Post by AFireInTheSnow on Jan 27, 2011 14:22:03 GMT -5
Bloodlines
Chapter Eight:
Douche
---------------------
"No, no no!" the Head blubbered, backing up against a wall as the little girl moved towards him. Her eyes were shifting from red back to the turquoise they had been before, and she looked somewhat less angry, but those eyes were piercing into his own. Her tail lashed once more as she took another step closer to the fat man in front of her, looking a bit less threatening as her gaze returned to the calm blue.
"Then don't tell me you plan on releasing me back into my habitat. Telling me you'll let me go once I'm healed works just as well, human." she replied, her voice still that deadly quiet tone that warned him not to say any more on the subject. She smiled wickedly and wandered back over to the bed.
Aeydan blinked multiple times. What was up with this kid? She was perfectly calm one moment, then furious the next... He could understand how being called animalistic would upset her, but earlier, the Sherlock comment was uncalled for, as was... He shook his head and looked towards the Head, who was staring fearfully at the girl who was once more sitting on the bed, the picture of innocence.
Innocence? Maybe, if innocent meant dangerous and confusing. No child that young was that much of a threat, right? Again he had to remind himself that she stank of Were, and the Weres could be considered adults at a very young age. They were also known for volatile tempers and unpredictability.
"Erm, well, if that's over, Sir, I think you should go back to your office and get something to eat. I'll take care of the child--"
"Sira. Please stop calling me a child."
"This is the first time I've called you such."
"Both of you are thinking it. I'm no telepath, but it's rather plain on your features."
Aeydan nodded and filed that away somewhere in his mind. To him, she was still a child. Many hundreds of years a child to him. He watched the Head leave the room and then sighed. Left in a room with a promise to take care of this girl? He was positive he could defeat her if she attacked him for some reason, but what of her confounding mood changes? Her weapons had been taken away from her when they arrived, as a safety precaution, and now he remembered why they had done it. That attitude couldn't be removed, though.
A girl with such a volatile temper shouldn't be here, he thought to himself as he watched her looking around the room. She avoided the machinery against one wall, glaring suspiciously at it and crawling back into the bed, moving in between the sheets. It took several moments for Aeydan to realize she had gone to sleep.
He left the room, locking it behind him so that she couldn't get out and wreak havoc around the facility. He would check on her once more after sundown and hope she was still asleep. Being awake at this time of day used to drain him, but he had gotten used to little sleep and working both night and day jobs, so the sun no longer bothered him as it used to. He silently walked down the halls to his room, nodding to individuals he encountered along the way. He was a senior officer, and had much respect from the others here. One or two soldiers walked by, presumably going out of missions soon. He ignored them and entered his room, closing the door behind him.
If he could have nightmares, the look in that girl's eyes might have given him them. As it was, he couldn't get much sleep, anyway. Her sudden mood swings moments ago had shook him slightly, but also intrigued him. He wondered if he could maybe convince the Head to let her stay a while longer after she was fully recovered. Considering her actions earlier, it was unlikely, though.
He would see. He would see.
Sira was actually more awake and active after sundown. She greeted Aeydan with a calm "Hey," when he entered the room. She was doing backflips and landing in crouches, claws out, slashing at an enemy who wasn't there.
When Aeydan inquired as to what she was doing, she told him she had gotten bored with nothing in there to do, so she was practicing the defense and attack moves her father had taught her. Aeydan nodded and moved to a corner of the room to observe as she leapt up from a crouch, flipping once more and appearing [presumably] behind her imaginary opponent. She slashed at the air with her claws and hit the ground, making a ducking motion that Aeydan assumed was a dodge to some attack.
A flicker of movement in his peripheral vision caught his attention, but he saw nothing there when he turned. He may have been imagining it, but even now he could sense something else in the room with himself and the chi-- Sira.
"Sira..." he began to warn her, but she snarled and leapt to the left, twisting and slashing at something invisible, which let out a loud "OW!"
"Sira!" he repeated as she got knocked back, the intruder becoming visible. It was another of the senior officers, Nakavi, and he was bleeding from a cut across his bare chest. He was also clapping, a wide grin over his face.
"Daaayum, girl! How'd you know I was here?" the shapeshifter asked, shaking his head to brush his long blonde hair from his glimmering gold eyes.
