Hello my darlings! Sorry I have been gone so long! Here is a new chapter for you all!
At this point, I think you all can assume that every chapter of this has been touched by Eraman in some way, either through proofing or through co-writing with me when I SOS her with writers block. She is my muse on this, and I love her. THANK YOU DARLING!
Also, in case you haven't noticed yet, my writing style involves a LOT of references to pop culture and other sources. If you ever think you spot one, please message me and I might just give you a shout out in the story! Who knows...you might spot a reference that I didn't even notice I made! ;D Happy hunting!
And now, without farther ado, our story!
A month went by quickly with the elven trio held on strict bed rest by Trent and his gossips. Sebastian and Thad were now rested enough that they were awake during the day and sleeping normally at night instead of constantly slipping in and out of consciousness. Hunter had only a few days ago been allowed by Trent to leave the infirmary, though he was given explicit orders by Trent to keep his injured arm in its sling and move it as little as possible, except when Trent helped stretch it out twice a day in order to try to restrengthen the muscle and and regain his full range of motion. Thad and Sebastian were still stuck in bed, which pissed them off to no end, as they were supposed to be faster to recover than their human companion. As Trent pointed out, however, their injuries were far more extensive and severe than Hunter's, so even with their accelerated healing rate, they'd still be laid up longer.
Also, over the course of the month, word of what had happened and of the new threat had spread through those who had fought with them against Sue. The people began to come and gather in Westerville, the nearby villages, and the surrounding woods between. Currently, Wes and Hunter were supervising as the Warblers spared and trained, trying to prepare themselves for the new threats they would face.
"Are you sure you all want to do this?" Hunter whispered to Wes.
"You've asked me that many times over the past month." Wes scoffed, "And my answer has yet to change. We are in this with you. No one is forcing us to go. We go by choice and by loyalty. We are Warblers. We are brothers. We stand together. We've fought before for lesser causes that this."
"It is not to you and the returning soldiers from the war with Sue that was referring." Hunter sighed.
Wes cocked a eyebrow, "Whom do you mean then?"
"I mean those like HIM." Hunter hissed, pointing to a young gossip who Chris was teaching dagger techniques to. The boy couldn't be more than 13. "You said it yourself when we fought Sue. Children should hold no place in war when it can be avoided. Well, I am sad to say that on the front lines of this conflict, as much as we try to, it has NOT been avoided well. HERE it can be. I'm not saying FORCE them to stay home if their hearts are full of fire, for as tragedy has taught, the willing soldier held back from a fight is the one most likely to do something foolish and get hurt. I'm saying...I'm saying...damn it! I don't even know what I'm saying!"
Wes heard the pain in his friends voice as he spoke, watching the boy laughing as he sparred with Chris, and felt his heart clench. "You've seen something, my friend, and I get the sense you are replaying it now. What is it?"
Hunter closed his eyes and let out a long breath, shaking his head. "Wes...this woman truly is worse than Sue, and a more dangerous threat. I have seen her men perform unspeakable atrocities. I've seen them pull children HALF that boy's age and younger away from their parents and make orphans of them then and there, before either enslaving or slaughtering the child...without a second thought of mercy. Her army follows her not by force, but out of pure, wholehearted belief she is right. It was a different dynamic fighting Sue soldiers because...well...most DIDN'T want to be there, and with the ones who did...at least with them, there was that hair thin line that was always there. There was always that recognition SOMEWHERE in their minds that they were fighting a PERSON. This time though...that line has been snapped, and any shred of respect for their enemy's life is gone. Further, while what they do is atrocious...these are NOT innately evil people, which is actually what makes them more dangerous. They have been misguided and blinded into believing in her hierarchy...into believing THEY are the pure hearted heroes defending good and WE are the evil ones threatening them. The issue we run into with fighting is that, too often, all we really end up doing is re-enforcing that image. Though I hate to quote a moron, it's like Schuester said, 'If we could change their minds, they'd be just like us'. However, the issue with THAT is that with most of them, they won't listen to talk...won't change their views and let go of the hierarchy. Many of them view those they fight as beneath them...as lower creatures in the hierarchy...as ANIMALS." He looked Wes dead in the eyes, "Humans, on this bitch's hierarchy, are almost completely at the bottom. 'Breeding Stock' and 'Mating Fodder'. They are seen are dirty and any halfling who has a human as a parent is immediately valued at half of whatever worth their non-human parent's race is held in the hierarchy. I honestly can not think of a single thing her soldiers would not do to a human, and there is no word in english or elvish to describe to the fullest extent what they could and would do. I've had a LOT of time to think this over on bed rest...and I agree now that Thad was sort of right about coming back here. We can train our men for months...and it will NEVER fully prepare them for what they will face out there. The idea of a child, especially one we care about, being exposed to that sort of prejudice and hatred and violence...when they don't have to be...it makes my heart feel like a rock in my chest."
