The Forest Through the Trees
15 Ruis - Part 2
by Neosate
(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_The Curse_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)
00:05 A.M, November 1
The middle aged linx, unfamiliar to many of those gathered for the Samhain Ritual, slowly walked out of the snow laden forest. His blank stare and expressionless face did little to comfort those who saw him. Like a scene out of a scary file, the feline man’s arm and chest fur were covered in blood, In his arms was the limp body of a young doe-husky. He spoke to those who looked on in horror, “Help her, Please.”
Two more lynx pushed their way through the crowd, a man and a woman. “Tom, Tommy, What happened?”
He looked at the other male, “I don’t know.”
The woman put a paw on the young doe hybrid in his arms, “It’s Sonnet. But she’s not hurt, not bleeding at least.”
She looked him in the eyes as he stared past her as if into a void. “Who's blood is this Tommy?”
“I don’t know, I don’t remember.” A single tear rolled down his cheek as he asked, “What did I do?”
4:30 PM, October 31
(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Arrival_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)
Lydia pulled the car next to the familiar old bronco, the space vacant as if it were waiting for them. She sighed as she glanced into the rear view mirror at her daughters in the back seat. “Well, it looks like your uncles are already here. All I want you to do is to at least meet them and eat something before you go off to find your friend, Okay Katie?”
“I get it mom,” The teenage lynx girl replied, “I’ll stick around unless they get really creepy, oaky.”
“I can understand your apprehension after the incident yesterday, But like I said, they really did not expect to actually run into any of us. And Tom has been diagnosed with Schizophrenia, so sometimes he sees things that aren't there.”
“I know, its just weird.”
“Trust me, sweety, I’m not any more ready for this than you are.” The older lynx started to get out of the car as she added, “Lets go ahead and get this over with. Sitting here isn’t going to help.”
As the trio readied to head toward the gathering from the parking area Lydia reiterated some points for her daughters, “First, your uncle Tom does not like being touched, but feel free if he asks for or offers hugs. It means he is more open to you being part of his family than he is worried about his own sanity.” After getting an odd look from Katie she added, “Okay, that might not sound all that good, but just be aware.”
“Mom,” the teen lynx interjected, “He’s still the creeper that randomly walked up to me at school. I’m pretty sure you don’t have to worry about me running up and hugging him for no reason.”
“Fair point. Now Ray. He’s a bit more reserved than he used to be. Most likely from having to deal with Tom for so long by himself, but I’m sure he’ll warm up to you and be that annoying uncle at the family reunions everyone talks about.”
“Why did we never meet them again?”
“They are part of my life I tried to leave behind when I meet your father. But, looking at things now, I made a mistake back then. Or, the more I think about it, it wasn’t them I wanted to protect you from, it was my parents. But I was already too deep in and couldn’t just pull family out of nowhere.”
“But, mom, that's exactly what you are doing now.”
She stopped and looked down at her eldest daughter. “Things changed, as they often do. Take my word for this one. Don’t run from your past, don't try to hide it. Own up to and accept who you are and where you came from. If you don’t it will come back to haunt you. Sometimes in the worst ways.”
“So, Umm,” Katie got nervous as she readied to ask the question, “One of them is Don’s father, right?”
Lydia sighed as she answered, “Yes, and we agreed not to say which one, because it’s not important.”
Katie counted on her fingers, “You were like nineteen when you got pregnant, right? So, who was the oldest again?”
“Raymond is the oldest, Then me and Tom is our younger brother. But stop trying to guess. It’s not something any of us plan on admitting to. It happened, I admit that, and accept that it is part of Don’s and my past and who we are. Beyond that it has no affect on today.”
As they entered the open grove meet they were greeted by the sight of furs in many stages of undress. Many still fully clothed, some in not much more than simple robs or draped in furs. Others fully nude. Grace giggled at the sight, only her second time being exposed to such a spectacle. But Katie had grown used to the thought over her time with Donovan and Sonnet. She looked through the crowd, trying to ignore the wide range of boys and girls around her own age, as she looked for her friend Briana, who should be at some craft booth.
She was still caught off guard by the number of furs who kissed, hugged and embraced one another as a common greeting regardless of the state of dress either where in. She looked at her mother who seemed to be completely unfazed by the goings on around her.
“And there they are, purchased by a tree drinking,” Lydia pointed to the two male lynx, both fully clothed sat by a tree, each with a tankard in paw. One said something to the other causing them both to look up at the approaching family. “So, have you found Donovan?”
“Nope!” The slightly huskyer one said. “Shit happened, Tom got dizzy, we sat down for a drink, and forgot to get back up again. So, This must be Katie and… Grace.” He smiled at the two younger lynxes.
Katie gave a slight bow and said, “Nice to meet you sir,” Not really sure what to do with strangers.
“Okay, That is way too formal, what did you do to these cubs, De’de?”
Grace giggled at the sound of her mother’s childhood nickname, “Momma’s Deee Dee.”
“We raised them with manners and proper respect for their elders.”
Thomas couldn’t take his eyes off the teen, “You really do look just like her when she was your age.”
“I thought we agreed to try and not be the weird uncles,” Raymond said to his brother.
“No, look at her. The eyes, hair, the way she stands.” He looked back at the girl, “You really are the image of your mother. Do you like playing baseball?”
“Okay mom, he’s being creepy, can I go now?”
“Yes, go find your friend. You know where Don’s tent is right?”
“Yes, mom.” the girl said as she ran off through the crowd.
Thomas bowed his head apologetically, “I’m sorry. I just…”
“Don’t be,” She smiled back at him, “She was looking for an excuse to get away. One of her school friends is here and she wanted to spend the day with them before this all happened.”
“You’re not worried about her being alone in this place?” Raymond asked as he watched the teen weave into the gathering and disappear.
“I did my research on this place over the past month or so. This is one of the safest gatherings I can find as far as family and cubs go. The pagan community here is tightly knit and look out for each other as if they were one big family. And outsiders are watched, whether they know it or not.”
“We know,” Thomas said as he and Raymond stood up, “Why do you think we stopped wandering around. A strange seer and reader walking through a gathering talking about… things, we had drawn enough attention.”
Lydia looked over at the eldest sibling, “So you’re accepting all this again? You know what our parents taught us wasn’t all lies, they just didn’t do a very good job of it.”
“Says the sister that ran away before the shit hit the fan.”
“I may have left, and tried to leave it all behind, Ray, but I think I learned more about both of your gifts from the bible than our parents taught you in the Old Ways.” She gave air quotes as she finished admonishing his reaction. “Now come on, Donovan is usually over this way.”
(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Rendezvous_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)
Katie ran through the gathering, weaving and dodging the moving throng as she went. She could hear the jingling of loose change in her pocket as she ran. The tidbits of spending money she had managed to dig out of her mother’s purse so she could possibly get snacks and drinks. All she really remembered was Brian’s aunt was some kind of trinket vender, and the place seemed to be full of them. Her real hope was to actually spot her friend.
It wasn’t long before she heard someone call out to her. She turned to see the deer seated on a blanket with crystals and charms spread around her, an older deer beside her in conversation with what looked like a customer. She ran over, slightly winded from the altitude. “Bria.. Brianna, that you are.” She said with a smile. “I managed to escape.”
“Cool, but I guess that means someone got all creepy on ya too huh?” the doe asked patting the blanket beside her.