"Um... I sensed you, kinda... I think." she replied, moving back. "I hurt you, too... Sorry."
Nakavi chuckled, looking towards Aeydan and baring his white teeth in a laugh. "Naw, girl, it's fine. What'cha doin' hanging out with this boring old man, anyway?"
Aeydan sighed, explaining calmly that this was the girl that he had rescued from near death. Also the one who had scared the boss out of his wits and was probably getting thrown out of there as soon as possible. Nakavi found this all laughable, even giving the girl a high-five for it.
"He's a douche, girl. Good for you!"
"Isn't douche French for shower?" Sira asked, head tilted in confusion.
That got Nakavi laughing even more, and more loudly. "A shower? The boss is a shower!"
Sira blinked and looked up at Aeydan with the question in her eyes. She obviously thought that Nakavi's amusement was a little more than overdone for such a comment. "Sorry about him," he muttered, rolling his eyes at his shapeshifting partner. "He's a bit odd, which is a nice way of saying mental." It was a nice change to see the little one confused, and as she looked at Nakavi, who was catching his breath, there was a very strange look on her face. He hoped it wasn't one of her odd mood swings.
It wasn't. She blinked and tilted her head. "If it doesn't mean shower, than when the fuck does it mean?"
"Hey, aint'cha a bit young to be cursing like that? What are ya, eight, nine?"
"Two, actually," she answered in a serious tone.
That sobered Nakavi up quickly. Both men blinked several times before he blurted out, "What?"
"I'm two. Two years of age. What, is something wrong?" she asked as she stared at the looks the two were giving her.
"Most, erm... people who look like you do, are around eight or nine... Not two." Aeydan explained. Definitely a Were, even despite her confusing scent. But which of the tribes? She was obviously not a Lycan, judging by her behaviour, and no other canine scent surrounded her. Those were the only Weres he knew of, and she didn't smell like a shifter, either.
Then what was she? What kind of Were would she be?
His thoughts wandered to the ears and tail he had seen earlier that day, and it hit him. Werecat. She wasn't a Were he had encountered before, but she was indeed a Were.
"So, I'm not like most people." Sira answered, dragging his mind from the realization of what she was. "Felkein are considered adults by the first year of life, but we tend to stay in our pack until we're old enough for humans to consider us adults. Even then, we usually stay with our pack out of love and loyalty."
"Felkein? Pack?" Nakavi had recovered from his laughing fit and was now sat on the floor, looking much like an odd angel. His natural state was one of a human boy, with golden eyes, blonde hair and two black-feathered wings sprouting from his back. The feathers only covered half of the wing, though, revealing the leathery, dragonlike membrane beneath the feathers. Due to the wings he rarely wore a shirt -- not that the females in the compound complained.
Sira sighed and plopped onto the carpet next to him. "Felkein means Werecat in our language." That was Aeydan's cue that he was right. "And our packs are a few families that live together for companionship and protection. We used to be pretty warlike according to Father, so the instinct to stay in large groups for protection has stayed with us. There used to be a lot of packs, but now there are only six, and every week we met with the closest packs to exchange news. We don't get much contact from the Clan living over in Canada, though. Father's worried something may have happened to them."
Nakavi blinked and then nodded. "Cool, so there's six packs of Werecats running around?"
"Yep, basically."
Aeydan's soft voice interrupted Nakavi's next comment. "You speak fluent German for a girl of a mere two years of age."
"I've been learning since I was a month old. I picked up Werecatic easily, since the closest packs and Wolf tribes often speak it, and German was after that. I was learning Englidish after that."
At her mention of 'Englidish," both males began to laugh. Aeydan's was a soft chuckle; Nakavi's was a roller coaster of highs, lows, and annoying volume which rang loudly in the sensitive ears of Sira and Aeydan.
"What's so funny?" she asked worriedly, and Nakavi managed to stop laughing long enough to gasp, "ENGLISH!" before rolling onto his back and continuing.
"I mispronounced it. Again," Sira muttered unhappily, her eyes closing for a moment. Aeydan noticed how dark her eyes were when they opened once more with interest.
He wondered if he could convince the Head to let her stay a while longer than originally planned. There was potential for... Several things that would be useful to the company, but also several which might not have been so good. Where were her pack, her family, and why was she out and alone in the cold when he found her? Was she an outcast? No, that couldn't be. She was too young.