Wes, for once, was speechless. His brain slowly worked it's way through Hunter's words and tried to make sense of them and grasp them. Such a mentality...he felt like he'd be sick unraveling it. Could he really expose his brothers to that? Well...in the case of Mike and Chris, he didn't really have much choice. Wes knew he was going. THAT he knew for sure and NOTHING would change his mind. And where he went, he couldn't keep the younger Montchangs from following. Thinking about it, he realized that the same held for his Warbler brothers. They'd vowed long ago to follow him to hell and back, and had yet to break their word. That, in this situation, was a strength and a curse, as from the sound of things, 'HELL', was exactly where they were all headed. He also understood the struggle Hunter felt to find a balanced tactic that would actually end this. The people they fought saw them as savage, evil monsters and invaders. Like with Sue, they were too stubborn to be talked down, but in this situation fighting alone couldn't be an answer either. Violence and struggle would be likely to lose them more followers than they gained, as they were essentially feeding the exact stereotypes they were trying to fight, handing the bitch queen the exact ammo she needed to undermine them on a silver platter. This was indeed worse than the war with Sue...and he could see why Thad wanted to leave him out of it.
"You said you 'agree now'," Wes finally spoked up, "That means at one point you didn't agree with Thad about not coming back. Why?"
Hunter sighed, chuckling darkly and giving Wes a sad smile, "Because I know, deep in my heart, that avoiding it is pointless. There was no outcome in which you all didn't end up involved in this mess. If we tried to shield you from it now...we would never be able to beat her without your help, and eventually she and the hatred she preaches would grow stronger and spread out here to you. And at that point she'd be unstoppable. Eventually, you would've been exposed to it anyway. The only way to beat something like this is to take it down as it's growing. Wait till it's full grown, and you will die. The only way to spare innocent people who can't fight back is to bring in reinforcements now, nip this shit in the bud, and burn the freaking roots."
Wes nodded in agreement "Exactly. As much as my heart agrees with Thad too...my head agrees with you. We need to stop this before it all really goes to crap under our feet. The fact you are all still ALIVE tells me we might still have a chance, but need to hurry. You were right to come. We need to stop this...we all want to help you. You need our help...and you obviously want it too."
"DESPERATELY!" Hunter managed a small smile. "Our motto for the past few months has been 3 W D: What Would Wes Do?"
Wes laughed so hard he almost fell over "You're KIDDING, right?"
"Nope." Hunter grinned, "The others in camp have started to pick it up...though they have no clue what it means!" He laughed...then stopped, his face taking on a sad, worried frown.
Wes cocked his head in concern, "What is it now?"
"We were supposed to meet back up with a larger group of our traveling party and head back with them a while ago." Hunter said softly, "I can't help but think just how worried they must be...especially..."
"WES!" Luke yelled suddenly "Something's coming!"
Wes looked up and saw a swarm of what looked to be people on horseback coming FAST out of the woods towards the castle. It was far away, but he couldn't say he recognized any of them. Given their current state of affairs, THAT could be threatening.
"ARCHERS AT THE READY!" He heard Rock yell. "Warblers! Draw your weapons and be ready to fight!"
The men and boys dropped their practice weapons and were armed with real ones in seconds, which filled both Hunter and Wes watching them with peace and pride. Maybe they were a little closer to ready than they thought?
"SOMETHING IS COMING IN THE SKY!" Nick yelled.
"WHAT?!" The men's head shot up to scan the air, and sure enough, a winged creature was shooting towards them at dizzying speeds.
"Wait.." Wes heard Hunter mutter, squinting at the sky, "Couldn't be...Oh! Holy crap! How did they..." He was jolted from his thoughts as he suddenly noticed all the cries of 'SHOOT IT DOWN!' and the archer's pointing their bows at the creature, "oh shit! Warblers! wait!"
"FIRE!" He was drowned out by Jeff's cry.
In second, arrows filled the sky, streaking toward the mysterious being, only stopping at Hunter's sudden, horrified cries
"NO!" He screamed over the chaos, "Hold your fire! Oh Gods! I said STOP! He's a FRIEND!"
The warblers froze at the statement, but it was too late. They all watched in horror as the arrows shot up and struck the creature, which according to Hunter's calling it "He", was a man of some sort. Most of the arrows, to the shock of the majority of Warblers, bounced off harmlessly from his chest. The last, however, struck the wing and was met with a cry of pain from the man. Then, he was falling to earth at an alarming speed, plummeting until he crashed with a sickening thunk.
"CARTER!" Hunter gasped, running to where the man had fallen. The warblers followed only seconds later. When they got there, Hunter was knelt at the man's side, using his good arm to help him sit up.