She dropped down by her friend, “Got creepy? he started out creepy yesterday. I guess it was Uncle Tom, but he started off talking about how I look just like my mom again. And the way he was just staring.” She gave an exaggerated shiver. “He gave me that creepy uncle vibe, you know… the one where everyone tells you to be careful around him because he’s strange, which I always took for code he was a pedo or something. I don’t know, it’s just a weird feeling, ya know.”
“Yea, I have a few cousins that I would throw in that group, give me the willies everytime they’re around. So anyway, once my aunt there,” she said jerking her thumb towards the older deer, “get’s done haggling with the goober we can take off and check out stuff or whatever you wanna do.”
Katie looked over at the adults for a moment, “It feels kinda weird to hear them talking about actual money. Sonnet and Don trade for goods, and stuff they need. I guess I just kinda figured everyone did that.” She leaned back on her handpaws as she started to look around a bit more. Then she leaned over to her friend and whispered, “I’m not sure what kind of stuff you were thinking about, but I’m already seeing some interesting stuff, if you know what I mean.”
“Some do, some don’t, aunt Jenny says it kind of depends on what the vendors needs are. She says some of them trade for materials that it’s hard for them to come by on their own. I guess in a way it makes sense.” Looking around the meeting grounds she added, “yeah, I do know what you mean, and it seems kind of weird doesn’t it? I mean from what you said I figured it would be kind of creepy with a bunch of furs running around partially naked or worse. But to be honest, no one seems weirded out by it and no one seems to be being creepy about it either. Heck, look over there, the ones dancing around in a circle. Bunch of bare fur over there but it doesn’t look like anyone is hitting on anyone else. Getting a good eyefull yeah, but nothing like lewd or anything.”
Katie shrugged as she followed the deer pointing things out, “I guess I’m really just getting used to the idea that nude doesn’t always mean sex. It’s not like this is an orgy or anything… not yet at least. I’m sure there are some that come to these things to get an eye full, and fill up their mental fap archives, But if you look you can see that their are a few that look to be more watching the others and just enjoying the meet. You know, like security or something. But it is still kinda weird to see all these furs with no clothes on. I don’t think I could do that, not out in public like this anyway.”
“The deal is struck then,” the pair heard from beside them. As Brianna looked to her aunt the older doe was shaking paws with the person she had been talking to. “Go ahead and take what I have here, and the rest you can pick up at the end of the meet. Just join me back here and we can get it from my car as we leave.” As the middle aged skunk turned and walked away with his purchase in hand she turned to her niece. “I take it this is your friend, Katie I believe you said was her name?”
“Yes ma’am aunt Jenny,” the younger doe answered.
“A pleasure to meet you, and I’m glad Bri is making more friends finally.”
“Yeah, so before you can drag her into an hour long discussion of my friend making habits, is it okay if we go have a look around? After all you did drag me up here to do more than be your schlepping mule didn’t you?”
“Of course I did, I thought that maybe, just maybe if you saw that it’s not some kind of wild frat party or non-stop orgy you might be just a little more likely to want to come back. Maybe even join in on some of the fun and actually enjoy yourself a little.”
“Oh, no ma’am, it’s not a non-stop orgy, these happen on schedule as usual,” She said with a sly smile as she grabbed her friend's hand, “Speaking of which, come on…” She hoped up dragging Brianna with her as she started to giggle. She slowed down as they got a bit further away she slowed down and looked at the doe, “I’m sorry, I couldn’t help it. I had to say something.”
“Sorry nothin’,” the key deer replied with a huge grin on her muzzle, “way worth it to see the look on her face as you were dragging me off. Pretty sure she’s convinced we’re off to find a bush or something and get busy.” Reaching up to dab at her eyes for a second, she added, “God the stories her and my mom will think up this week, it’s gonna be glorious.”
“Speaking of what we’re going to do,” She stopped and looked around, “What are we going to do? Last time I was at one of these I kinda just stayed at Don and sonnet’s camp in shock, mostly. I mean, we had just found out our dad was not his father and our mother was a pagan in her youth. So, any ideas, besides getting naked and prancing around?”
“Some ideas yes, and I won’t lie, that is one of them. I mean before today I was all like ‘yeah not about to get naked in front of people I don’t know.' But while I was sitting there with my aunt and just watching what was going on around me… maybe it’s not so bad. I mean the first time you have sex with someone your doing the same thing right?”
The lynx scrunched her face and cocked an eyebrow, “That’s a little different, I think. I mean, you’re kinda expecting things to go places then, here it’s just kind of a freedom thing I guess. Like no one is going to judge you, or will they. But, it’s not like you’re hoping anyone is turned on by it or anything. I don’t know, maybe I’m just talking out my ass because Sonnet and Don are doing it all the time, getting naked I mean, not doing it.”
“I don’t know, I guess you’re at least partly right on the freedom thing. But I’m pretty sure from watching some of the furs dancing there were more than a few looking to turn someones crank. Besides,” she added as she turned and walked backwards a few paces looking the lynx girl squarely in the eyes. “We’re discussing what we are gonna do here, and just maybe I was thinking it might turn you on,” she said, quickly grabbing the lynx and kissing her full on the lips, holding the contact for several seconds before she released her.
Katie took a moment to catch her breath as she looked at the deer, “Okay, That was fair, I mean I did kiss you and all. But, I was kinda thinking the same thing… so… this is weird…I don’t think I’m ready to get all nude, but… I’ll take my shirt off if you do too.”
“Yea, not sure I’m ready to show off all the goods just yet either. But you gotta deal, even seeing ya partly nude will be, I don’t know, kind of exciting I think,” the deer girl answered her paws going to the hem of her shirt. “Let’s see those spots hot stuff,” she added as she whipped her shirt up and over her head in a flash revealing that she had picked today to go without a bra as well.
“Okay, I kinda feel bad now,” Katie said as she pulled off her own shirt revealing a black sports bra. “I wasn’t really thinking about getting naked.” She tied her shirt around her waist before she moved to take off the bra revealing her modest budding breasts, for their shape to only be partially concealed by her thick winter coat.
“To be honest, neither was I, truth is all my decent bras were in the wash and the only two I had both fit like they’re for a six year old.” Reaching over and taking her friends paw in her own Brianna leaned closer and asked, “so, now what you wanna do? Hide in the shadows, find a quiet place or go strut our stuff and show these plebs how to dance?”
“Um,” Katie with a slight blush, “Dancing isn’t really my thing. How about we actually look around at stuff for a bit. It’s still kinda weird to not have my shirt on, ya know.”
“Yea, true enough,” the doe said leading her friend off into the gathering. “We can start at this really neat booth I saw while my aunt was setting up, they’ve got these really cool little charms that I think would make amazing earrings.”
“That sounds cool,” The feline girl said with a smile as the pair walked on, now topless.
(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_A Whisper’s Backdrop_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)
Donovan watched as the three older lynx siblings and his younger sister approached from nearly the center of the gathering ground. The beaver named John had already stopped by for their usual trade of goods, something that went back to sonnet’s grandfather. So he had already been warned of the lynxes looking for him. Donovan had avoided looking for the men himself, not sure what he would say if he had found them. As the group caught sight of him grace let go of her mother and sprinted to the teen lynx. Donovan leaned in to catch the girl in his arms.
“There's my sister.” He tossed her up a bit and caught her before putting her back on the ground. “Hey, why don’t you grab a few bags of the trail mix and head over to the story circle, you remember where that is, right?” The little girl nodded as she bounced with excitement. “I think Star is already over there telling some of his stories. Now remember to share with others.”