But why on earth was she here?
Chapter Eight:
Douche
---------------------
"No, no no!" the Head blubbered, backing up against a wall as the little girl moved towards him. Her eyes were shifting from red back to the turquoise they had been before, and she looked somewhat less angry, but those eyes were piercing into his own. Her tail lashed once more as she took another step closer to the fat man in front of her, looking a bit less threatening as her gaze returned to the calm blue.
"Then don't tell me you plan on releasing me back into my habitat. Telling me you'll let me go once I'm healed works just as well, human." she replied, her voice still that deadly quiet tone that warned him not to say any more on the subject. She smiled wickedly and wandered back over to the bed.
Aeydan blinked multiple times. What was up with this kid? She was perfectly calm one moment, then furious the next... He could understand how being called animalistic would upset her, but earlier, the Sherlock comment was uncalled for, as was... He shook his head and looked towards the Head, who was staring fearfully at the girl who was once more sitting on the bed, the picture of innocence.
Innocence? Maybe, if innocent meant dangerous and confusing. No child that young was that much of a threat, right? Again he had to remind himself that she stank of Were, and the Weres could be considered adults at a very young age. They were also known for volatile tempers and unpredictability.
"Erm, well, if that's over, Sir, I think you should go back to your office and get something to eat. I'll take care of the child--"
"Sira. Please stop calling me a child."
"This is the first time I've called you such."
"Both of you are thinking it. I'm no telepath, but it's rather plain on your features."
Aeydan nodded and filed that away somewhere in his mind. To him, she was still a child. Many hundreds of years a child to him. He watched the Head leave the room and then sighed. Left in a room with a promise to take care of this girl? He was positive he could defeat her if she attacked him for some reason, but what of her confounding mood changes? Her weapons had been taken away from her when they arrived, as a safety precaution, and now he remembered why they had done it. That attitude couldn't be removed, though.
A girl with such a volatile temper shouldn't be here, he thought to himself as he watched her looking around the room. She avoided the machinery against one wall, glaring suspiciously at it and crawling back into the bed, moving in between the sheets. It took several moments for Aeydan to realize she had gone to sleep.
He left the room, locking it behind him so that she couldn't get out and wreak havoc around the facility. He would check on her once more after sundown and hope she was still asleep. Being awake at this time of day used to drain him, but he had gotten used to little sleep and working both night and day jobs, so the sun no longer bothered him as it used to. He silently walked down the halls to his room, nodding to individuals he encountered along the way. He was a senior officer, and had much respect from the others here. One or two soldiers walked by, presumably going out of missions soon. He ignored them and entered his room, closing the door behind him.
If he could have nightmares, the look in that girl's eyes might have given him them. As it was, he couldn't get much sleep, anyway. Her sudden mood swings moments ago had shook him slightly, but also intrigued him. He wondered if he could maybe convince the Head to let her stay a while longer after she was fully recovered. Considering her actions earlier, it was unlikely, though.
He would see. He would see.
Sira was actually more awake and active after sundown. She greeted Aeydan with a calm "Hey," when he entered the room. She was doing backflips and landing in crouches, claws out, slashing at an enemy who wasn't there.
When Aeydan inquired as to what she was doing, she told him she had gotten bored with nothing in there to do, so she was practicing the defense and attack moves her father had taught her. Aeydan nodded and moved to a corner of the room to observe as she leapt up from a crouch, flipping once more and appearing [presumably] behind her imaginary opponent. She slashed at the air with her claws and hit the ground, making a ducking motion that Aeydan assumed was a dodge to some attack.
A flicker of movement in his peripheral vision caught his attention, but he saw nothing there when he turned. He may have been imagining it, but even now he could sense something else in the room with himself and the chi-- Sira.
"Sira..." he began to warn her, but she snarled and leapt to the left, twisting and slashing at something invisible, which let out a loud "OW!"
"Sira!" he repeated as she got knocked back, the intruder becoming visible. It was another of the senior officers, Nakavi, and he was bleeding from a cut across his bare chest. He was also clapping, a wide grin over his face.
"Daaayum, girl! How'd you know I was here?" the shapeshifter asked, shaking his head to brush his long blonde hair from his glimmering gold eyes.
"Um... I sensed you, kinda... I think." she replied, moving back. "I hurt you, too... Sorry."