Now closer, they could see him clearly. The man was tall and VERY muscular, with deeply tan skin, though there was a strange grayish undertone to his complexion. He had spiked, jaggedly cut, dirty blonde hair, which failed to hide the two, small, spiked horns in either side of his forehead. Protruding slightly over his top lip with a pair of large fangs set in his lower jaw. When his mouth opened, a smaller set could be seen in his top jaw. His most striking feature, however, was the giant bat-like wings growing from his back, with a wing span at least twice the man's height.
"I am so sorry Carter!" Hunter hissed "I TRIED to tell them to stop and wait!"
"DON'T apologize." The man, Carter, assured, smiling and chuckling softly, "I'd be worried for your safety if they DIDN'T try and land a shot at me. I didn't count on any of them knowing to go for the wing though." He looked up at the group, "Who was that, by the way? Because that shot was IMPECCABLE!"
Jeff's hand went up sheepishly "That would be me...but that's not where I was aiming."
Wes had to smile. Jeff, as much they all loved the boy, was a terrible shot with a bow. He stopped, however, when he saw how guilty and sad Jeff looked. He sighed and hugged the younger man to him, as Nick came over and took his blonde friend's hand. Jeff obviously felt bad for having given the command to fire on Hunter's friend, and for having been the one who's shot had brought him down.
Carter, however, started laughing hysterically, "Oh lord! So I got taken out be a DUMB LUCK SHOT?! Damn it! Emanuel is NEVER going to let me live this down!"
Now that he knew his friend wasn't mad or mortally wounded, Hunter chuckled too, "Well, if you weren't too COCKY to dodge an arrow you can SEE coming RIGHT AT YOU..."
"Oh gods!" Luke gasped, "His wing...the arrow is STILL THERE!"
They all looked, and sure enough, there was the arrow, pierced through the webbing of the man's left bat-like wing, half in and half out. Many of the boys looked like they'd be sick at the sight. Carter, however, looked completely unimpressed at the wound.
"Meh..." The man shrugged, "It's just a flesh wound. Crack that sucker off, smack a bandage on it, and in a few weeks I'll be flying again like nothing."
The boys all gaped at the man. Finally, John said what they'd all been thinking. "Excuse me if I'm being rude," He piped up, "But...WHAT are you?"
Hunter and Carter looked at each other and chuckled.
"A perfectly acceptable question." Carter assured, "Most humans today have never seen or met a creature like me."
"Carter is a gargoyle." Hunter explained, "His kind mostly hide from humans, as different cultures view them in vastly different ways. Many think they are demons, evil incarnate, and so they will try to slay them on sight. Others believe that they are the earthly incarnations or creations of the goddess Garda, sacred and sent by her to protect the innocent and fight darkness. Those people WORSHIP them and think it's a sin to harm one"
"While that is nice," Carter chuckled "Most gargoyles are really humble creatures, and that sort of fan fair makes them REALLY uncomfortable."
"I'm guessing, based on the fact you and Hunter are such good friends, that the truth is closest to the second assumption?" Wes smiled.
Carter nodded. "Ya. I mean, I don't think we're 'sacred' or 'crafted by Garda', but gargoyles LIVE to protect, defend, and care for others. We find something... a cause, an animal, a person or a group of people...a 'charge' if you willl, that NEEDS us and...I guess the most accurate way to describe it is to say we BOND to them. Keeping them safe becomes our entire sense of being. Our purpose in life. Our drive. When we don't have that bond with someone or something...or if we fail to protect them...we don't know what to do with ourselves."
As Carter spoke, the warblers had all slowly started turning to look at Wes. What Carter was describing sounded A LOT like their leader. Chris walked over and lifted the back of his brother's coat.
"What are you doing?" Wes sighed, though he already knew.
"Looking for wings..." Chris joked, smirking up at his brother with an overly innocent, eat shit grin. The warblers all laughed.
"Actually," Hunter chuckled, "when Thad, Seb and I first told the story of the King of Thieves in the magical realm, rumors got spread and the story started to be retold with it being said that the king was a gargoyle. We had to work HARD to straighten out that he was, in fact, a HUMAN man."
The warblers all laughed harder at this, while Wes blushed, feeling somewhat flattered at being mistaken for what appeared to be a rather majestic race of creature.
"What I'm wondering," Rock said, "Is how our arrows bounced off like that? You don't look like you're wearing any armor..."
"Because I'm not." Carter grinned proudly, "My skin is it's own armor. Thick as leather and hard as rock. They only exception to that is my wings, which are LITERALLY my only external weak point. You can feel it if you want. I don't mind."
At first, no one moved. Then, slowly, the younger of Trent's gossips came forward and started gently poking and prodding Carter. And then they started asking questions.
"Are these wings really real?" One said, gently stroking the edges of the aforementioned appendages.