Before the teen had even finished talking the young cub had disappeared toward a gathering crowd. He looked back to the adults as they approached, “Hi mom, and I guess Tom and Ray?”
The older of the males watched as the young one ran off, “Okay, that still seems strange to me, watching you let a six year old just run off by herself. What if she gets lost or something?”
“With her age, the first thing anyone is going to do is point her or even take her to Star Dreamer’s story circle. That is if she’s not swept up in some other group of cubs her age doing something.” Donovan answered. “Besides, all the regulars and circle members already know she is my sister and will bring her back here. You can thank Emmett for that one, and the fact that I’ve already been told about other strangers looking for me.”
The groups stood in an awkward silence as they looked at each other. The moment was finally broken when the younger of the two brothers said, “I’m Tom. It’s nice to finally meet you.”
“The seer predicted by sonnet, confirmed by my own mother, and somehow connected to the shadows everyone is whispering about,” the lynx teen said as he looked at the older male, “And, going out on a limb here, my real father.”
The trio of siblings glanced at each other before Lydia started to speak.
“Don’t bother saying anything unless I’m wrong,” he halted his mother with a raised paw. “I know you planned on not saying anything, but you’ve met Sonnet. Do you really think she won’t say something as soon as she meets everyone?”
Lydia sighed and relented, “You’re not wrong, but we might need to tell these two a bit more about your mate, so she doesn’t blindside them like they did me. Come on boys, we should have a sit down and adult talk about this.”
“Go ahead and get into the Teepee, there's a small fire going in there to warm up by, I need to handle this," Donovan said pointing to a couple as they approached his small camp.
The siblings ducked into the tent, leaving the teen to handle his business. The space was vacant except for four log stumps, a small pile of wood to feed the fire and a pile of furs to one side. As they each took a seat Lydia started to explain.
“I spent some time at the library studying up on a few things. And here is what I know for a fact. Donovan is mated to a tenth generation grove keeper. Everyone connected to the local circle knows about her, and that she is a powerful druid who has lived her entire life in the forest by the old ways until Don showed up in her life.”
“Okay,” Raymond broke in, “There are a few things in there that you would not find in a library.”
“I didn’t say it was all in books, did I? The head librarian is a record keeper for more than just the public library. A few cups of tea and genuine concern for my young ones loosens up tongues better than Emmett’s ways.”
“Okay, so I take it you’ve joined the coven?"
“Not yet, but it is tempting. Anyway. I don’t know the entire story, but she is the tenth generation, but only the ninth to take up the mantle. Her mother died in childbirth. From what I can gather, mostly hearsay, Donovan showed up not long after her grandfather passed away. Several members of the circle had vowed to protect her, keep her safe from things that might hurt her, from herself. There are many practitioners of the old way, and when I say that, I am not talking about what our parents called the old ways. But she is on a different level, not stronger than many of the more grounded members, but more connected to this forest than anyone. She doesn’t leave it, and some think that she couldn’t even if she wanted to. She has a connection to the spirits of the woods. She is as much a part of the woods as any tree or animal.”
“Okay, so he’s fallen for a forest nymph.” Tom said, “Honestly can’t blame him though.”
As they listened to their sister, Donovan ducked into the enclosure with them, “So, You think you’ve got my wife explained?”
“I am not even going to try and claim that feat,” his mother said with a smile. “But I did give them some background on her. I figure who she is would be better explained by the one who lives with her.”
The teen boy continued into the tent and put a paw on Tom’s shoulder as he moved past, only to have the older lynx abruptly pull away “Don’t touch me.”
Donovan pulled his paw away, “I’m sorry.”
Lydia looked at her brother sternly, “Okay, you need to explain that better than you don’t like being touched. You didn’t use to be like this.”
Raymond started to speak, “It goes back to..”
“No,” Thomans interrupted, “Let me talk for once, at least here. We have nothing to hide, right?” Everyone looked at each other and nodded in agreement. “Don, did De’de tell you about the fire, where our parents died?”
“Well kind of, she said you all died, but that doesn’t really matter.”
“Well, Ray wasn’t there, he was out working. But, all I really remember myself, I just remember the hospitals afterward. What I really remember is being committed because of the voices and visions. They had gotten worse, or stronger, depending on how you look at it I guess.” He looked over at his sister, “remember how I would have feelings and premonitions from holding paws?”
She nodded.
“It really hit one day when I had a PTSD freakout episode, they decided I needed to be restrained for my own safety. I’m not going to say they were wrong, but when the orderlies tried to hold me down… the visions, voices, everything flooded in. I guess I struggled harder, and the harder I struggled the more orderlies came in to help restrain me. Let's just say, I don’t like touching people for that reason. As long as I stick with that they don’t try and up my dosages. I never want to experience that again.”
“Okay, I can respect that,” Donovan said as he tossed another piece of wood on the fire. “But, Just so you are aware, Sonnet may have issues with the medications, especially if she sees that they are not really helping you. She’s kinda high on the natural flow of energies thing.”
“An old school druid not trusting modern medicine,” Raymond said sarcastically, “who’d have thought.”
“She is not against medicine,” he corrected, “She is against poisons that do more harm than good. And she will know just by looking at you. And don’t lie to her, she’ll read it on you, like it’s written in bold letters on your face.” He adjusted himself to get a little more comfortable. “You know, just four months ago I would have been calling bullshit on all this.”
“Times change, and you are a fourth generation yourself, just not raised in it like she was.”
(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Kiss the Girl_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)
Katie and Brianna walked paw-in-paw through the gathering. The had stopped and looked at several craft booths and little shows. They watched some of the crystal ball and card readings, stifling giggles at some of the obvious attempts to swindle some of the attendees with vague interpretations that could be seen as just about anything. They had even received a few comments about what a cute couple they made only for both of them to insist they were just friends, Brianna once in a while slipping in ‘for now’ under her breath with a giggle.
“So, I think we've looked at all the venders,” Katie said as she looked over at her friend. “So, what do we do now?”
“Not sure about you, but I’m gettin’ a little hungry over here,” the key deer replied as she pulled the lynx a little closer. “So we either hit up the snack tent or I start nibbling on you.”
“I got all the loose change out of my mom’s purse for snacks,” the lynx girl said, “cause, I don’t think nibbling on each other will fix the hungry issue.”
“Yea, probably not,” Brianna replied rolling her eyes at the lynx. “Come on, let’s go see what they have that looks good.”
Katie squeezed the deer's paw as she corrected, “I think we should look for stuff that is edible, we got the good looking part covered, and already said it’s not that filling.” She stopped and turned to face her friend, “Okay, I’ve been dying to do this for like an hour now.” She looked around to see they were in a semi secluded spot between the crafting and food vendor areas. “Don’t get too excited, but I have got to feel your fur,” As she put her paws on Brianna’s belly and started to rub the short course deer fur. She felt the soft yet toned feminin figure that had been on display for her since they had both taken off their shirts. “Sonnet’s fur is thick and soft like a husky, but wow, yours doesn’t leave much to the imagination. Does it?”
“Nope, what you see is pretty much what you get,” the deer answered, her own paws reaching out and pressing into the lynx girls sides just above the waist. “Now you on the other paw,” she began her fingers gently massaging the soft fur and firm flesh of her friend, “your not nearly as soft and fluffy under this fur as it makes you look. You really are hiding an athletes body under there.”
