Hi, everybody! I'm back with the Playlist after a short detour with my story Kidnapped. Of everything I've written, if the producers of the show came to ask for the rights to a story, that is the one I hope they'd pick... (other than the smut, of course, but they can only show so much on cable haha).
As always, I like feedback, reviews, suggestions for songs or AU or past lives. I'm working again, but I still like to give myself time to write, especially between now and the première!
I own nothing of interest...
Mama, there's wolves in the house.
Mama, they won't let me out.
Mama, they're mating at night.
Mama, they won't make nice.
Monroe and Nick walk through the autumn woods to what they have dubbed the Training Center. Behind them, trying to keep up, are ten-year-old Neil and eight-year-old Sophia. Nick carries a regular crossbow and a Doppelarmbrust (the double crossbow) with a pack of bolts; Monroe carries a pair of Kanabo and a large bag. The kids keep stealing glances at each other, but do not say a word. They have been hearing stories since their childhood about what their parents have done, acting as enforcers, keeping the peace among the Wesen and the Kehrseite in Portland and beyond.
Sophia has been doing strange exercises with her father since she was about three, building up her reflexes, balance, speed. She isn't sure how she does it, but she has seemingly always been able to call forth her fangs when she is scared or angry. She knows her first full woge is coming, and she knows it will be soon. She's feels differently today, so today may be the day.
Neil can't yet See as his father can, and he often feels left out, especially because Sophia and the twins seem to be able to See. He can only See if he's supposed to, which frustrates him. One of his first vivid memories is of Aunt Rosalee becoming a fox, and letting him and his little brother Jacob pet the soft red and white fur on her cheeks. Uncle Monroe refused to woge, saying they weren't ready for it yet. Neil gets a sinking feeling that today will be the day he finally sees Monroe's true form. Without thinking, he reaches out and brushes Sophia's hand with his; she smiles shyly, and he can tell she's nervous, too.
They're pacing and glowing bright,
Their faces all snowy and white.
Bury their paws in the stone,
Make for my heart as their home.
Blazing with light
Is the whitest and the tallest
And the biggest one;
She's muscled and fine when she runs.
The group reaches the clearing, and the fathers deposit their goods on a tree stump. Monroe opens his bag and starts pulling out fruit: watermelons, apples, peaches, plums, and bananas. Nick turns to the kids, tapping the end of the Kanabo against the ground.
"Neil… Soph… we've decided to officially start your training today. We feel that both of you are old enough, and you will both get dragged into this sooner or later, so we might as well all be prepared. Now, Soph, until you have your first woge, this will be mostly about weapons for you; Neil, for you this will be about how to deal with your Sight, how to strategize on your feet, and how to use the weapons. But first, Monroe has something to show you."
Monroe glances at his daughter before stepping up to Neil. The man is gigantic, towering almost two and a half feet over the ten-year-old and nearly a full three feet over Sophia.
"Neil, I want you to remember it's just me, okay?" Neil nods, and he feels Sophia's hand in his; she knows what her father's woge looks like, and she seems to silently be offering him her protection. Monroe breathes in, and shifts. His kind brown eyes become red, and his features become sharper, more angular. Large fangs jut from his mouth, claws sprout from his fingers, and fur sprouts in some places. Neil stumbles back a step, but remains standing. Monroe shifts back, and Sophia slips her hand out of his. Neil takes a few breaths in, and nods his head.
"Okay." Monroe nods as well.
"Okay. It helps that you've seen Rosalee woge already, too. She's a lot prettier than I am. However, I bet this one," he pointed to his daughter, "is going to have a gorgeous woge." Sophia smiles shyly at the ground as the tips of her ears turn red. Her father was always embarrassing her with compliments because she looks so much like her mother, but she feels her little sister Kelly is so much prettier. Kelly has blonde hair, so she looks different from the rest of the family, but she has pretty eyes, one light brown with gold flecks and the other a bright, clear emerald green.
They're tearing up holes in the house.
They're tearing their claws to the ground.
They're staring with blood in their mouths.
Mama, they won't let me out.
They tumble and fight,
And they're beautiful
On the hilltops at night.
They are beautiful.
"Okay!" Nick brings Sophia out of her embarrassed silence by handing her one of the Kanabo. It is nearly as tall as she. Nick hands the other to Neil. "First, some batting practice!" The kids both smile. They love playing baseball together, and these things are very much like their bats, but heavier.