"Did you use to sit on top of a temple or church?" Another piped up, knocking his little fist against Carter's LITERALLY rock hard abs.
"Do your eyes glow at night?" A third queried, getting RIGHT in Carter's face.
The older gossips squirmed uncomfortably, embarrassed by their kid compatriots' questions. It was only recently, after all, that they had been made clearly aware of the dangers of believing rumors and stereotypes. That was what was causing the war after all. They hoped the man would not be offended at the inquiries.
However, Carter only smiled at the children's questions. "Woah! One at a time, would you? I'm only human...oh wait." He and the boys around him laughed. He then took a breath and turn to the boy stroking his wing.
"Yes, they are real," He said softly, "and as a I said, my ONLY external weak point. They are also EXTREMELY sensitive, so I thank you very much for how gentle you're being. And before you ask, yes, that does mean that the arrow wound hurts REALLY bad, but I have developed an unusually high pain tolerance, even among others of my kind, and as ANY of my friends can and will tell you, this is NOT the first or worst time I have messed up my wings."
He then turned to the boy banging on his chest, "No, I did not ever sit on a church or temple, BUT ancient gargoyles used to do so, hiding from humans in plain sight by pretending to be statues as they kept watch over those they were bound to protect. Gargoyle haven't done that for hundreds of years, however, as architecture has changed in many places and it's become difficult for us to blend in unnoticed."
Next, he looked up and stared directly into the eyes of the boy staring at him, "No, my eye do not glow at night...but they do when I get REALLY mad. If you EVER see a gargoyles eyes glowing at you, either they are trying to protect you, in which case you could not be more safe...or they are trying to protect their charge FROM you, in which case you are in A LOT of trouble and danger, and you need to start running or apologizing FAST."
Lastly, he looked at the nervous older boys and smiled, "And don't worry. I don't mind answering their questions at all. As long as they ask politely and are willing to listen to me, I am happy to educate them on what's fact and what's myth. If I don't, they won't know any better. How else are these old, icky, internalized stereotypes going to get undone if no one takes the time to set them straight? The only time I get offended is if people are rude with their questions, are not willing to listen to me, and assume they already have it all right and figured out."
The warblers nodded in understanding.
"That's a good attitude to have." Mike said.
"I'd like to think so." Carter said. He looked up and smiled "Ah...and here comes the rest of our convoy. You MIGHT wanna help me up so they know we're all good. Otherwise, they'll think you're as threatening as you thought I was."
The warblers blushed and quickly helped Carter and Hunter up. Carter instantly put his fingers to his lips and let loose series a short, LOUD, shrill whistles that left the warblers's ears ringing.
"WHAT was that for?!" Santana asked, annoyed.
"It's a signal to the incoming convoy." Hunter explained "It's to tell them 'All good! Just a misunderstanding. Do not attack these nice people! Friend, not Foe! Ally, not Enemy'. If he hadn't done that, I guarantee things would've just gotten REALLY awkward and violent, as we DID shoot him out of the sky in plain view of his compatriots!"
The warblers turned scarlet. Ya...that would be BAD. One accidental attack on the elven trio's friends was enough for one day.
The horses of the convoy arrived next to them seconds later. Up front rode two men who appeared to be somewhere between Mike and Wes's age in thick cloaks, one a reddish-brown, the other a deep ebony black. The man in the black cloak didn't seem fully satisfied with being on the horse. Actually, he looked really uncomfortable. From what they could tell, he had a slim build and was tall. He had brown hair and really pale skin. His eyes looked dark grey at the moment. Austin glanced at Joseph, as this man looked INSANELY like his friend. He wondered if they were of the same tribe, or even related. Joseph, for his part, looked equally dumbstruck by the resemblance. The young man the reddish brown cloak was equally tall as his companion, possibly even a little taller. His skin was golden tanned, and the warblers caught glimpses of a few tattoos in his arms. His hair was slick and black, falling into his eyes every so often so he had to toss his head to the side to throw it back again. Behind them were two young elves. One was a boy, short in stature with messy brown hair. His left eye was covered with an eyepatch, out from behind which creeped a spider web of violent violet scars that disappeared into his hairline. Looking at him, Wes was struck by the resemblance between the boy and Thad. The other was a girl, equally as petite as her male friend, if not more so. She had long, wild curls of auburn brown hair cascading down her back, held back out off her face in a half ponytail by a large silver hair clasp near the crown of her head. Her skin was almost luminescent white, but what struck the warblers were her eyes, set above high, rounded cheek bones in her heart shaped face. They were the same spring meadow grass green as Sebastian's eyes, suggesting that the two were related. Behind all of them were a large group of riders wearing cloaks similar to the men in front in various different colors, but with their hoods up so the warblers couldn't see their faces.