The lynx stepped closer to her friend, “Yeah, my winter coat makes me look… thicker than I am? It’s also hellish to brush out in the spring, under coat fur everywhere. I have to like brush for an hour before I get in the shower, or the drain will clog up.” Her paws inched their way to the deer’s side and made a slow climb up to the bottom of her ribcage. “I bet you don’t have to deal with that.”
“N, no I don’t,” the dear admitted a soft moan escaping her lips as she felt her friends fingers slowly climbing up her sides. “But, umm I bet I could help with all that brushing, if you wanted me to that is.”
Katie’s paw slipped around behind Brianna's back and pulled her closer as she pressed their muzzles together in a kiss. She held her friend there as her paw migrated down with the thought of how she liked the feel of her own tail being brushed. Her mind raced with what she was doing, but felt as if she had to keep going as her other paw reached around the deer’s waist and pulled their bellies together, squeezing Brianna into her soft pillow like fluff. After a long moment she let go and stepped back. She licked her lips she asked, “Are you wearing cherry lip balm?”
“Ummm, no,” the key deer answered panting slightly. “You… a kiss like that, and you wanna know about lip balm? What’s up with that?”
“I don’t know, you’re the first girl I kissed and I thought I tasted cherries. What, did I do it wrong?”
“No, not at all,” she replied. “That’s kind of a weird thing about some species, like deer. Some furs say we tend to taste like the things we eat. Kind of like the tasting cherries, I eat a lot of fruit and cherries are like my biggest favorite so I eat a lot of them.”
“I don’t eat a lot of fruit,” Katie said, “something about not being able to digest it right. But I like the flavor of cherry lip balm.” She leaned in again as ran her sandpaper rough tongue across brianna’s lips, “Yeah, I guess it’s not lip balm.”
“No lip balm, just little ol' me,” the deer replied quickly placing her paws on each of the lynx girls cheeks and dragging her into another kiss. Catching her friend off guard before the lynx could close her muzzle Brianna snuck her tongue into the other girls mouth, rubbing it over the felines rough appendage several times before releasing the girl. Leaning back a bit she grinned at her friend and asked, “so, snacks now? Or do we keep making out until you get your fill of cherry flavor?”
Katie panted for a moment, her eyes wide with surprise at the does kiss. “Umm, yeah, snacks… We should get those.”
Giggling at her friends response to her own boldness the deer girl wrapped an arm around the lynx’s waist as they started to walk towards the food vendors area. “Good idea, Otherwise I might have started groping you and feeling you up,” she said quickly letting her paw drop to Katie’s rump giving it a quick, playful squeeze before dashing off towards the closest of the vendors.
(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Sister’s Whispers_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)
Thomas stood and watched as Donovan worked with one customer after another. It surprised him that the boy was able to explain the contents of different mixtures and concoctions and hand-crafted charms only referring to a notebook from time to time. His attention moved to the gathering as he thought about the bits and pieces he learned about the boy’s life, and his absent mate. The older lynx understood better than most what the young girl may have been going through.
The congregation moved and flowed like a river, as if most everyone subconsciously meandered in the same patches. From time to time a small swirling pool of dancers could be seen forming around a pan flute or other musical source, only to disappear and move on. The gathering itself was a living, breathing thing, filled with the thoughts, dreams and energies of all those gathered.
He shivered as the whispers echoed in his ears. He was still unsure how much of what he heard was in the physical world around him or only in his mind.
“Watch for the darkness.”
He turned, looking for who spoke. The feminine voice was more solid than many others he heard, as if whispered directly in his ear. He took a step forward as the wondering furs faded into a blur of colors before him. Like water composed of reds, greans, purplees, and blues. Then he saw it, the dark, muddy pink and blue. A spot, a singulare presence, like a lone fish in the river.
“Tommy,” Lydia’s voice pulled him back. The crowd solidified around him again. The world was real, the whispers gone. He turned to see her.
“De’de,” he said more to pull himself out of his episoade than to acknowledge her.
“Are you okay?”
He put a paw to his head as the dizziness struck. “Yeah, I’m… why?”
“You spaced out for a moment,” she said as she approached him. “You almost walked into someone.”
He looked at her, focused on her eyes. She was clear, sharp, real. “It happens. That’s why we still live at the old homestead. No one to run into, and I can wander a bit without hurting myself, or anyone else.”
“I’m sorry,” she said as she put a paw on his chest.
He forced himself not to pull away. It had been so long since she had touched him, and he wanted to feel something again. The images that filled his mind were his own memories, things he held close, his mental safe place. It was the past it was real things from his own life.
“We need you here, with us.” Lydia looked him in the eyes as she spoke. “I should have been there for you, but I can’t help you if you’re not here with me now.”
Thomas leaned in to kiss her, only for her to put a linger to his lips, “We can’t do that. We both agreed that we need to leave that in the past.”
He took a step back away from her, the memories of their past fading as he did. “You’re right, I’m sorry. I don’t know what I was thinking.”
“I do,” Lydia said, “I remember also, and you are strong. You remember why? It was more than physical. And now, when I touched you, it came back to me too.”
“I…” Thomans paused for a moment, “I need to breath.” he held his head for a moment as he turned to walk away.
“Tommy.”
“I’ll be fine,” he said as he continued to walk away. “They won’t let me do anything stupid here. Even Don said so. This is a safe place. I’m sure they’ll bring me back here if I get lost. I’ll just go over to the food stalls and help Ray carry stuff back. It’s only a hundred yards.” He could see his older brother as he weaved across the flow of bodies. He just needed to clear his head, only a short walk to where his brother stood in line, nothing more.
-----
Raymond watched his brother as the younger lynx seemed to space out looking over the gathered masses. The look in Thomas’s eye was one that worried him from the time they were both but young cubs. The way his brother sometimes looked at the world, as if it was some strange, alien place, watching things that he, himself could not see. After the fire, and the schizophrenia diagnosis, he had thought he understood his brother better. He even started to believe that the gifts his parents said they had may have been all in their mind, and his own accuracy of reading cards, tea leaves and whatever else they put in front of him was more the power of suggestion than a gift. But in the past two days he had begun to once again question his own belief, and if he had ever truly left his old ways behind him.
He relaxed a bit as Lydia walked up to Thomas and seemed to pull him out of this trance. He watched as Thomas let her touch him, something that the younger lynx had avoided since his first involuntary commitment. Raymond paused and glanced to Donovan as the two siblings moved to kiss one another, only to stop themselves. He saw that the teen was also watching the pair that he just learned were his true parents. The boy seemed to be unphased by what he saw and just continued to deal with those who approached him to trade. He wasn’t sure what to make of the youth’s reaction, as he turned to continue in the line toward the food vendor.
-----
Donovan looked over at his mother as she comforted his uncle. Though he was uncertain what to think of the man who he now knew was his father, who had never been a part of his life in the past. It was odd to see the obvious intimacy the two siblings shared. It was different than the relationship his mother had with the lynx that raised him, but it did not invalidate either relationship.
As his mother pushed the other lynx away, visibly denying herself the kiss as much as him, Donovan thought about his relationship with his own sister and his mate. In the past he had never thought about their relationship in that way, but the revelation of his mother, and open honesty of Sonnet made him question it for the first time. The phrase he had heard more often than not as a standard of life and rules at the meet came to mind, ‘harm none, do as ye will.’ But then his mind went to the many psychological studies he saw with his own research and had to question weather any relationship with a sibling was valid with that rule. Then he pondered the golden rule he was raised with, ‘Do unto others as you would want them to do unto you.’ She had approached him, though he did not turn her away, he did leave it up to her to bring it up again.
