Stranger Things Have Happened
Chapter 4
Disclaimer: I do not own Darksiders, Darksiders ll or any of the characters.
A/N: Be gentle I am still feeling Death out as a character so if he is a bit OCC be gentle.
This was how War and Katie found them later. The girl was propped up on pillows, perfectly content to stay in bed as she asked questions of Death about different wars in different time periods. Death was happily complying and regaling her with stories, pointing out the error of the human scholars. At some points she would argue a point with him. They stood there a good twenty minutes before they noticed them.
Lorelei yelped and tried scooting back on the bed making her leg pull painfully and she hissed through clenched teeth when she caught sight of War standing in the doorway. Katie quickly moved to her side, talking soothingly to the girl, her hands grasping hers. "It's okay, this is my mate War. He won't hurt you." She visibly calmed and watched the man bow in way of introduction.
"My name is Katie and I have been the one tending to your wounds. I need to look at them again to see how they are healing okay?" She relaxed back against the pillows again, comforted by another human, a woman at that, with her. Katie pulled the covers back and examined the wound and found that it was definitely healing faster than it should be, another two weeks and she would be back on her feet.
Lorelei watched the other woman as she pulled away after examining the wound on her thigh. "It will scar but you are lucky to be alive." Death shook his head at Katie to stop her from saying anything to upset the human. She didn't need anything at this point to interfere with the healing happening in her leg.
Soon the woman and her mate took their leave after saying goodbye. "I like her." She said to Death without looking at him. He nodded before glancing out the window. "It is getting late; you should try to get some sleep." She nodded but she stopped him before he could leave the room, she didn't want to be alone just yet.
"I hope you don't think I am stupid nor anything but will you stay with me until I fall asleep." Death saw such hope and pleading in those eyes that he found he couldn't deny her the small request. He settled on the other side of the bed, leaning against the bed post. "Of course." She sighed in relief, "Thank you." She whispered and closed her eyes to rest.
Death stayed long after she fell asleep. He watched her in her sleep, finding her peaceful face and deep breaths more fascinating than anything he had ever witnessed. He reached out his hand to gently stroke his fingers across her smooth cheek and she nuzzled her face against it, pushing closer. He smiled then and mused about how she always acted like such a loner but she craved affection.
He closed his eyes and felt her breath brushing across his suddenly sensitive wrist. His eyes snapped open when she placed a chaste kiss against his palm and smiled in her sleep. He knew he needed to leave as something fluttered oddly in his chest but couldn't bring himself to leave just yet. It had been a very long time since anything had stirred there.
He had not gotten her out of his head after their first encounter. She had impressed him because she had been scared of him and injured but yet had screeched at him like a banshee when he had 'manhandled' her. He chuckled to himself remembering it. She had been injured and yet had not given into blind panic. Most humans weren't that smart.
In fact he didn't know what had made him save her because he wasn't told to save any humans, simply to exterminate the creatures before they upset the delicate balance. He shifted so he was facing her more and watched her, she was absolutely fascinating and the fact he found her so made him even more fascinated.
She was everything he wasn't, just as Katie was War's polar opposite. It made him wonder how they made it work. Yet his violent but honorable brother was gentle with his mate, kind and loving. He was war and she was peace. It seemed to sound right and fit together like puzzle pieces. He returned his attention back to the woman snuggled up to his hand.
He almost woke her as she shifted onto her uninjured side but stopped as she didn't seem to be in any pain. He watched as she snaked her arms around his and pulled it closer to her, pillowing her face in his large hand. He shook his head in amusement, she would be horrified at her show of affection had she been awake. She murmured something in her sleep and he leaned close to hear what she was saying.
She nuzzled his hand again before placing another light kiss on the palm. "My Bunny…" She mumbled and smiled in her sleep. He regarded her again; something had broken inside her and left her seemingly hollow. It made her harder than she should have been and made her shut off and change. He could see it staining her soul.
She awoke sometime later and her amber eyes met glowing orange ones as Death sat across the bed from her, watching her through hooded eyes. "Who is Bunny?" He asked her point blank. Lorelei was stunned for a moment and then looked away ashamed.
"Have you ever done something you were ashamed of?" He tilted her chin up so she was looking at him again and nodded. "Tell me." She swallowed hard and he saw tears shimmering in her eyes. "I used to have this horse named Bunny. I got her from some people that nearly killed her; I nursed her for weeks hoping she would make it. I taught her to trust. I had her for almost ten years. I had her put to sleep last year."
"What happened?" She seemed ready to break and Death figured it would do her good to talk about it with someone. "I went out of town for a few days and someone tried to steal her. She fought her way out of the trailer but she hurt her hoof badly. It ended up infected and fell off. I had to put her down. The vet swears I did everything I could but I should have been there, I should have caught it sooner, I should have tried harder. I gave up on her and I broke my promise to take care of her. She was my heart and joy, I haven't ridden since then, I deny myself the pure joy that comes from riding."
