Apple Cinnamon
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Angel characters or places.
Warning: In later chapters there will be Angel and Wesley pairing.
Wesley, on his lunch break went off somewhere quiet to figure out how to get back to Quor'Toth. He studied the bracelet still perplexed on how it worked as a whole, how it got him there and back when he looked up and found himself in Quor'Toth. That or the library had been taken over by forest within minutes.
"Wesley!" Connor said running forward and hugging Wesley.
"Hello Connor." Wesley said. "My how you've grown." Wesley said looking at the older Connor.
"You made it in time for Connor's seventh birthday. This time difference is very annoying." Holtz said shaking his head. "The boy has been waiting to see you for a year or two."
"I'm sorry Connor, I had to work." Wesley said.
"For such a long time?" Connor asked.
"For you it was long…but there's a time difference, time goes faster here then back home." Wesley explained.
"Oh." Connor said not quite sure how that worked.
"Did I hear Holtz correct? Is it really you're seventh birthday?" Wesley asked.
"Yes it is." Connor said proudly.
"Congratulations are in order then." Wesley said lifting the boy up with a smile.
"Seems like he took after you since you're last visit." Holtz said with a sigh. "Questioning everything now."
"Really?" Wesley said with slight surprise.
"I'm guessing the vampire didn't follow you here?" Holtz asked changing the topic.
"No. I still haven't seen Angel. I've been working the entire time. I'm currently on break. It is still mind boggling at how time moves so differently." Wesley said.
"So it's the same day there?" Holtz asked. "This really isn't doing me to well. I would've liked to make Angel suffer for a long long time. But we'll have died before a years up back home." Holtz said with a sigh. "Well come along. We just caught a nice large breakfast." Holtz said lifting the demon over his shoulder.
Wesley set Connor back down on the ground and followed them back to their home. They must have moved over the years because they weren't at the cave anymore, instead they easily scaled a nearby tree.Wesley looked at the tree unsure on how to get up it. Then a make shift rope whacked him on the head. He took it and climbed up the tree with only a little difficulty.
"Why'd you move?" Wesley asked.
"The tree got hungry." Hotz said.
"It woke up in the middle of the night and ate our home. We got out because both of us sleep so lightly…though Father says he sleeps with one eye open but I've never been up long enough to verify that." Connor elaborated.
"I'm going to get breakfast cooked. Keep an eye out for bat demons." Holtz told Connor before leaving the tree, dropping down from the edge of the tree house.
"Bat demon?" Wesley asked.
"That's what Father calls it. The other demons call them Baonem." Connor said.
"The other demons?" Wesley asked.
"Yeah, I know their language. Occasionally if I get bored I decided to talk to one for a while, it's interesting though they don't have a lot to talk about for some reason. It's usually just die, death, blood, or food." Connor said with a sigh.
"Well it's you're seventh birthday. What did you and Holtz have planned?" Wesley asked, deciding not to question Connor further about talking to demons.
"He was gonna show me how to capture a Baonem and how to use it to see the rest of Quor'Toth." Connor said with a smile.
"Sounds like fun…dangerous fun…that might include bone breaking." Wesley said.
"Father says I have really strong bones because of my birth parents." Connor said, not worried.
Holtz came back with cooked food and Wesley was about to turn his serving away when he remembered that he was on his lunch break but he still didn't like the food at all.
During the meal Wesley looked in his pocket for something to give Connor as a birthday gift. He found a couple pieces of candy he had dropped in his pocket after dealing with the children at the library and a book that hadn't been there before. He turned away from the others for a moment and looked through the book. It was in good condition and the text was easy to read. When he finished flipping through it words flashed across the page.
Just in case you need a gift. Mr. Eileas
Wesley shook his head, he'd have to ask Mr. Eileas how he'd done that without him noticing it. From what Wesley could tell the book was an adventure novel, one with hero's, action, and happy endings. He put the book back in his pocket and smiled at the two.
"So bat demon riding is what you two plan on doing today?" Wesley asked.
"Yes it is, does the book worm want to come?" Holtz asked, clearly amused at the idea of Wesley riding on the back of a flying demon.
Connor nodded, "You should come with us."
Wesley had expected being told all about the demons and how they were caught, not asked to go along and break a few bone for the sake of fun. He looked back and forth between the dirty faces in front of him, one amused the other happier than the last time he'd seen Connor.
"I'll try." Wesley said, inwardly sighing at agreeing with such dangers.
The Baonem was exactly what Holtz called it, a bat demon. It was taller than Holtz and Wesley put together. And its wing span was twice as large as that. It had fangs that showed when it hissed, a putrid breath, and bits of flesh stuck to the teeth. Wesley instantly recoiled but Holtz and Connor went to capture it and a couple of its friends. One they accidentally killed and the other two glared at their captors. One spat a purple glob at Wesley who ducted and looked behind him, the glob had eaten through five trees that we're making inhuman screams.