Nakavi chuckled, looking towards Aeydan and baring his white teeth in a laugh. "Naw, girl, it's fine. What'cha doin' hanging out with this boring old man, anyway?"
Aeydan sighed, explaining calmly that this was the girl that he had rescued from near death. Also the one who had scared the boss out of his wits and was probably getting thrown out of there as soon as possible. Nakavi found this all laughable, even giving the girl a high-five for it.
"He's a douche, girl. Good for you!"
"Isn't douche French for shower?" Sira asked, head tilted in confusion.
That got Nakavi laughing even more, and more loudly. "A shower? The boss is a shower!"
Sira blinked and looked up at Aeydan with the question in her eyes. She obviously thought that Nakavi's amusement was a little more than overdone for such a comment. "Sorry about him," he muttered, rolling his eyes at his shapeshifting partner. "He's a bit odd, which is a nice way of saying mental." It was a nice change to see the little one confused, and as she looked at Nakavi, who was catching his breath, there was a very strange look on her face. He hoped it wasn't one of her odd mood swings.
It wasn't. She blinked and tilted her head. "If it doesn't mean shower, than when the fuck does it mean?"
"Hey, aint'cha a bit young to be cursing like that? What are ya, eight, nine?"
"Two, actually," she answered in a serious tone.
That sobered Nakavi up quickly. Both men blinked several times before he blurted out, "What?"
"I'm two. Two years of age. What, is something wrong?" she asked as she stared at the looks the two were giving her.
"Most, erm... people who look like you do, are around eight or nine... Not two." Aeydan explained. Definitely a Were, even despite her confusing scent. But which of the tribes? She was obviously not a Lycan, judging by her behaviour, and no other canine scent surrounded her. Those were the only Weres he knew of, and she didn't smell like a shifter, either.
Then what was she? What kind of Were would she be?
His thoughts wandered to the ears and tail he had seen earlier that day, and it hit him. Werecat. She wasn't a Were he had encountered before, but she was indeed a Were.
"So, I'm not like most people." Sira answered, dragging his mind from the realization of what she was. "Felkein are considered adults by the first year of life, but we tend to stay in our pack until we're old enough for humans to consider us adults. Even then, we usually stay with our pack out of love and loyalty."
"Felkein? Pack?" Nakavi had recovered from his laughing fit and was now sat on the floor, looking much like an odd angel. His natural state was one of a human boy, with golden eyes, blonde hair and two black-feathered wings sprouting from his back. The feathers only covered half of the wing, though, revealing the leathery, dragonlike membrane beneath the feathers. Due to the wings he rarely wore a shirt -- not that the females in the compound complained.
Sira sighed and plopped onto the carpet next to him. "Felkein means Werecat in our language." That was Aeydan's cue that he was right. "And our packs are a few families that live together for companionship and protection. We used to be pretty warlike according to Father, so the instinct to stay in large groups for protection has stayed with us. There used to be a lot of packs, but now there are only six, and every week we met with the closest packs to exchange news. We don't get much contact from the Clan living over in Canada, though. Father's worried something may have happened to them."
Nakavi blinked and then nodded. "Cool, so there's six packs of Werecats running around?"
"Yep, basically."
Aeydan's soft voice interrupted Nakavi's next comment. "You speak fluent German for a girl of a mere two years of age."
"I've been learning since I was a month old. I picked up Werecatic easily, since the closest packs and Wolf tribes often speak it, and German was after that. I was learning Englidish after that."
At her mention of 'Englidish," both males began to laugh. Aeydan's was a soft chuckle; Nakavi's was a roller coaster of highs, lows, and annoying volume which rang loudly in the sensitive ears of Sira and Aeydan.
"What's so funny?" she asked worriedly, and Nakavi managed to stop laughing long enough to gasp, "ENGLISH!" before rolling onto his back and continuing.
"I mispronounced it. Again," Sira muttered unhappily, her eyes closing for a moment. Aeydan noticed how dark her eyes were when they opened once more with interest.
He wondered if he could convince the Head to let her stay a while longer than originally planned. There was potential for... Several things that would be useful to the company, but also several which might not have been so good. Where were her pack, her family, and why was she out and alone in the cold when he found her? Was she an outcast? No, that couldn't be. She was too young.
But why on earth was she here?