Martin Mystery – Chapter 7 - The Family Bond
Izabel didn't awaken until the first light of dawn. At first light it felt like her entire body was ablaze in a prickling crackling fire. Martin awoke instantly and wrapped his arms around her to keep her from thrashing. She tried her hardest not to scream but Martin noticed she was biting her tong. He knew she could bite it off if she kept it up and so he moved his arm in front of her face.
"No you'll bite it off. Bite my arm." He said.
She was hesitant; she didn't want to hurt him.
"Bite me Izabel." He demanded and she obeyed.
Martin flinched at the pain but was glad he could feel some of hers. He could feel her fur slowly disappearing against his skin. Her tail and ears became shorter and shorter and her mouth slowly unclenched from his arm more and more as the pain disappeared. It took place in five minutes when it should have taken less than one. When it was over she lay trembling in his arms.
"Are you in pain?" Martin asked.
"Just sore all over and tired, I'm sorry about your arm." She said softly.
"I'll live. Don't worry about it. Just sleep. We don't have to be up for a few hours." He said softly.
Izabel soon stopped trembling and fell back to sleep.
In a few hours they woke up and Izabel didn't feel much better. Martin dug through the bag MOM had packed and found some pain killers.
"Here maybe they'll help and a hot shower to relax your muscles." He said and Izabel nodded but she looked like she could barely hold herself up.
"Will you help me?" She asked and Martin nodded.
"Sure we'll shower together."
He said as he helped her off the bed. Her legs were weak and felt like jello. Martin liked to think it was from the sex they had the night before but he knew it wasn't true. He helped her into the shower after he got the water at a nice warm temperature. He held her up as the water ran over her. They really didn't need to shower due to their long bath the night before but the hot shower was good to relax muscles. Izabel had taken the pain killers before entering the shower and it seemed to be helping.
"I've never had to take pain killers before, I think they're working but it's nothing like the moon light." Izabel said and Martin laughed.
Soon they were done with their shower. They dressed and prepared to leave. Martin gathered the bag MOM had packed for them and they set out. Both dressed in a sweatshirt and jeans to not draw attention to them. Martin was even wearing drab colors compared to his bright flame shirts he liked to wear.
They took a cab to the air port and got to their gate without a problem. The passports MOM had issued for them worked perfectly. As they waited for their flight Izabel napped on Martin's arm and no one bothered them. Soon their flight arrived and boarding was starting. Martin and Izabel got into line and waited. Martin stood with his arm around Izabel as she continued to rest her head on him. He thought they would get away without being noticed until a little girl behind them kept staring at Izabel. Before too long she tugged on her mother's sleeve and pointed to Izabel.
"The puppy mommy! It's the puppy!" The little girl exclaimed.
Martin went instantly tense and Izabel's eyes shot open. The little girl's mother looked at them and realization crossed her eyes a second later but she quickly hushed her daughter. Martin looked around to see if anyone else had been drawn to the little girl's exclamation but no one seemed to have noticed.
"Yes sweetie you'll see your puppy tomorrow." The mother said as she then whispered to her daughter.
The little girl smiled and then extended her arms to Izabel. Izabel was alert in surprise but accepted the little girl into her arms.
"You two do look suspicious; perhaps if we look like we're all together." The mother explained in a hushed tone.
"You're pretty!" The little girl told Izabel.
Izabel smiled and blushed.
"Thank you, so are you!" Izabel said sweetly to the little girl.
"I never would have noticed had she not said something. You caused such an uproar, they were shut down, and then they noticed she was missing! I'm glad you saved her. Was she under a spell like you said?" The mother asked.
"Yes and no. What you saw was real but only during the full moon." Martin explained.
"There is more to the world than people realize." Izabel told the woman who was stunned.
"Indeed." The woman said as the line started moving.
Izabel handed the little girl back to her mother and they moved to the front of the line.
"Thank you." Izabel said to the mother as they entered the plane.
"You're very welcome. I hope you two are going to a safe place."
"Yes, we are, but it's not home." Izabel said sadly.
"I'm sorry." The mother said and Izabel still smiled.
"It's ok. It's an adventure. One day we will be safe but for now it's someplace new and a little scary but we're together." Izabel said as she and Martin found a seat to sit.
The mother and daughter sat behind them and she was looking at Izabel and Martin with starry eyes.
"Good. As long as you have each other nothing else will matter. We'll pray for your happiness." The mother said and they thanked her.
The flight was long and Izabel tried to sleep most of the way but she was still sore and the pain killers were wearing off. When they landed Martin had to help Izabel walk again and as they walked to where the pickups were they came across a long hall with windows. The moon shone brightly through them and Izabel stopped. It was exactly what she needed. Martin stood and held her as she let the moonlight heal her again. She wasn't 100% but she was walking better and her pain was gone. She was still dead tired and so was he. They hopped they'd be in a safe place to sleep soon. Upon entering the pickup area Martin noticed two people standing off to the side, one was holding a sign with his name on it. Izabel noticed them too and actually recognized them. It was her uncle Rolf and a boy she realized was her cousin Fenrir, his son. Martin and Izabel walked directly to them and they recognized them as well. Izabel was nearly brought to tears at the sight of them. Her uncle embraced Izabel warmly.