"Wesley, come on." Connor said from the back of one of the Baonem, mostly hidden in its fur.
Wesely walked over curiously and cautiously, only to be vaulted onto the creature by Holtz. Connor grinned back at Wesley who was rapidly gripping at the coarse fur to keep from falling.
"Well this should be interesting." Wesley murmured when he righted himself and Holtz explained how to fly the captured demon. He gathered what he could only guess as a crude attempt at reigns before following Holtz's example with Connor's much needed help. Soon the creature was moving its wings back causing such a gust of wind that Wesley almost fell off.
Connor spoke quickly in a language that Wesley could only grasp parts of, to the bat demon that growled a reply. They were soon up in the sky and in a few wing beats they could no longer see the individual trees, just a splash of green.
A couple gray clouds threatening with lightning whipped past them leaving them covered with a coat of water. Connor ignored this and looked about below him with amazed eyes. Wesley couldn't help but feel the same as he looked below them with curiosity.
There were no known maps of this place back home and probably never would be. Wesley looked at the dark landscape below, it looked pretty in a sort of dangerous way. He had an urge to explore all the land that showed like a painting beneath him, very very few humans had ever walked across any of that land and he was curious. He was sure that if he asked, Connor would tell him that parts of the land beneath them would sooner swallow them whole rather than deal with them walking upon it. He also remembered the plants that had taken a liking to the stick he had poked it with, as well as things had a habit of spitting acid.
Wesley looked down at Connor who was tugging at his sleeve and pointing in front of them. The wind had picked up and it would've been a waste of breath to try and yell over the howls. Wesley looked in front of them and saw a rather large cloud that he could almost swear had eyes. It was busy shooting lighting down at the things beneath it rumbling when it hit something on the ground.
Wesley looked over at Holtz who was rapidly changing direction to go around the cloud. Wesley followed the idea only not as fast and ended up grazing the end of the cloud, ending up with a bit of shock that wasn't so bad, more like he had rubbed his feet against a wool carpet and then touched something. They both ended up with another layer of water on them.
Wesley spent the rest of the flight following Holtz and being much more aware. The sky seemed to be just as dangerous as the ground. Holtz landed his Baonem demon on a large black stone that rested in the snowy landscape. Wesley shivered at the sudden change in the weather and once again followed Holtz's example on landing.
They got off the creature, Connor easily and Wesley more or less slid off crashing to the ground, which was luckily soft white snow.
"We must've gone really far for it to be so snowy." Wesley commented as he stood up and pulled his coat closer around him.
"Not really this is about as far away as a couple counties away. All climates are messed up here." Holtz said before sitting down on the stone and motioning for Connor to sit as well.
From when Wesley had fallen on the stone he knew how cold the thing was and so he just stood shivering slightly.
They sat there for a while watching the snow of a blizzard go past. Holtz seeming only barely bothered by the icy shards cutting at him and Connor seemed completely fine with all of it. Wesley was about to ask what they were doing when Connor jumped up with his dagger out and launched himself out into the snowy wasteland. Wesley rushed to the edge as Connor disappeared from view and then popped up again with a rather large gold colored fish about as big as him wriggling in his grip.
"Snow fish." was all that Holtz said as he split the fish open and started to make the food slightly more edible.
Connor grinned up at Wesley. "I'm very good at catching those." he said with a smile.
Wesley smiled back, relieved that Connor hadn't disappeared for good beneath layers of snow. "I see." he said.
They had lunch and Connor blabbered happily about the last year or so, about all the new ways he'd learned to hunt. Wesley frowned at certain parts that Holtz just ignored.
Afterwards Wesley told Connor a couple stories that Connor requested and listened to intently. Most we're more questions about L.A. and the Hyperion.During a break in the story telling Wesley decided it would be a good time to give Connor his gifts, the candy and book.
"Well since it's your birthday and all it wouldn't be right if I didn't give you a gift." Wesley said, cold fingers finding the gifts in his pockets.
Both Holtz and Connor looked up at that, neither had expected Wesley to have anything for Connor. Wesley smiled and looked down at Connor who was sitting next to him and told him to hold out his hands. Connor did as he was asked and waited as colorful things covered in clear wrapping dropped in his hands.
"What are these?" Connor asked curiously.
"Candy. Remove the clear plastic and eat them." Wesley said as he fished out the book and held it out in front of Connor.
"Of course a book." Holtz said with a sigh.
"You can use it to teach him how to read." Wesley said looking up at Holtz.
"How much will reading help him here?" Holtz asked gesturing around him.