"This the convoy you were supposed to meet with?" Wes whispered.
Hunter nodded, "Like I said, they must've gotten worried...especially..."
"HUNTER!" The young elvish boy cried, quickly dismounting his horse and running to the injured archer. Hunter only had seconds to open his good arm to the elf and brace himself for impact before the boy had crashed into him and was hugging the ever living daylights out of him. Hunter's good arm instantly tightened around the kid and held him, rubbing small circles between his shoulder blades as the boy began trembling.
"Sshhhh...it's ok Adan..." Hunter hushed the boy "Everything is alright. I'm right here."
"Where's Mel?" The elven girl whimpered in fear, dismounting her horse and running over, "And Anteru? We saw all the blood and wreckage and the arrows in the trees and..."
"BREATHE Elleth-wen!" Hunter commanded softly, "You're cousin is alive and on the mend." He looked down at the trembling boy in his arms. "As is your brother, Adan. Fear not for their safety. They are inside the castle being tended to by one of the best healers in the kingdom. They are awake and you shall see them shortly."
The Montchang brothers felt their hearts drop. They'd been right...these elves were related to Seb and Thad, and, from the sound of it, closely so too. The brother, unlike many of the other warblers who didn't think they could stomach it, had seen the site of the attack. They could clearly imagine the fear and horrifying thoughts that had gone through these poor kids's heads.
The elves both nodded and Adan moved back so Elleth-wen could have a turn hugging Hunter.
"NEVER scare me like that again, you hear?" She hiccuped, "That scene...it was so violent...if Adan and I hadn't been able to sense your and Mel's and Anteru's presences in the distance..."
"We all thought you were DEAD!" The man in the ebony cloak snapped, attempting to calmly but quickly dismount his horse, "The kids about lost their minds!"
Carter chuckled, "Need a little assistance there Viper?"
The man, Viper, huffed, "Usually I'd be offended at being condescended to, but given that our current situation requires speed, YES! It would be appreciated if you would help me instead of standing there laughing like the winged idiot you are! I mean, seriously Carter!? I'm fairly certain a yearling troll could dodge better than you!"
This got the group, including the two young elves, laughing.
Carter glared playfully, "Keep talking and I'll drop you on your head."
"Do that and you come down with me." Viper shot back.
"Emanuel," the man's brown cloaked companion scolded gently, "Play nice!"
"He started it!" The man, aka Viper, aka Emanuel, whined.
"THAT is the argument of a five year old!" Hunter scoffed, "Now get down off your high horse in more ways than one and let's get back to business."
Emanuel snorted, but allowed Carter to help him down. He gasped as he saw the arrow. "Holy crap Carter! I thought you were just being dramatic! I didn't realize they legitimately got you that bad!"
Carter blushed, "It's really not that bad...can we move onto..."
"They got you RIGHT in the webbing!" The man in the brown cloak said, dismounting and coming over, "AMAZING SHOT! Even if you were an immovable moron, that's impressive! Who pulled that off?"
"Dustin really..." Carter pleaded, "I don't think we need to..."
"That would be Jeff." Nick said, rubbing his guilt ridden friend's back.
Jeff looked up from the ground, "But I SWEAR I didn't know it'd hurt him so badly! I wasn't even aiming there!"
At that last sentence, Carter's head dropped in shame, and there was moment of silence as ALL eyes of the convoy, especially Viper's, locked on him.
"You got taken out..." Emanuel choked, trying not to crack up, "By a KID...who, according to Hunter's stories, can't aim for SHIT...with a ACCIDENTAL, DUMB-LUCK, SHIT SHOT?!"
Carter growled, "I swear to Guarda almighty Emanuel, if you LAUGH..."
"Oh I'm gonna do more than that," Emanuel burst out cackling, "I'm gonna SAVE that flipping arrow as a SOUVENIR! I am going to tell everyone when we get back about how the great gargoyle guardian got taken down be a misfired arrow from a innocent, can't aim kid! THIS is going in my journals!"
"Ya," His brown cloaked compatriot, Dustin as Carter had called him, joined in his laughter, "we are NEVER letting you live this down! Consider it PAY BACK for all the shit you've held over our heads in the past."
Carter groaned, "If we weren't such good friends, I would beat you both up right now."
"No you wouldn't." Elleth-wen said softly, walking over to him and taking his hand, "You're too sweet for that. You only hurt people when they hurt your friends."
Carter pouted and sighed mellow dramatically. "Ya...I guess you're right." He smiled and brushed some hair from her eyes. "Now go on. Properly introduce yourself to the nice young men."
The elven girl nodded and went up to Wes and his friends. She curtsied, "Hello. My name is Elleth-wen, but you can call me Ella."