She started sobbing again as she relived the day she had let her best friend go. Death hugged her gently, it may have seemed stupid but he knew what it was to lose someone, or something you held dear. It had broken her spirit to lose her horse, her best friend. "I know the bond you felt with the horse. I am sure you gave her the very best up to the end. You made the choice that seemed right for her and not you."
He patted her back as she cried herself back to sleep and he knew he could do something to fix this. It wouldn't take him but a little while to do it and he could do this one thing to make her happy again, to bring the light back to her eyes.
He left her soon after and was surprised to find his brother waiting in the shadows outside the door. "Is something the matter?" He inquired quickly, impatient to be on his way to the world of the dead. The Lord of Bones owed him a boon. "I am just curious as to where you seem to be going off to this late. I was going to talk to you about the girl but you appear in a hurry."
"I am heading to the Eternal Throne for a short time; I am calling in a favor from the Lord of Bones." Strife raised an eyebrow at his brother, "Is the girl in that bad of shape?" Death shook his head, "My reasons are my own. I will be back before sun up."
Death left through a portal and entered stepped aboard the deck of the ship that held the Eternal Throne. He ignored the jeers from the damned souls trapped aboard the ship as he made his way to the Chancellor. The damned soul greeted him in his usual way, leaving Death itching to kill him.
"What do we owe the pleasure of your visit to this time, Pale Rider?" He asked as he hovered before Death, his hands clutched nervously in front of him. "I am here to seek the boon that your lord owes me doorkeeper." He pinned the Chancellor with a hard stare, daring to deny him entrance.
He gave a curt bow and motioned for him to enter the throne room. Death strode down the aisle to stand before the Lord of Bones. He gave a dry laugh, "So you have come to seek your favor from me Horseman. What would you have me do? Release the souls of your kin from your ensorcellment?"
Death gingerly touched the shards of the amulet that had been smashed into his chest after it had driven its keeper mad several centuries ago. "No, they need to stay dead."
The Lord clucked his tongue, "Pity such power resides in that amulet, in the screams of vengeance that your slaughtered kin call for." Death simply pinned the dried up corpse with a hard glare and the Lord sighed. "What is it that you would ask of me Horseman?"
"I come to find something odd. I seek the soul and resurrection of a certain horse." The Lord of Bones looked at him puzzled by his odd request. "Has something happened to your steed Pale Rider?"
Death gave a dry chuckle at the question before answering, "No. This horse was from Earth. I will know the horse when I find it. Its owner and it had an unusual bond so it is of interest to me." Once again the Lord of Bones was silent and seemed to be searching his mind. "Most of Earth's animals get reincarnated almost immediately upon coming to the City of The Dead because they have no sins to atone for. However there is one such beast, a mad thing, which resides in The Spine."
He gave a curt nod and turned to leave, the Chancellor stopped him at the door. "My lord says if you are to seek this beast, this may be of use." He handed Death a long length of delicate silver chain along with a vial of blue liquid and Death took it. "What use is this?"
"The creature can break any rope you set upon its neck, however this should prove stronger. Pour the vial into its mouth, it shall resurrect the creature." Shrugging Death left the ship and headed for The Spine, hoping to still be back before sunrise.
Once he came to his destination, he was unsure of how to proceed but used Despair to seek out places more hospitable to a horse. Finally after over an hour of looking Despair gave a nicker and perked his ears forward towards the opening of a large recess in the cliffs.
An answering call sounded from inside as a flickering white horse stepped from the entrance and tossed its head before turning to sprint away. The horse was large and fast but Despair was faster and larger. He quickly closed the gap between them and Death dropped the silver chain around its neck and slowed Despair to a stop. The horse fought at the end of the chain, trying to break it as it bucked, reared, and kicked to free itself.
He quickly dismounted and walked up the chain as Despair kept it tight. He caught a hoof to the shoulder that made him grunt as he underestimated the speed with which the mare could move. "You had better be the right horse." He growled at the horse making it flick its ears at him. He took advantage and grabbed the horse by the jaw, pouring the vial into it.
The horse shook its head in disgust and renewed its struggles. However Death noted that the sickly shimmer that clung to dead things had faded, leaving a shining white horse that was completely alive.
Death drug the thing, literally, through a portal and back to his realm. Strife was still there, along with War as he drug the horse into his yard. It was still fighting against the restraint around its neck when he tied it off to Despair.
"Is that hell spawn what you went to get from the Lord of Bones?" Strife asked in confusion as he warily eyed the large pissed mare. War arched his brow at his brother, "You went to the Eternal Throne?" Death nodded. "Why?"
"That is my business but since you both are here you will find out soon enough." He was about to go inside when a weak voice called his name from the doorway. Lorelei had woken up to the sounds of a horse nickering and voices below her window. She had limped downstairs, her thigh surprisingly able to support her weight.
He was quickly by her side, "You should not be up yet with your leg healing, I was just coming to get you." She waved him off, "As you can see I made it here perfectly fine. What is all the racket going on out here?"
"Come and see." He held his arm out to allow her to lean on it as his brothers watched with silent smirks on their faces. Death led her to where they had been before and swept his hand towards the two horses. Her face paled and she whispered a name as her eyes filled with years, "Bunny?"