"Careful with the spikes, though." Monroe warns before tossing an apple underhand at Neil. Neil swings, and connects with the apple. The apple is obliterated, chunks flying everywhere. The Grimmling smiles wider as Sophia laughs. Monroe throws a peach at her, but she can't seem to swing the bat properly; it's a little too long for her. Neil throws the peach back to Monroe while reminding Sophia to choke up on the bat. She moves her hands cautiously toward the spikes, and practices her swing. This looks like it will work better. Monroe tosses the peach once more, and this time Sophia manages to hit her mark, splattering her father with juice as he laughs. As Monroe is tossing the smaller fruit, Nick is hanging the watermelons up like piñatas, watching as the kids laugh as they spray each other with bits of fruit. They both seem to be taking to this very naturally; however, he reminds himself, they have the benefit of knowledge, something he never had. They've been aware of this world since they were born… maybe not the great extent of it, but they know it exists and one day they will join it.
When the kids are done hitting the smaller fruit (and pulling an impaled banana off Neil's Kanabo), Monroe leads them over to the hanging watermelons.
"So now that you've got the basic baseball swing down, now try an overhead swing. Remember to follow through, and watch your legs." Neil stands in front of his watermelon while Sophia stands to the side with the Kanabo balanced on her shoulder. Her father can't help notice how natural she looks; she must have been a warrior in a past life, too. Neil takes a big swing and misses the watermelon as Sophia laughs hysterically. He tries again, with the same result, and Sophia leans on the Kanabo for support. He tries a few more times and Sophia is practically rolling on the ground.
"Well let's see how you do, Runt." Neil grumbles, his face burning red. Sophia stops laughing, and sits up quickly.
"What did you call me?" she asks quietly, approaching the Grimm-in-training as her eyes flash red.
"You heard me. Like you're going to do any better. You probably won't even be able to reach it."
Sophia feels her heart racing and her eyes feel like they're on fire. Neil KNOWS she hates being called Runt. The only thing that would make her more angry is being called a Half-Breed, and Neil saw what happened when Johnny Thompson called her Half-Breed last year.
"So what are you gonna do about it then, Runt?" Neil was actually kind of enjoying antagonizing her. Nick and Monroe shot each other worried glances as Sophia stands on her toes, putting her almost eye-to-eye with the boy.
"I AM NOT A RUNT! I AM AN ALPHA!" Sophia screams in his face, and suddenly her face feels like it's on fire as thousands of needles shoot through her skin. Her teeth become fangs, and claws shoot out of her fingers, causing her to drop the Kanabo, slicing her leg open. Her ears feel like they're being stretched out and all the color drains from Neil's face. This must be it. This must be a woge. She snarls at Neil and he backs away from her, stumbling. She hears Nick yelling something, and hears him and her father approach as she stands over Neil growling. Monroe stands to her side, and he looks fascinated and overjoyed. Sophia inhales and exhales slowly, and everything retracts, being pulled back into her skin. She looks at her father, and he embraces her. He's crying.
"Daddy?" she asks worriedly. Nick helps his son up, but he looks stunned at what he just saw. "Daddy, what's going on?"
"Honey, you're a Weiss-Blutbad!"
"You mean she was supposed to do that?" Nick asked, sounding awestruck. Sophia was starting to get a little freaked out.
"WHAT HAPPENED?" she asked, frightened. Monroe wiped his eyes and breathes in to calm himself. Sophia breathes with him.
"You're a white wolf. You sprouted white fur like your Mom does, and your hair turned white and shiny… oh, honey, you were beautiful!"
"You were scary." Neil mutters, and Sophia shoots him a Look.
"Then don't make me do it again."
"Guys!" Monroe rolls his eyes. "Anyway, the first Blutbaden were said to be Weiss-Blutbaden. Today they are very rare, but they are always destined for great things. This explains so much, actually…" The Blutbad trails off, and lifts his daughter into his arms and nuzzles her cheek. She throws her arms around his neck and nuzzles him back, and she knows that if they had tails, they would both be wagging.
"Do you think Mom will like it?" the child asks. Monroe kisses her temple and smiles.
"I think she'll love it… but first, why don't we finish murdering some watermelons?" Sophia nods, and he puts her down. She picks up her Kanabo and rests it back on her shoulder. Her leg is no longer bleeding.
"I totally got this."
Blazing with light
Is the whitest and the tallest
And the biggest one,
All muscled and fine when she runs.
Mama, there's wolves in the house.
Mama, I tried to put them out.
And Mama, I know you're too wise
To wait 'til those wolves make nice.
Song: Wolves by Phosphorescent. From the album Pride, copyright 2007, Dead Oceans Records.