He continued to think through these new revelations as he traded with those for the supplies he could manage to get while making note of what he might have to go into town for afterward. The one thing that was clear to him at that moment was his need to have a deeper conversation with Sonnet about their relationship, and the direction and confusion in his life. For the first time, he realized that she might be the only one with a clear view of him and his family.
-----
“Tommy,” Lydia walked over to her brother, who was clearly lost in a vision. She wanted to stop him before he walked in front of a mouse couple who were looking at a group of dancing youth instead of where they were walking.
“De’de,” he replied, the sound of his voice conveying a feeling of loss more than a reaction to her calling him.
“Are you okay?”
He put a paw to his head as he answered “Yeah, I’m… why?”
“You spaced out for a moment,” the lynx woman told him as she got closer. “You almost walked into someone.”
He seemed to focus on her, like the anchor that she used to be for him. “It happens. That’s why we still live at the old homestead. No one to run into, and I can wander a bit without hurting myself, or anyone else.”
She put a paw on his chest as she said, “I’m sorry.” It had been years since she had left them behind for the new life with Emmett. At times she had questioned whether she did the right thing, now more than ever as she saw the aftermath of leaving her brother alone.
He stood firm as she touched him, something Raymond and he said didn’t happen anymore. As she did she felt the familiar pull from him. Then the push of energy that she had forgotten. Her mind flooded with memories of their youth, the moments they would sneak away into the woods. A history she had buried within herself when she chose Emmett over her family.
She locked eyes with him, a tactic she had often used when his visions were overwhelming. “We need you here, with us. I should have been there for you, but I can’t help you if you’re not here with me now.”
She watched as his eyes closed, her subconsciously following as they both leaned in to kiss each other. She forced herself to place a finger on his muzzle and pull away. “We can’t do that. We both agreed that we need to leave that in the past.”
He took a step back breaking the contact between them. The memories of the past, and possibilities of the future fell away. “You’re right, I’m sorry. I don’t know what I was thinking.”
“I do,” she said softly, “I remember also, and you are strong. You remember why? It was more than physical. And now, when I touched you, it came back to me too.”
“I…” he hesitated as he turned away from her. “I need to breath.”
“Tommy.”
“I’ll be fine,” he said as he continued to walk away. “They won’t let me do anything stupid here. Even Don said so. This is a safe place. I’m sure they’ll bring me back here if I get lost. I’ll just go over to the food stalls and help Ray carry stuff back. It’s only a hundred yards.”
She watched, every step of the way as he walked toward their brother, only looking away when he was only paces from him. Raymond had made it clear that they needed to keep an eye on him because of the medication, and the events of the past two days. She scolded herself as she wondered what would have happened if she had never left them. How much of his current condition was her fault?
(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Urges_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)
Katie and Briana found a small spot of packed snow as they sat to eat, The lynx girl with what must have been a feral turkey leg and the deer with a salad composed of fruits and vegetables. The lynx girl stopped and giggled for a moment, “Goddamnit, I forgot to turn off this damned thing. Those two are getting weird again.” She sat her food down on a plate as she struggled to reach for the off switch. “He must have just got home from work or something.”
“Huh?” the deer girl questioned as she turned and stared at the lynx a bit dumbfounded.
“This stupid suit thing from the sex class.” Katie said as she tried to reach behind herself. “You know, the one that makes you feel the stuff from the pregnant girl, Zoe. Well, it lets you feel a bit more than just baby kicks...”
“Wait so you can feel them doing the nasty or something?” Brianna asked her eyes going a little wider. “Hell if I had known that I would have let mom sign me up for that shit.”
“Well, no, not that, but when they cuddle and he feels her up… it’s kinda weird to get ghost groped without warning.”
“So what’s the deal with this suit thing you’re talking about? Do you have it on now, ya know like wear it all the time or what?”
“Well, that’s kinda the point, I guess,” she said as she pulled the collar part out from her fur to show Brianna. “It's not like you can just turn off being pregnant, and it’s probably why they made it hard to reach the off switch by yourself.”
“I guess, so you need a paw there, or should I just non ghost grope you instead?” the key deer quipped, “seriously, where’s the switch at fluffy butt?”
The lynx turned her back to the deer as she said, “it’s on the back, but you have to like… look for it in the fur, and it’s in a spot I can’t reach.” As she pointed down her back with one paw and up with the other.
“Okay so somewhere around here,” Brianna said as her paws went to her friend’s back and began to slowly rake through her fur. Several moments passed, the feline girl squirming as she searched for the elusive switch. “Okay I think they hide this stupid… oh wait, I think I found it,” she uttered as her fingers found an area of more solid material about the size of a quarter along the felines spine several inches below her shoulders. Pressing what felt like a small round button she asked, “did that do it?”
“I think that got it. Or they stopped for dinner or something,” Katie said as she scooted closer to the deer, “but you don’t have to stop looking if you don’t want to.”
“Oh really now?” Brianna replied as she continued to ruffle through the lynx’s fur, her paws slowly going lower and lower towards the girls waist.
Katie arched her back as she replied, “You have no idea what it’s like to have someone run their fingers through your winter coat after wearing a shirt and jacket all day. My mom used to do it to me before bed when I was younger. She had a special brush and everything.” She reached behind herself and grabbed Brianna's paws, pulled them around her as she leaned into the deer, then put them on her belly. “You have to fluff it all if you start,”she quipped looking up with a smile.
“I think I can handle that,” the key deer said as a huge grin spread across her face. “Just let me know when you’ve had enough”, she added as her paws began inching higher and higher from the lynx’s waist.
The moment was broken by the nearly feral growl, “That’s my niece.” from behind them. They both turned to see a lynx with a fox man held off the ground by his chest fur. The lynx paused and shook his head, “be quiet.” then dropped the man to the ground. “You look at her again, any of them again and I will break you.” he said as he pushed a few males that had gathered away from him. He held his head and staggered slightly as he said, “Don’t touch me,” and began to move away from the gathering.
“Um, did that just happen?” Katie asked, twisted nearly all the way round in Brianna’s lap. “Better yet, what just happened?”
“Yeah something just happened, and I’m not really sure what to be honest. But it sounded like maybe someone was being a creeper,” Brianna answered.
-----
Thomas reached forward to tap his brother on the shoulder when the voice invaded this ear. The breath as real as the whisper itself, “Watch, find him. He’s looking for her.” He pulled his paw away as the world faded into a blur of shapes and colors. He turned to follow the flow, drawn in, unable to resist the need to move. He sniffed the air, as if he could smell his prey. Then it crossed into his vision again, the muddied presence. Muted and dingy pink and blue. He followed it, weaving and sidestepping everything that came near, focused on the thing that did not belong.
Slowly the world came back into focus. Before him stood a middle aged red fox, looking at a gathering of young teen females, all in various stages of undress. Some in the intimate embrace of others, some just chatting and enjoying the gathering. He followed the fox’s gaze as it fell on a young deer and with someone else in it’s lap. He took another step toward the fox as things continued to sharpen in his vision. It was his sister- no his niece. He was looking at Katie and her friend.
Without thinking he grabbed the man by the scruff of his chest and growled, “That’s My niece.” Visions and images flooded into his mind, he was forced to pause as the foreign thoughts invaded him. Then it was all pushed from him, he felt an outside force becon him away.
“He is not the one you want, he is harmless here.” the voice called, now from a distance.
“Be quiet,” he grunted as he tried to force himself back to the moment.