"Thad and Seb made sure everyone with a REALLY obviously magical name had a human alias, like they did during the war with Sue." Hunter explained, "Ella's is actually really fitting. It translates to...OW!" He yelped as Dustin slapped him in the bad shoulder, "DUDE! What the hell!? Do you not see I've got an injury there?"
"And possibly in your brain too!" Viper hissed, "The kids picked their names because they MEAN something to them. Don't you think we should let THEM explain that meaning if and when they want to?"
Hunter grumbled, but nodded. As much as it stung...LITERALLY...the two had a point.
Mike smiled and bowed to the girl before him. "A true pleasure to meet you, milady. My name is Michael Montchang. I see the resemblance between you and your cousin, especially in your eyes."
Ella smiled softly, and almost sadly, "Thank you...I've been told I have my mother's eyes."
Chris sensed a need of new subject and stepped forward. He took Ella's hand, kissing it softly on the knuckles, causing the girl to giggle and blush softly. "I'm Mike's younger brother Chris, and these are my friends Luke and John."
The two other gossips stepped forward and each took a turn kissing her hand as Chris had done, causing the poor girl to blush louder until the red reached her elven ears.
"Ok boys! That's enough!" Wes laughed, pulling them back, "Don't traumatize the dear creature." He looked down at Ella with warm eyes, "I apologize for them. I'm Mike and Chris's eldest brother, Wesley Montchang."
Ella went bug-eyed, "YOU'RE the King of Thieves?" She whispered.
Wes jolted. Had the elven trio revealed his secret in their stories?
Ella seemed to sense his worries, "Don't worry. Mel...or I guess YOU'D call him Sebastian...he just told me."
"And my big brother told me!" Adan said, appearing suddenly at Wes's side. He bowed to the man, looking up at him with a semi-star-struck expression. "That would be Anteru, or Thad as you'd know him. My name is Adan, but you can call me Andy"
"They told us how you saved their lives in the woods when you first met them." Ella said softly, "And now you've done it again." She lurched forward and gave Wes a hug so tight and strong that it made it hard to breathe, threatened to bruise his internal organs, and he swore it popped his joints in and out of their sockets.
"Ella..." Emanuel scolded gently, "Don't break him. Remember: Hugging, not mugging."
The elven girl instantly released, biting her lip guiltily. "Right...sorry. Just...thank you. Thank you SO MUCH for saving them."
Andy nodded, "We don't know what we'd have done if you didn't."
Wes smiled as he caught his breath, "Our pleasure. They're our friends too. We only did what we know they'd do for us."
"If you are friends with them, then we are friends with you." Emanuel said, stepping forward, as the rest of the riders behind him all dismounted, "You seem intelligent. I assume you can figure out my name from what has been said so far."
"I've heard you called Emanuel and Viper." Wes said, "I would assume that the first is your given name, and the second is a nickname of sorts?"
Viper grinned and nodded, "Indeed. Very astute."
"You're Dustin right?" Mike asked as the brown cloaked man came over to join them.
The man nodded, "Yes, but most of my friends call me Dust-devil."
"And who is...everybody else?" Chris asked, looking around at the large group walking towards them.
"We could ask the same of you," Emanuel said, gesturing to all the warblers, "And while I guarantee we shall all get to know each other very well eventually, NOW might not be the best time for long introductions, especially out in the open." He looked to Jeff and smiled softly, "While I have NO doubt your injuring Carter was an accident, and I understand and commend your quick response when you felt you needed to defend yourselves from an imminent threat, there are likely people here who would...well, from the wreckage we saw of the attack, I assume you already have the general idea."
"Exactly." Carter nodded, as the last of the riders dismounted and came to join them, "And on that point...I've been waiting till everyone else was here." He turned to look at Hunter, "Now that they are...WHAT THE ACTUAL HELL HAPPENED TO YOU ALL!?"
Hunter jumped slightly, but quickly composed himself. He took a breath. "It was a freaking ambush Carter. We MUST have been tailed after we left you guys in the western woods. They waited till the three of us were far enough away from you all that you wouldn't find us in time to save us and far enough away from the castle that we couldn't call for help. THANKFULLY, Wes and his brothers happened to be in the woods for a pleasure ride that day and I stumbled in front of Chris's horse after being shot running for help..."
"WOAH THERE!" Dustin cried, "Did you just say you got SHOT?! I thought you just got it knocked outta the socket or something! Shit! I'm so sorry Hunter. I wouldn't have whacked you if I'd known."
Hunter waved him off, "It's ok. Figured you didn't realize. Even YOU aren't that much of an asshole. It's mostly healed anyway, so you likely didn't do any damage...though I wouldn't mention to it Trent, our healer. Anyway, it mostly just hurts now...a lot."
"I can fix that!" Ella pipped up excitedly, before pulling herself back a little, looking at her shoes, "Um...I mean...if you want me to."