"If he ever leaves it will be a great asset for him and he may enjoy reading, when he's not fighting. It might get rid of boredom when there's nothing for either of you to do." Wesley said slightly more sharply than he had intended.
"Fine. I'll teach Connor how to read." Holtz said reluctantly.
"You should probably teach him how to do math as well." Wesley suggested.
"I've done that already. He can count all of the demons around him very well."
Connor had tuned both of them out and was flipping through the pages staring at the strange black marks on the pages. He looked surprised when more of the strange marks appeared on the front page in a different way then the rest of the marks. He tugged at Wesley's sleeve and pointed at the book at the marks.
"What's this, it wasn't there a second ago." Connor said frantically.
Wesley looked down at the book and smiled, thanking Mr. Eileas again. "It says: Happy Birthday Connor, and its signed Wesley." Wesley said pointing to each word as he read them.
"So that's my name, and that's yours?" Connor said pointing at the black marks.
Wesley nodded.
Connor turned to Holtz. "What does you're name look like father?" he asked curiously. Holtz sighed and glared over Connor's head at Wesley. Wesley just smiled and ruffled Connor's hair.
"Are you gonna try you're candy?" Wesley asked.
Connor picked up one of the bright colors and nodded before carefully opening the little package he then popped it in his mouth and after a while he grinned. "They're very yummy, thank you Wesley." He said hugging Wesley.
"You're welcome Connor." Wesley said.
Connor finished munching on the piece of candy in his mouth and put the rest in his homemade bag along with the book.
"Shall we go?" Holtz asked standing up and walking back to the Baonem.
Halfway back home they took a different direction and were going across the desert. The heat rolled up to them in waves. Wesley took off his jacket and set it across his lap. He looked around at the cloudless sky and relaxed before looking down at the sandy dunes beneath them. It was only because of this that he saw it. Whatever it was burst through the sand and rushed toward them with lightning speed. He leaned forward and pulled Connor to him, covering Connor so he wouldn't get hurt as much. He didn't think he'd have enough time to get away from it.
It's claws extended while Wesley tried to get the bat demon to move quicker out of the way. The claws reached Wesley's back ripping at the skin but not grabbing a hold of him. It tried to reach for his neck but couldn't get a hold of it yet. Wesley remembered the dagger that he kept near his shoe, no longer duct tapping it to his ankle after learning that lesson the hard way. While the creature kept tearing at his back trying to get a hold. Wesley tried to reach for his dagger. Connor turned in his grasp and looked at the creature.
"Wesley?" Connor asked worriedly.
"One moment." Wesley murmured finally grasping the dagger, whirling around and tossing the dagger. At the same time the creature dug its claw across Wesley's now exposed chest but could only reach his shoulder and tried to rip it from the rest of him. Wesley watched as the creature cried out in pain it's leathery wings becoming limp as it hurtled back to the sand, the dagger between it's eyes (all six of them), orange blood splattered on Wesley. The sand opened up and swallowed the dead demon, sending up a wave of sand that burned Wesley's wounds.
"Are you alright?" Wesley asked looking at Connor curiously. He really hoped the demon hadn't gotten past him to Connor.
"I'm fine." Connor said watching the red blood roll down Wesley's arm.
"Nice shot." Holtz said as he flew past, their Baonem following.
On the ground, or more accurately, the trees, they began to patch up Wesley's back with the most foul smelling gunk Wesley had every had the displeasure of smelling.
"Father is right, that was a good shot." Connor said happily bandaging up Wesley's shoulder. "You barely looked, how'd you do that?"
"Lots of practice." Wesley said through gritted teeth as his back stung. "That thing wasn't poisonous was it?"
"No only the females are, that one was clearly male." Holtz said.
"Yes, clearly." Wesley said with a bit of sarcasm.
When Connor was done Wesley carefully put his jacket back on. Connor smiled proudly at his bandaging job. "Now I can't smell the blood anymore." he commented his approval.
"Thank you." Wesley said. "I think I should be going soon." Wesley said standing up as he felt the familiar tugging.
"But you'll come back soon right?" Connor said hopefully.
"I'll try to come back tonight…or rather…it'd be I guess two more years possibly. My math could still be off." Wesley said thoughtfully.
"I'll hold you too that." Connor said with a nod. He then rushed forward and gave Wesley a hug. "Thank you for the candy and the book Wesley!" he said with a smile.
Wesley grimaced then managed a smile. "You're welcome, Happy Birthday Connor. Holtz don't forget to teach him how to read and hopefully write as well." Wesley said.
"We'll see." Holtz said.
"Good bye you two." Wesley said when Connor let go and he disappeared.
That's the end of chapter 7, I hope you liked it. Next up we get to see what Angel has in store, but first back to the library.