“You have a purpose, and this is not it.” the voice called out in a near yell from the clearings edge. “The darkness follows them, follow the darkness.”
He let go of the fox, a clear look of panic in his eyes. He uttered a simple warning, though he knew it was likely pointless, “You look at her again, any of them again and I will break you.” then turned to follow the voice. He felt a paw reach out to him. As he pushed it away without looking, staggering forward he said, “Don’t touch me.”
The edge of the clearing approached as he tried to avoid contact with anyone else. Beyond the edge lay untouched darkness. As he stepped into the fresh snow he felt as if he passed through a thick wall of pressure, a circle of protection, a feeling that had eluded his life for ten years. He knew everything within the circle was safe, yet what lay before him was left to the mercy of the night.
(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Misplaced_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)
Raymong walked back to the teepee where Donovan and his mother waited, his arms loaded with small baskets of food. Lydia jumped up from her spot by the tent entrance, “Let me get some of those. How many did you get?”
“Five, one for everyone, including Katie.”
“If you have all these , what is Tom getting?”
“What do you mean?” Raymond asked with an eyebrow cocked.
“He went over to help you.”
“No, he was here with you.”
“I watched him walk right up to you, Ray.”
“What?” he spun, dropping the two baskets he still held. “Don, where’s Tom? Have you seen him?”
“You can just bring them by here later, Miss Meadows,” he said as he finished dealing with a twenty-something sheep before he turned to his family.” Honestly, I’ve been a bit busy. Last I saw he was walking up to you over by the food stalls.”
“God damn it, Tom. I swear to god he really does plan this shit.” Raymond turned back to Lydia and continued, “He couldn’t have gotten far. We should go look for him.”
The teen lynx put a paw on his uncle’s shoulder, “Look, if anything happens, we will hear about it. A lot of the elders are on high alert with some of the predictions. So I’m sure there’s nothing to worry about.”
“I don’t know. He’ll get in these… trances, and he really doesn’t know what he’s doing sometimes.”
As he rushed through the crowd the young black bear spied the lynx he was searching for. “Donovan!” he bellowed as he drew closer to where the young man and what was obviously his family stood gathered in front of the now familiar teepee. “Star sent me, said there was some kind of commotion and he’s pretty sure it involved one of your uncles.”
“Okay, what kind of commotion?” Donovan asked.
“He said it was, and I quote, ‘bit of an altercation between an older lynx man and a red fox person’. Way it sounds from what I heard the fox guy was perving out on some of the younger girls that are partly skyclad and your uncle nailed him about it.”
“Wait, he confronted someone?” the older lynx man asked. “That doesn’t sound like Tom, he usually avoids everyone.”
“Yeah, Star said that apparently your sister Katie was one of the girls he was eyeballing,” the bear boy said looking to the younger of the lynx’s.
Raymond’s eyes widened as he looked at the bear, “Did he hurt anyone? Where is he now?”
“No one got hurt, but I guess he put the fear of the Goddess into the guy ‘cause he hauled ass out of the grove like his tail was on fire. As far as your uncle, he was last seen wandering off to the west just outside the grove.”
Raymond put a paw in the bear boy’s shoulder, “Did anyone hear him say anything? Did he have any look… like he was spacing out, or talking to himself?” Before waiting for an answer he looked to Lydia and said, “I have his meds. He’s out there without his meds. What the fuck did I just do to our brother?”
Donovan turned to his uncle and said, “If he’s still inside the circle he’ll be fine, if not he can’t hurt anyone and we can look for him.”
“No, Don, I don’t think you understand. Tommy is a seer who has been drugged to the hilt for anything they could diagnose him with for the past ten years. He is in an obvious center of power, approaching midnight on Samhain. The only thing he is lacking to be completely fucked is a full or new moon.” Raymond dropped to his knees. “What have I done?”
“It’s not your fault, Ray.” Lydia knelt beside him and wrapped her arms around him. “You were doing what you thought was best for both of you. I did the same thing not letting you back into Don’s life. We’ll find him. For all we know, he’s already wandering round the grove meet.”
-----
Thomas walked aimlessly into the darkness of the forest. He felt drawn in as the wind muttered in his ears. The sounds just shy of tangible voices. He watched as the movement of the trees agitated the shadows. He could feel the beyond natural things lurking on the edges of his vision as the effects of his medication waned. He patted his pockets only to remember Raymond had taken them earlier.
The shadows gradually transformed. Their shape and movements became more defined and separated from the trees themselves. Yet they were no more earthly than before, maintaining the Ethereal essence. Disembodied spirits, wandering souls, Things that belonged in this forest no more than he did.
The murmurs of the wind morphed and formed into whispers in his ears. They surrounded him, taunted him. Words wrapped in childlike giggles, or serpentine hisses.
“You killed them.”
“You abandoned your own son.”
“He hates you, she hates you.”
“You bring with you darkness to this place.”
“You don’t belong here.”
“You should have died in the fire.”
“We’re not real, you know what we are.”
He continued, drawn by something, a need to move forward, to follow as the shadows slipped and slithered between the trees. He clapped his paws over his ears and squeezed his eyes shut as he yelled, “BE QUIET! I AM THE MASTER OF MY MIND.”
“Shhhh,” a familiar voice said, “Even the masters of all things does not have control of everything that comes.” He opened his eyes to see the ephemeral vision of a young skyclad doe fade before him. “Even the strongest among us can not always defend ourselves. The darkness comes. Do not let it happen again. Please, I beg you, save her from my fate.”
In an instant the forest fell silent, the shadows stopped moving, and the whispering wind died. The night was nearly pitch back with only the stars and sliver of the waning moon. The fire light of the gathering had faded into the distance. For the first time in his memory, Thomas stood in a nearly complete sensory vacuum. There was nothing to hear, or see. His own paws nearly invisible as he held them up.
He was jolted by the sound of muffled gunshots. He spun, trying to discern their direction. Hunters he thought, only to dismiss the idea as he recognized the sound of silenced rifles with the echo of several more reports.
“This isn’t right. We’re too close to the public gathering.” He thought out loud.
“Will you interfere in what is not your concern?” the raspy voice said in a whisper by his ear. The visage of the skull of a deer entered his peripheral. He dared not move to look at it, for it was far to clear an image for the nearly non-existent light.
“I was drawn here for a reason,” He answered, “I may not belong here, but I know I need to be here.” He started walking in the direction of the sound.
“This is not what I agree to, Coonter.”
“You shut up. No one’s gonna know what happened.”
The two voices argued as Thomas started to approach a new source of light.
“You said we were just going to scare the girl.”
“The wolves were self defence, they attacked us.”
He stopped on the edge of the light. He saw two figures dressed in camouflage, but lacking the reflecting additions used for hunter safety.
“They are but hunters, you have no right to interfere,” the raspy voice from the skull continued. “What they do has nothing to do with you.”
“Look, Coonter, I’m out. I didn’t agree to kill anything, not out here.”
The one figure stood and grabbed the other, “You listen to me. You're already part of this. And you agreed, this little girl needed to be put in her place. Those fucks cater to her whims. I had no problems until she came back out of the mountains and stuck her nose where it didn't belong.”
The second figure pushed the first away, “No, I’m not part of this. That ended when you loaded the buckshot. Tranquilizer is one thing, but..”
“Fine get the fuck outa here. I’ll finish on my own.” The first figure pushed the other away as he knelt down to something in the snow. The second pulled something down over his face and walked into the darkness beyond the light.