Hunter smiled warmly at the girl, "That would be wonderful Ella. Thank you. I shall keep that in mind and will likely take you up on that offer later."
Ella's head shot back up and she beamed, happy she could do something helpful.
Viper couldn't help chuckling at the girl, but quickly shook his head and looked back to Hunter with a serious expression. "What can you tell us about the attack? You don't have to go into detail if you don't want to. I understand it might be hard to talk about...and not appropriate for the kids to listen to."
Hunter nodded, sighing, "Well...like I said, they ambushed us. They came out of absolute nowhere. Not even Thad or Sebastian heard them coming. One second, we were driving through the woods, talking about how EXACTLY we'd explain this mess to our friends. The next, we were surrounded on all sides, with arrows flying at us and a mob of HUGE guys running towards the cart. I was driving, so I jumped out the front a started firing on what I THOUGHT was their captain, though in retrospect I'm not sure if it was. I saw Thad weaving through the crowds, taking people out as he went. I THINK he was trying to get away so he could run for help. Seb was by the cart, trying to defend it so they wouldn't get our gear...though it turns out they didn't want it."
Wes gulped, knowing very well that those people had wanted to take something far more precious than their gear from the trio.
Hunter swallowed hard, "The first one of us down was Thad. He took out a fair deal of the soldiers before he got his foot caught in a snare trap and got yanked up into a tree. After that, a bunch of the creeps gathered round him and started whacking him around with sticks. I tried to fire arrows at their feet to scare them off, but they were coming up short and I was too scared to aim higher and risk hitting Thad."
Andy whimpered in fear, eyes wide as he thought of his big brother in such a position. Mike reached out and pulled the boy into a hugged, knowing what he felt far too well.
Hunter shook his head and tried to keep composed, "I saw Seb trying to break through the crowd in front of him and get to Thad...when suddenly a grouped of men tipped the cart over on it's side and the whole thing came crashing down on top of him, pinning him face down in the dirt."
Ella let out a squeaking gasp of horror, tears welling in her eyes. Chris, John, and Luke instantly stepped forward to comfort the girl, with John and Luke both taking one of her hands and Chris resting his hands comfortingly on her shoulders.
Hunter sighed and closed his eyes, "I cut the ropes on the horses so that the poor creatures wouldn't get yanked over or strangled. It's possible they ran away, but I'm fairly certain I saw one of the attackers lasso them and drag them off. After that, I shot the head off someone who MUST have been important, because it spooked the soldiers and they scattered. They grabbed their dead and wounded and bolted off. I ran to Sebastian, but he was stuck tight under the cart, and Thad was out cold, so I ran off to try to find help. However...all the bastards must not have been gone, because someone followed me and about five minutes later I had arrows flying at me again."
Dustin and Emanuel silently joined hands, looking at each other with matching expressions of dread.
Hunter chuckled darkly, "I'd like to say I gave as good as I got...but I never really got the chance to see. After that...it kinda goes fuzzy. I remember the breath getting knocked out of me and PAIN when the arrow hit...then just running blindly through the woods, firing off at any movement. I have half a recollection of stumbling into the clearing and collapsing in front of Chris in his path...and then after I hit the ground I don't remember SEEING anything...just the sound of Callisto, Chris's horse, squealing in panic...Chris screaming for his brothers...then Wes's voice asking me where the others were and Mike's telling me...something. Then...I must've just blacked out completely, because I don't have any memory until I woke up in the infirmary..." He paused, before opening his eyes and letting a soft, genuine smile spread across his face, "to the sound of Thad lecturing Trent on proper medical techniques."
There was a pause, a moment of silence, before the convoy all started laughing softly, the mood having been pulled from the pits of darkness by Hunter's final comment.
Andy sniffled and giggled softly, before looking up at Hunter hopefully "So...Teru is ok?"
Hunter nodded, feeling guilty for scaring the kids. "Yes. As I said before Adan, your brother is fine now." He looked over to the trembling elven girl snuggled between the gossips, "And so is your cousin, so dry your tears and fear not."
Ella nodded, brushing her eyes against her sleeve. "I...I know. It's just...I can feel your pain and fear...and it hurts my heart to think you all went through such."
Carter sighed and shook his head, "Such is the way of war, I'm afraid." He stepped forward and put a hand on Hunter's uninjured shoulder, wrapping his own uninjured wing protectively around the man."Let us be thankful they all made it out alive...and that the brothers found them when we could not."
They all nodded silently.
"What about...do you remember anything about the people who attacked you?" Viper said softly. The confidence that he'd had earlier in his voice was gone, replaced by a tentative anxiety. Dustin pulled him closer and laid Emanuel's head on his shoulder, playing softly with the man's hair in an attempt to soothe his worries. It was fairly clear these men were more than friends.
