybrid carried his father’s name, it was his mother’s symbol that rested on his shoulder. Gabriel very much belonged to two worlds; both of which fell short in respect to the cross that hung around his neck.
Though he could not tell her the truth of his affliction, he settled onto his haunches. “All right, I suppose,” he offered, amber eyes darkening slightly. “I think that Talitha went after her mother again.”
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The salty air clung to the damp, blackened edge of Ryan’s muzzle as she inhaled. It had always been a soothing scent to her, even when the water pulled out from the bay at low tide and the air took on a whole new aroma – one most would refer to as a stench. Whatever, Ryan associated this with home now. She had only been here for a year, but that was what Inferni had become. There was more history here within the past twelve months than there could have ever been in the first year of Ryan’s life. She had come to realize that even if hard times fell over her and her heart, this place would always be home. No matter what.
"Oh," she turned the flawed de le Poer gaze onto Gabriel, "I’m sorry." It didn’t seem as if they had been back for very long before departing again. Perhaps they had found something out there they felt was bigger and better than their clan tucked along the shore. "Do you know where they’ve gone again?"
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Even though the blood that related Gabriel to the red-eyed woman was thin, it was enough that he considered her a close part of his family. This was the same sort of thing he felt for Anselm—of course, the two had formed a bond that was very much out of battle. Through that, they had become brothers. In truth, though, Anselm was closer to Gabriel then any of his blood brothers really were.
The Aquila shrugged a shoulder, dismissing the guilt. “I don’t know. Faolin probably ran off with that man she came here with,” he growled, and narrowed his eyes. “I’m mostly worried about Talitha. She didn’t get the training her brother did, and I don’t know if she’ll be safe on her own.”
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Ryan immediately thought of DaVinci at the mention of Faolin running of with another man. Of course, DaVinci hadn’t done that to Ryan, but she had to wonder how she would take it if he had. Most likely a low growl would also emit from her throat. It was hard for her – she needed some sort of distraction. Even though she kept telling herself she was letting go of that steel colored boy from Phoenix Valley, she always found her thoughts coming back to him. A distraction would be nice. Or even a new somebody to devote her affection.
"You know," she turned to face him, "I think she’ll be alright." There was no guarantee of course, but Ryan felt that the girl had a strong heart. Perhaps it was something she got from her father. "She’s a strong girl, even without the training. We’ll just have to hope." Maybe Gabriel’s god would watch over his daughter and keep her out of harm’s way.
"I didn’t know that your mother help found Inferni. She seems to have a real passion for our well-being. And apparently age hasn’t affected her ability to be a strong member. Maybe even a leader…" Her guilt had crept back; the guilt that she hadn’t been doing enough by Gabriel’s side while their members clearly demonstrated their competence. Perhaps the Aquila had made a mistake by raising her so far in their hierarchy.
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Raising his own children had been difficult, but Gabriel had been a vital part in the childhood of his mother’s last litter, much as his brother had done to the one before him. Perhaps, though, he had failed in that role. Andrezej was dead and Eris long gone. Still, Ryan believed that his daughter would be fine, and maybe this would be true. She had run off once. She had been brutalized and she had survived.
One ear flicked at the mention of his mother, and a small smile graced his face. This faded as soon as he realized the inflection in her voice, and what she was telling him. For a long time the Aquila remained silent, amber eyes locked on her own. “I promoted you because you showed potential,” he began. “And you helped me out a great deal. However, if you wish to step down, I would understand. There is a lot of strain that goes in to leading this clan; I would rather you spend what time you can with your daughter and father.”
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The Aquila’s amber eyes remained on her own for a short while in silence. And then he spoke. The words that came were a shock to Ryan at first – how had he managed to read into her words so cleverly? But then, the shock wore away. Ryan had always known that Gabriel was an intelligent person. This was why he was able to lead Inferni so effectively – and perhaps largely one of the reasons the clan was still around after so long. "Gabriel, I–" she wasn’t sure how to begin. "I just feel like my mind is elsewhere and I wouldn’t be much help to you."
The waves lapped lazily at the shore, rolling softly into her clawed feet before rolling away. She didn’t mind that she was getting wet. "Now that Anselm’s back, I want to be with him and Valkyrie as much as I can. I didn’t have a family growing up, and I don’t want Val to miss out on that." One ear flicked and Ryan's features mirrored small concern. "I'm still afraid he might disappear again."
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The golden-amber eyes of the Aquila narrowed slightly, though without malice. He had known because he had seen that look before. Knew those words. Corona had come to him much in the same way, and for this reason he expected what he heard. “Do what you need to do,” he told her, and let his eyes leave her face. Other people he had considered valuable had left him before. Many did not have the patience to tell him beforehand. “I think your father will be here for a while,” the Aquila continued, thinking of what his cousin had told him. “He’s got a purpose, and people he cares about.”
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The Aquila always put Ryan’s heart at ease in a way no other person could. Even when he came to Ryan with news or ideas she wouldn’t consider all that grand personally, he still had a warm way of going about delivering them. Bottom line was that Ryan respected Gabriel and she would never do anything to purposefully go against him or the clan. But it was her heart that was telling her what to do, so she knew she had to follow. How she would go about that, well, she wasn’t quite sure just yet.
"Thanks, Gabriel, for understanding." And then her words fell away, and the two were left staring out towards the bay as the waves rolled back into the ocean.
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