A soft whisper came to his other ear, “Innocence is threatened. Will you stand by and do nothing?”
“This is not your place boy. Remember what comes when you intervene.”
“I am the master of myself,” He said taking a step into the light, “I will do as I please.”
“Then let your fury burn,” The skull rasped into his ear. “Let truth be known, and vision foretold. You have abandoned your kin before. You have burned and buried them in your past. What will you do this time?”
“Such a sexy young thing,” the figure said as Thomas entered the ring of light.
As his eyes adjusted what he saw horrified him. Several young wolf pups no more than a few months old lay bleeding around him. He leaned down to one, as it whimpered, still alive, but only barely. The blood began to soak his fur.
The doe’s voice whispered to him again, “Do for us here what we spirits can no longer.”
With another step forward the figure turned to him, “Who the fuck are you?” The weasel said as he looked up from the body of a young doe hybrid. The girl couldn’t have been older than his niece. Then he saw, images, visions that had been vague and shadowed in his dreams.
“She carries your blood in her womb,” the raspy voice chuckled in his ear. “She is part of what you abandoned, what you burned. Will you burn her as well?”
“QUIET!” he yelled into the night.
He was brought back to the moment with the sound of the pumpaction of a shotgun, “You best be moving on. You didn’t see anything here.”
Thomas stepped forward, slapping the shotgun away from him. He had thought his life ended ten years ago. “I will not turn my back to this, not this time.” He grabbed the weasel by the collar of his coat, and locked his eyes on the fear filled eyes of his captive. As he held the man an instant turned into an eternity as the past and future flooded into him. “As long as they don’t say no, everythings okay.” He pulled the weasel closer, “Will you tell me no?”
“Wh...what are you doing?” the weasel stammered.
“Will you truly do this again?” The raspy voice asked, “it has only brought you pain and suffering.”
The Lynx’s eyes rolled back, voice deepened as he spoke, “The path before me shall diverge,” with his words he felt the wind rises. “Let the future I have seen burn, as you shall burn lest you chose another path. I offer my payment, onto myself I take the echoes of the future that shall not be.”
In that instant everything froze. Before him stood the great horned god of the forest. “You know well, that such a price is not yours to choose.”
“I offer what I have, for I have nothing else to give.”
“You aim to take a path of choice from another, yet keep you own?”
“The path I follow, the life I live is a punishment for what I have done.”
“I beckoned him,” The feminie voice called from his side, “His choices are mine to pay for. In my own avarice I called him here to do this deed, to take a future, not that of this man, but that which he casts on others.
We, here both are connected by blood. I shall pay his fee.”
“Tempt not to tell me what I plainly see. You are no longer of this plain. He has his own darkness which he must pay for.”
“Let him pay in his time, for tonight is my doing.”
(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Return_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)
00:05 A.M, November 1
Donovan approached the gathering of elders as they finished the closing of the rituale circle. “Sister Sharleen, Bother StarDreamer, I hate to bother you, but my Uncle has been gone for a while now. He was last seen walking out of the gathering circle. I know it is getting late, or early, I guess. But, he is out there somewhere without his medication.”
“Donovan, I am sorry my young friend. I’ve been trying to speak with you for some time now. Your uncle did indeed leave the grove and once informed I sent Shovel to track him down and keep an eye on him. I’ve not heard from the big elk since. To be honest I am becoming concerned about both of them.” As he finished speaking to the young lynx the old bear glanced up his eyes going wide and his jaw dropping. “What in the name of the lady?”
The middle aged linx, unfamiliar to many of those gathered for the Samhain Ritual, slowly walked out of the snow laden forest. His blank stare and expressionless face did little to comfort those who saw him. Like a scene out of a scary file, the feline man’s arm and chest fur were covered in blood, In his arms was the limp body of a young doe-husky. He spoke to those who looked on in horror, “Help her, Please.”
Two more lynx pushed their way through the crowd, a man and a woman. “Tom, Tommy, What happened?”
He looked at the other male, “I don’t know.”
The woman put a paw on the young doe hybrid in his arms, “It’s Sonnet. But she’s not hurt, not bleeding at least.” She looked him in the eyes as he stared past her as if into a void. “Who's blood is this Tommy?”
“I don’t know, I don’t remember.” A single tear rolled down his cheek as he asked, “What did I do?”
Donovan pushed his way through. He lifted the doe-huskey out of his uncle’s arms, “What happened? Where did you find her? How did you find her?”
The lynx looked up at the boy, “I don’t remember.” then he looked over at the other lynx man, “Ray, where are we?” his arms and paws went limp as he fell to his knees. From his paw rolled the remnants of a tranquilizer shell.
Lydia wrapped her arms around the bloodied feline, “I’m sorry. I’ll never lose you again.”
Raymond put a paw on her shoulder as he muttered, “Don’t make promises you can't keep. All we can do is be here for him. Like we are now.”
Donovan shooed people out of the way as he brought his mate closer to a fire. “Is there a doctor? She’s pregnant. Please!”
“I’m her attending,” A sheep said as she pushed her way through the gathering crowd. “Let me see her?” She knelt by the boy and doe as she felt for a pulse. “It’s a little weak.” She turned without really looking at anyone, “Timmy, Sam, go get my bag now. Make it fast. It looks like she was drugged. I wish I knew what was used.”
“My brother dropped this,” Raymond handed her the remnants of the dart.
The sheep took the dart in her paw and huffed. She stood and marched over to Star Dreamer and held it in his face, “I know it wasn’t your idea, but I told you it was a bad one. Look at her. She doesn’t go toward town. She doesn’t even want to. And this is what she gets. For what, some overzealous teen out on patrol.”
“This is not of our doing,” the big bear stated flatly. “That dart in your paw bears not the mark of the town council. Which is required, and all such ammunitions are dispersed by I and I alone. I am uncertain what transpired outside the circle this night sister Riley, but I can assure you it had nothing to do with the moratorium on the girl. Our people were not allowed past the circle.”
She let her head drop against his chest, “I know it’s not your fault, and there's nothing you could have done, even if it was one of the guys.” She looked at the dart in her paw and continued, “This chemical concoction isn’t even something you’d allow anyone to use on her. But, it's frustrating that I can’t take her to the hospital.” She sighed as she turned back toward the young doe, “All I can really do is monitor her until she comes out of it. She should be fine, but let's move her inside.”
-----
Katie sat down on a log as the scene unfolded. She wasn’t sure what to think seeing her uncle covered in blood with sonnet in his arms. Even less so with the whispers about someone having attacked the doe-husky. She looked up at her friend, both of them still half-clad, uncertain of what she could even say. She sat there in silence until she saw the others headed back to the teepee. “I… I should probably go see what’s going on.”
“Yeah, you should,” the key deer said giving the lynx a quick hug. “Listen, I’ll be in town tonight with my aunt, so ya know, call me if you need an ear, kay?”
The lynx girl kissed her friend on the cheek before she started walking to Donovan’s camp. She wasn’t sure what to expect when she got back. Outside the teepee a small group had started packing Donovan and Sonnets goods onto the sled for their trip back to their camp. When she ducked into the tent she saw Donovan leaned against a log with Sonnet cradled in his lap, unconscious as the sheep doctor drew some blood and injected her with something. The older of her two uncles stood with his arms crossed as her mother used a bucket of water warmed by the fire to wash the other half dressed Lynx man who sat motionless staring off into nothing. No one even seemed to notice her walk in.