Hunter bit his lips, "There were mostly men fighting, and of that male majority, most were bulky, brute strength guys. Sort of like the Thurstons...only with slightly more brain power, since they thought to tip the cart on Seb and figured out how to do it. That said, the best fighters and the 'captain' I shot at were women. They were all sort of built like...well like you Santana." He gestured to the latina, who stepped forward slightly to be his example so the convoy could see who he was referring to and have an visual. "Only...their fighting style was more like the battle arts that Wes and his brothers specialize in: hand to hand combat with small weapon and a lot of acrobatics. The entire army were all wearing masks...likely so that if one of us did get away, they couldn't be identified."
"What sort of masks?" Dustin asks, "Any origin you could determine?"
Hunter shook his head, "No. They were all mismatched and random. All I could really say would only be less helpful to track them down: The masks looked cheap, like the kind one would by at any circus, street fair, or village festival. The MAIN and ONLY purpose they seemed to serve was to hide their identities."
"Can we stop now?" Ella whimpered, "I'm sorry, but I REALLY don't want to hear any more of this."
"I agree." Andy nodded. "Plus...if those creeps are still around, I don't feel safe out here."
They all agreed to that. More could be discussed later. For now, it was important to get inside where it was safe.
"So now that we have gotten that out of the way", Wes said and cleared his throat. "Andy, Ella if you follow us we'll take you to your relatives now."
Almost before the words had left his mouth, the two elves were bolting off to the castle.
Hunter chuckled, "I think it's US who should follow THEM!"
Chris blinked in shock. "How do they..."
"They're elves," Mike said, "They can sense that sort of thing. Plus..it's the same as how we found Wes: they're family."
"Actually, it was ME that found YOU" Wes said with a smug grin. "YOU thought I was a hobo."
"But we knew you were out there." Mike defended, "Even when everyone else said you were dead...we knew you were out there somewhere, alive and waiting for us."
"We never gave up hope on you." Chris said, slipping his hand into his brother's.
Wes squeezed his hand gently. "I know you did... but Mike still tried to kill me." He gave his brother a pointed look.
"Hey!" Mike said, throwing his hands up in defense, "What would you have wanted me to do? If it HADN'T been you, would you have wanted me to stand by serenely as a strange man I DIDN'T RECOGNIZE told me he'd supposedly MURDERED my older brother and LAUGHED about it, with my little brother sitting RIGHT NEXT TO HIM?!"
"He has a good point, your highness." Hunter said, "if I were in that position, I can't say I wouldn't have done the same."
"If I'd been in that position, you WOULD be dead." Carter scoffed. "And if it were me in your position, I'd be touched by his passionate defense of you"
Wes gave all three a pointed look. "I was very touched by his passion... and by his fists. I just wanted to point out the clear difference between elves and men. Elves are like homing pigeons, since they can always find each other. Mike and Chris knew I was alive but couldn't sense me even when I sat next to them." He hugged Chris close.
Chris sighed, "We knew you seemed familiar...but we couldn't see through the mask."
Mike nodded, "And then when I saw your jacket on a strange man, I let my anger blind me further."
"And THAT is point I believe your brother was trying to make." Emanuel chuckled, "Ella and Andy would be able to see through the mask...to know their family the second they saw them."
"Exactly," Wes said, and then sent a death glare at Hunter. "And what have I told you about calling me by those damn titles?!"
Hunter glared back "As I said the day you found us: get use to it. A lot of people are going to be calling you that now."
"I will never get used to it", Wes growled. "As I have said time and time again. I am just a man. I am not a king. I never wanted to be a king. I don't want to be a king. So I will keep objecting to the title till the day I die."
Hunter winced, and Wes felt Chris flinch in fear next to him.
"Careful what you say," Carter warned grimly, "it may just come to be. Words can have more power than you know."
The others in the convoy seemed confused, not having been told yet that Wes was the king of thieves.
"Can we go inside now please?" Emanuel snapped, eyeing the horses nervously, "I'm truly sorry to interrupt this obviously important family moment, but I'm feeling EXTREMELY exposed and vulnerable out in this freaking field!" He made sure Dustin was between him and the hoofed creatures, making it pretty clear it wasn't the clearing that had him nervous, even if he wouldn't admit it.
"Not to mention the tiny twosome is WAY ahead of us on the way to the castle," Dustin said more softly, slipping his arms around Viper's midsection and pulling him protectively close, "and from what you've told us Hunter, they should likely not be alone when they come upon the damage done to Mel and Anteru."
"Good idea", Wes said and held Chris close as he headed for the castle.
The warblers and the elves convoy followed, heading in to reunite with their friends.
There you have it my darlings! Hopefully the length of the chapter makes up for the length of time I've been gone!
Until next time my lovelies!