"Uncle Rolf…" Izabel said softly, unable to get anything else out.
Izabel cried a little and he gently rubbed her back.
"Hush now little one, you will start me crying." He said and he then let her go so Fenrir could have a go at her.
"Cousin! You've grown so beautiful, every male will be jealous you're spoken for." Fenrir said with a wink at Martin as he hugged Izabel.
Izabel laughed as she dried some of her tears. Rolf then moved to embrace Martin.
"Thank you Martin. You have no idea how thankful we are." He said with tears now in his eyes.
"I love her; I'd do anything for her." Martin replied.
Rolf smiled with a nod, patting Martin on the shoulders.
"You are family now Martin. You call me Rolf ya hear?" Rolf said.
"Yes sir." Martin replied.
"Now then you two must be tired and there's still one stop to be made before we show you to your new home. Any bags to be picked up?" Rolf asked.
"Nope, this is all we have to our names at the moment." Martin replied.
Rolf nodded and they were off.
Rolf explained that they had to stop by the Alpha's home. It was a place where a lot of Loupe Garux stayed; they had just out grown its capacity. Most went there to congregate and it wasn't far from where Izabel and Martin would be living. The Alpha just wanted to formally meet them and welcome them to the community; to wish them an enjoyable stay while they were here.
The Loupe Garux community had settled into a small town in Germany that was on the verge of becoming extinct. They now were over half the population of the town; which was a good way for everyone to keep watch over everyone. Some humans of the town were even privy to the secret of the Loupe Garux, having grown up with the legends. Due to their numbers they were certain no one would dream of invading or harming them. Especially with almost all of the Loupe Garux's able to transform at will.
The ride wasn't long but the long flight and stress was catching up to Martin and Izabel. Rolf promised it wouldn't take long. When they arrived the house was rather large and busy with Loupe Garux. Every eye was on them as they walked up but everyone seemed interested and excited. After being so used to hiding Izabel knew she would have a hard time being herself. As they entered the house there were even more Loupe Garux and some were transformed. Some were talking or playing games on a large TV in a room off the main hall. A woman greeted them and she was wearing a suit.
"Hello my name is Talia I'm Erol's assistant. I know that seems silly but I help him attended to the needs of the community. You must be Izabel and Martin. It's a pleasure to meet you both." She said sweetly.
Izabel and Martin nodded and greeted her.
"If you'll follow me we'll go to Erol's study. He's excited to meet you. It's been quite a while since we added new members to the community." She said with a smile as the five of them went up stairs.
Upstairs was quieter and Izabel could tell that a few families were living in the house with Erol. They arrived at a set of large doors and Talia knocked.
"Come in." A male voice replied.
As they entered two people were standing in front of a large desk. One of course was Erol. He was transformed and smiling warmly at them. He was a tall middle aged man with dark hair and chiseled features. A woman stood next to him but she was not transformed. Martin and Izabel assumed she was his wife.
"Welcome Martin and Izabel. It is so good to have you with us. I am Erol, as I'm sure you've been told and this is my wife Natasha."
Izabel and Martin greeted them both. Erol smiled but then his features saddened.
"Izabel, I cannot express how sorry I am for what you went through. We had meant to find you after we received word of your parents. We feared we had lost you but the Center contacted us and we decided to let you sleep. Over the years they kept us informed and when MOM told us you wanted to be a Center agent and had made friends we couldn't dream of taking that opportunity from you." Erol said.
"It's alright. It all worked out." Izabel said as she looked at Martin.
Erol smiled again and stepped up to Martin.
"We are eternally grateful to you Martin. Your love for Izabel gives us hope that other humans will also accept us." Erol said as he placed both hands on Marin's shoulders.
Martin nodded in understanding and Erol glanced at his wife who smiled. It was then they realized she was a human too. Erol returned to his wife's side.
"We hope that you will have a wonderful stay here and know that you'll always have a home here if you need it." Erol said which surprised them.
"Thank you so much. We don't know how to repay you." Izabel said but Erol held up a hand, declining the request.
"No payment needed. You are family; both of you. During your stay please feel free to do as you please. You may find jobs or simply enjoy your summer vacation. Though I am sorry for the weather, it's not quite our summer time yet. We also hope to spend more time with you, I knew your parents well Izabel." He said and Izabel's eyes brightened. "But you both look dead on your feet. Please go and settle in, there will be plenty of time to talk later." Erol added, knowing Izabel would be eager to hear about her parents.
They nodded and after some goodbyes Izabel and Martin followed Rolf and Fenrir out of the house. They walked down the block to an apartment building.
"This'll be your new home." Rolf said as they walked up a few flights of stairs. "We own the building and live at the top; you'll be one floor down from us. Only Loupe Garux live here so no need to worry about keeping secrets, and don't be surprised if you see some transformed." Rolf said with a grin.