The sight of her uncle Thomas was gruesome . He was shirtless and his fur looked to be soaked in blood as her mother washed it off as best she could. “I know someone is out trying to find where the blood came from, but this isn’t good,” Lydia sad as she dipt the rags in the pot of water.
“He deserved worse.”
“Tommy, who deserved what? What happened out there?” Lydia asked.
“Mom,” Katie questioned, “What's going on?”
“Sonnet was attacked in the woods. It looks like Tom somehow found them before they did any more than tranquilize her.”
“Where’d all the blood come from?”
“We don’t know,” Raymond interjected. “He doesn’t remember. He’s had episodes like this before. The worst was ten years ago. During the house fire that killed our parents, and nearly killed him. Look, I think I need to get him out of here before anything else happens. We need to disappear before they come looking for him for whatever happened out there.”
Lydia stood and turned to Raymond, “NO! You’re not running. That's what we’ve been doing, and it’s only made things worse.”
“Listen to me, De’de, He’s done this before. He’s hurt people. That’s why we’re in the situation we are. Ever since the fire, since the time in the asylum, he hasn’t been right.”
“That’s the problem, Ray. You’re in denial. You’ve been looking for a reason Tommy is the way he is when we both know why. We were both there. We were all part of it. Stop pretending like you don’t believe. We are both at fault here, we both let him down. And I’m not going to do it again.”
“He attacked a guy in the street. He accused him of murder and attacked him without provocation. That's why he was committed again.”
“You know what he is capable of, you’ve seen it. Our entire lives we’ve watched him and he’s always been right. I left because he told me to. His visions saved me, and Donovan from whatever our parents were trying to do. He may have saved me from that fire. We don’t know. And my biggest regret, the one thing I wish I could take back, was leaving him… you both behind. Whatever happens, We will face it together, like we should have been doing from the beginning.”
Katie sat on the ground by her brother as she listened to the adults argue. Donovan just sat running his fingers through Sonnet’s hair. He looked up at the others for a moment. “He didn’t hurt anyone, at least not that they will be able to prove. I am guessing the blood is from the pups. Otherwise, they would have followed him.”
“Wait, Don, you mean...” Katie asked wide eyed.
“Sonnet was not alone, and the pups are not here. I can only assume what happened. But, those wolves would not have let anyone near her.”
Riley, the sheep, added, “It’s true, they wouldn't even let me in their camp without her say. I’m afraid that what Don is saying may be more fact that assumption. But, what ever happened, as long as she is okay, everyone here will stand behind you. There was malicious intent here. And if he had not intervened, who knows what would have happened.”
After a while a young black bear ducked his head into the tent. “They think they found where everything happened. Shovel said he stumbled on it in the dark. They found the pups, Most of them… they took one into town to get a vet to see what they can do for it. They also found a shotgun that was left out there, and tracks headed back to town. A couple of the officers are going to file a report, but they said they will need to talk to your uncle about what he saw.”
Raymond sat down on the ground as he looked at the bear teen. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. I have a feeling I know what he’ll say, and its stuff that they can’t use in an official report. And, he has documented mental instability, I think it would be better for them to fill in the blanks with what the evidence shows.”
The teen bear stepped aside as a young, likely twenty something wombat took his place. In a thick Australian accent he greeted them” Gooday, I’m Officer Renaldson, but you can call me Renny. I Know you all are in the middle of a family tragedy, but I need to get some statements if you don’t mind.”
The officer was obviously an attendee of the event as he was dressed in a brown robe instead of a uniform.
“I know a few things, just from being around for a while. But I still need to ask for official reasons.” He clicked on a small voice recorder before she started the questioning. “This is Officer Renaldson with the family of the victim. Could you please state your name for the record.”
“I am Lydia Hunter, and this is my eldest daughter Kathrin Hunter.”
“I am Donovan Hunter.”
“Raymond Weaver, and that is my brother Thomas.”
“Mister Hunter, I am aware that the victim is your spouse, is that correct?”
“Yes sir.”
“Can you explain the events that lead up to this moment.”
“As everyone is aware, Sonnet does not do well on Halloween, so she was not in attendance here with me.”
“Was she alone?”
“That depends on your definition. In her mind she is never alone. But she did have four wolf pups with her, no one else.”
“Mister… Thomas, I understand you found the victim. Can I get your statement on what you found?”
“They were hunting her…” the lynx man said, his words trailing off to the same distant place he stared into.
“Sir,” Raymond stepped forward. “My brother is not well. He already suffers from mental illness.” He started to pull some folded papers from his pocket. “ I am sure whatever he did see has traumatized him and we can’t be sure what he is saying is reality or delusions.” He handed the wombat the papers. “As you can see he suffers from Schizophrenia, which is likely why he wandered off in the first place.”
“When did you lose track of your brother?”
“It was my fault, “Lydia broke in. “I watched him walk over to Raymond, but looked away before Ray acknowledged him being there.”
“I have statements from others that he… confronted another male before leaving into the woods.”
“Yeah,” Katie said. “It looked like he caught some fox being a creeper. I saw that. I think he was checking on me and my friend. But, he walked off.”
“Did he have any weapons with him?”
“No, sir, we don’t believe in carrying weapons. Besides, he is barred from access to them by the court order.”
“So he has a history of violence?”
“It’s a long story sir, but I can personally guarantee he had no weapons of any kind.”
“Okay, Thank you for your time.” he then click the recorder off. “Okay, here's what I can tell you, and I am only doing this because Star told me to. Apparently someone came into the woods hunting. It looks like they stumbled on Sonnet’s retreat from… things. It looks like they only used a tranquilizer on her. But they shot the pups. Only one was still… James took it to his office in Winter Creek, he is going to do what he can for her. No one thinks Thomas did anything wrong here, and some, with the look of things, think he may not have done enough. But, with these sort of things, I’m going to need to ask you if you can stay in town until things are wrapped up.”
“But, sir, Tom has an appointment back home. It’s court ordered.”
The officer wrote a few notes from the paperwork Raymond had given him. “I’ll talk to the chief about that. I’m sure he’ll make some calls. Little Windchaser here is a key member of our community. Whoever did this will be caught.”
“Thank you, Renny,” Donovan said as the wombat left the teepee.
Raymond sighed, “I guess I’ll need to look as extending our stay. I’ll make some calls in the morning.”
“I just hope that Sonnet is Okay. I never even considered anything happening to her out here. Its… troubling.” Donovan shivered slightly as he hugged his still unconscious mate in his arms.
06:25 A.M, November 1
*You are listening to 95.5 RUKY, Prairie Flats talk radio. As you all may have heard early this morning the charred remains of an unknown individual were found by the road leading out of Winter Creek into the mountains. Some believe that it may have been a mishap from the pagan celebration that was held for the Halloween holiday. There have been no reports of any fires or altercations during the festival, but some individuals have commented about an incident that may have occurred outside the festival area. *
Lydia turned off the radio as she glanced in the back seat at her daughters, both fast asleep. The night had dragged on as they waited for the young doe-husky to come to. She thought it was a bit odd, but within minutes of regaining consciousness her son’s mate seemed to be taking the loss of her pets and the attack on her in stride, almost as if she was ready for the events and aftermath.
What concerned her more was Thomas and Raymond. They both seemed out of sorts after hearing the first report of the body found, even though there was no connection to the festival, or the attack on Sonnet. In the end, Raymond stood by and defended Thomas as the younger brother continued to insist he didn’t remember anything after walking out of the grove meet area until after his return with the doe-husky in his arms.
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