As the light shifted, I could just make out his face. I could sense him and he wasn’t a stranger. I slid my gaze along the line of trees. I saw two more figures moving among the shadows. I was afraid, but my curiosity was locking me to the spot. I shivered as the breeze flicked along my arms. I inhaled deeply, the scent of the forest sending memories flooding forward. I could hear the sound of my quickened breath beginning to rise in volume. I glanced to where the face was supposed to be, and gasped.
Too loud!, I thought. I shifted my weight back on my heels, and took a long look down the line of trees. I heard a twig snap. Normally this could have been any animal in the forest, but right now I knew it was him. I poised once again on the balls of my feet and tensed myself for the attack I was sure was going to come. My senses were alert as possible. I could feel my legs shaking from the tension.
My eyes shifted to the left as I heard leaves rustling. The breeze wasn’t stirring these leaves. I could taste him in the air. I was sure he was only a few feet away as I silently turned. I crouched low and could feel my lips begin to bare my teeth. The venom was filling my mouth. I lunged over the low shrub and landed on the balls of my feet in front of a pair of golden eyes over the same bared teeth I was showing. We both growled our feral snarls, and I heard the others slipping our way quickly. I narrowed my eyes and looked for a sign of recognition in his features. I saw a tightening of his eyes and then a slight straightening of the crouch.
“Am I such a stranger to you now, Sean?”
He stared at me, seeming unsure of his thoughts. The edginess in his stance eased subtly, and his face began to clear of the tension.
“Ann-Marie? What are you doing here?”
I stepped forward a pace and crouched again, without the aggression. I sighed and kept my eyes on his as I gathered my thoughts.
“Sean, I need your help – the others, too. She is moving into Marc’s territory and we are just not as many as we once were. There are too many moving to her camp. She’s just too - different.”
Sean’s eyes softened more. I couldn’t take the pity. I had chosen this path willingly. Sean couldn’t understand it, now or then. It’s what drove us apart, all too soon. Sean inhaled deeply, and slowly let out the breath. He looked to his left and right, and spoke the names of the two who watched us. They melted back into the forest, leaving us to talk. Sean crouched in front of me.
“Ann-Marie, I’m so sorry I walked away from you. I don’t understand your need to fight. I want to, believe me. I will help you, but I cannot speak for the others. They must choose their own paths, just as you have chosen yours. Marc has always been a bit old-fashioned, and She’s young and hip. The kids will flock to her.”
I nodded my agreement. I looked to Marc for guidance when I first turned, and have always felt myself drawn to his mellow ways. Sean has the same soft-spoken and smooth ways, and that was one of the reasons I fell for him. Sean just didn’t want to be led. He was a leader, not a sheep. Sean was right about Sheila being young and hip. She was probably born leading, and she always stayed on the leading edge of things as we grew up. She was the first to have the latest fashion, technology, or information. When the change came on her, she just started leading a group of us, slowly gathering more to her cause.
I reached for Sean’s hand and we rose together. Sean led the way to their camp. The house was not what anyone would expect to be a camp headquarters, but Sean had always been a collector of old things and needed a place to keep them. The camp just grew around the house. The others fell into step behind us as we neared the camp, and we acknowledged each other with a nod.
As we strode into the camp, heads turned, and then the murmurs started. I knew they were all wondering what brought me back here, why I would choose to return to a place I had ran away from so many years ago. I kept my eyes on the path we were taking. As we walked up the steps of the house, I could feel Sean squeeze my hand for encouragement. He had missed me.
The cool of the house’s interior was a pleasant change from the heat of the afternoon. The smells of the house brought more memories flooding back. I let Sean lead me to his office as I fought down the rising panic. Why did I ever leave?
As Sean opened the office door, I noticed the picture of Marc hanging over Sean’s desk. Despite his desire to lead, Sean still respected Marc. Marc was there for Sean when the troubled youth turned. Sean’s early battles left marks on him, both inside and out. I remember many nights waking to Sean holding my throat, or growling in my face, dreaming about the days before his turn, or tracing the tracks of scars on his body.
I seated myself across the desk from Sean, looking at the newest acquisitions – a bright red velvet chair stood in the far corner away from the covered window, and a baby blue satin pillow sat in its seat. I smiled at how the little details gave Sean a sense of peace.
No comments:
Post a Comment