They arrived at a door and Rolf took out a set of keys. He unlocked the door and let Martin and Izabel go in first. It was a small simple apartment, an open kitchen with a small table for four that merged into the living room. There was a comfy looking love seat and a modest sized TV set up. Straight through the Kitchen/Living room was one door way that lead to the bed room. A full sized bed with a small nightstand a long dresser and a tall one, there was no closet. To the right from the doorway was another doorway to the bathroom and to the left from the doorway was a bay window that took over the corner of the room. There was a seat with a few pillows and flowing drapes which were pulled back letting in lots of moon light. Izabel could tell Rolf and Fenrir had tried to make the place seem like home, it made her smile softly. This would be their home for a few months at least, and Izabel wondered if it would truly become a home for them.
"There's a little food in the fridge, in case you're hungry tonight. We can all tour the town tomorrow and stock this place proper for you both." Rolf said.
Izabel turned and smiled at him.
"Thank you so much Uncle Rolf." She said as she tearred up a little bit.
Rolf went up to her and pulled her into a hug. He let her go and looked into her eyes.
"It's all over now. Those better be tears of joy. It's time to put it behind you." He said with a stern look and she nodded.
"Good, now we'll let you sleep. I'll make breakfast for everyone in the morning." Rolf said and they nodded.
Rolf and Fenrir bid them goodnight and left them to get settled. Martin and Izabel were silent for a few minutes as they took everything in. Martin of course looked through the fridge which had a few snacks for them but for once he wasn't hungry. Izabel went into the bed room and stood in the moonlight through the window. Martin followed her and watched her stare off. He worried that she were sad but she had a content smile on her face. He went up to her and touched her arm. She turned to him and smiled softly but he could see the weight of the past few days in her eyes. He caressed her cheek and then rested his fingers under her chin so she'd tilt her head up and he moved down to meet her. He kissed her softly and gently, savoring the moment but they were both tired and knew sleep was an excellent tool to heal the body and mind.
"We don't have to run anymore. Lets sleep." He said and she nodded.
They dressed for bed and snuggled under the covers together. Their bed was a decent size that would allow them space while sleeping but they preferred to usually hold each other while sleeping and sleep found them so quickly neither would have cared one way or the other.
It would have been the best nights sleep of their lives if Izabel hadn't woken up in the middle of the night. She shot up with a start, breathing heavily and tense. At first she didn't remember where she was but after a second she calmed down. She had expected nightmares after what she had gone through, but she was sure she would have been too exhausted to have one that night. Her dreams had proved her wrong. It wasn't any different than the past two months, the same cage, and the same daily torture. She took a moment to remind herself that it was only a dream and that nightmare was over. Martin was awake instantly of course. Martin placed his hand on her left arm as he sat up slightly. She turned her head to see him.
"I'm alright, it was just a nightmare." She told him softly but he could hear the strain in her voice.
He pulled her slightly so that she'd join him laying down again. She obeyed and laid facing him. He held her with his left hand as his right was under their pillows that Izabel's head was now on. Izabel let him hold her as her hands rested on his bare chest. She took a deep breath of his scent, which calmed her. He then released her to see her face in the bright moonlight as he slid his hand down her back, but as his hand touched the skin beneath her panty line on her hip and eyes met hers a charge surged through them. Martin couldn't stop himself from kissing her. He leaned forward, his hand still at her waist and pressed his lips to hers. She reacted instantly, matching the pressure of his kiss. His left hand slipped up under her thin tank top and along her side and stomach. Izabel was breathing heavily in seconds as he strategically pushed her tank up. Izabel wrapped her right arm around his neck and laced her fingers into his hair as her other hand pressed against the muscles of his chest, feeling the slight ripple of each movement. Martin moved his hand back down her body, brushing it gently along the inside of her leg and teasing her between the legs. He rubbed the outside of her panties at her crotch, which produced soft moans and whimpers from her. He then slipped his fingers under the fabric and played with her further. She moved instinctively to accommodate him. He didn't tease there long and soon brought his hand back up to quickly remove her tank top. He had it off before they had paused from kissing for even a few moments.
The next morning Martin and Izabel awoke with the bright sunlight. They lay there a moment taking it all in. a new day and a new life. A new home, and a new school in a few months. Things were always better in the morning. After a few minutes Martin moved to get up and Izabel followed.
"Rolf said something about breakfast. We should get up before they come to get us." Martin said and Izabel nodded.
She sat on the edge of the bed with the sheet pulled over her chest. The light played on her face giving her a warm glow. Martin thought she looked happy and he was glad but he was a little ashamed of himself for their midnight endeavors.
"I'm sorry about last night." He said.
"Why?" She asked curiously.
"I didn't mean for things to get carried away. I only wanted to comfort you."
"But you did. I had a feeling it would be this way. I mean once you do it, it's easy to repeat the process. I enjoyed it. Didn't you?" Izabel asked with a deep blush to her cheeks.
Martin was thrilled. He sat on the bed next to her and kissed her shoulder.
"Of course, and I'd love to have many more nights like it." He told her and she smiled as she blushed deeper.
