Hilo! Haven't seen me in a long time have ya? I plan to start updating, since my internet is broken at the moment, and all I can do is write! And boy, I'm so behind! Thanks for waiting so patiently for me! I LOVE YOU! I hope you all are doing well! Heee! Also, I'm holding a contest for the best story from PsoH. If you have a story that you would like to be in it, or you are going to write one, please review me your email, name, and such. I'll get the story after discussing it with you! If you would like to know more rules, please contact me! Whooplah! I'll see yall later! Bai bai now!
The Lion and the Raven
Chapter 4
The Count gently closed the door to Leon's new room, and he sighed great fully. The detective would have a lot of questions that he couldn't answer at this very moment, but he was very ready to go through, and talk to the blonde man. The count walked down the hallways to the front of his shop, and he sat as soon as he heard the bell ring throughout the shop.
D stood again with a soft sigh, and pulled on a mask of happiness. He gently opened the door, and called out his usual greeting, "Hello, this is a place of love, happiness, and dreams. How may I serve you, or help you?"
"Ah...hi..." a younger teen girl called out, and waved with a grin set firmly on her face.
"Good afternoon my lady. Won't you please come in, and have some tea?" the Count asked, giving a small smile in return.
"Thank you so much Mister D sir..." She replied, and stepped in.
"Ah, please call me Count D, or just D." he said, leading her to a couch, and rolling over the tea cart.
D set down the tea kettle made of fine China, and he poured two cups. One for the younger woman, and one for himself. This tea happened to be from the southern parts of India, and was called, 'Brush Fire' tea. It's taste was supposed to bring memories of bittersweet sorrows.
D enjoyed the taste, and scent of it but also enjoyed the many things that were in it. Before he got to lost in his own thoughts, he set down his cup, and looked to the brown haired girl. She had white, and copper red streaks throughout her hair, and her hazel eyes sparkled happily.
She was wearing a pair of faded denim flare jeans with some sewn on patches. She was also wearing a nice blouse that looked faintly vintage from the 80's. She reached out a hand, and introduced herself to the count, and smiled happily,
"My name is Ra. Ra Hunter and I just came by to browse your shop. I was told by some friends that you sell all kinds of pets here. I love animals, and was just wondering what it was like...a pet shop in Chinatown I mean..." she flushed lightly at her word blunder.
"Not a problem my child, please, look around. I'm very happy to meet you Ra." the Count responded and watched as she nodded happily, and stood to walk around, and browse.
The Count turned back to his own thoughts, and wondered what Leon was dreaming about. He settled back, and closed his eyes. He sent his mind wondering through space to connect with Leon's, and he settled firmly into the other mans conscience and flowed through the mindless colors, and thoughts until he reached Leon's dreams.
The Count settled down to watch what was going on, and was startled greatly when he found a rainforest like jungle mingling with a Sahara like desert. He gently prodded the mind to make sure it was Leon's, and was greeted by the soft gesture that belonged to the blonde man. As he watched the surroundings he heard a rustle in the undergrowth and looked over to see Leon.
The Count's eyes widened as he took in the state of what Leon was in, and he almost cried. The man had his hair out of that blasted ponytail, and it maned his face like a lion. His blue eyes glittered like an animal of prey, and his clothing was made of tattered skins.
He looked like a hunter god, and he was gorgeous. He sniffed the area that was near the Count, and shied away. He grunted in an agitated way, and pawed the ground with his roughened fingers. The bones of his hands were slightly larger, and ended in almost claw like nails. He sat on his haunches, and watched the Count through confused eyes.
Leon tilted his head in a confused manner, and D chuckled at the cute picture. Leon straightened his head, and shook his mane of hair. He bellowed out a roar that shook the ground underneath the startled Count, and looked back to the Chinese man.
D watched Leon intensely as the man turned beast crept up to him, and lay a paw or hand in his lap. He watched as Leon came up off his hind quarters, and licked the porcelain cheek in front of him. D blushed softly, and put a hand to were the rough tongue had been seconds ago, and watched the lion like Leon.
True to his name, Leon was acting very much like a lion who had found a potential mate. Leon gently tugged on D's cloak, and started to tug him to the edge of the rainforest. The Sahara was a burning desert but seemed warm and friendly to the Kami. Leon gently led the Count to his den, and drew the Chinese god into it's depths. He offered a slice of raw meat to the god who turned it away politely. As he sat, and gnawed at the bone, he observed the black haired man with the intensity of a cat.
D watched the prey like Leon, and grinned in an ironic way. 'Who thought that the man of iron dreamed of forests, and hunting.' he smiled grimly. The man probably resembled a lion most of all out of the animal kingdom. The mane of golden hair, the eyes that were the king off all he saw, the strength used to protect others, and even the want for a mate so badly, he took in multiples to satisfy his immediate need.
D gently released Leon's mind as he came back to conscience in the front of his shop, and opened his eyes to the sight of Ra giggling like a girl half her age with multitudes of birds on her head, arms, and back. She looked like a feathered creature herself, and laughed out loud when a bird flicked it's tail feathers in her ear tickling her.
She nuzzled the beak of a bird in front of her, and started to walk around the shop with the birds still clinging to her happily. The tweeted their songs happily from there perch on the girl as she made her way around the shop. Ra examined a group of kittens as the romped with each other, and she giggled in delight.
It was hard to find such pure humans in this day and age that enjoyed the simplicity of the company of animals. D sent his best wishes to her in thought form, and more animals made their way to here to greet the human. Some of the purest humans were alphas like Leon, some were pups like Chris, and some were just accepted as a whole like Ra. She exuded purity, patience, and happiness but D frowned slightly.
What he found disturbing was that she seemed to be no more than an empty shell. She was nothing but happiness, or so he could feel. She was either very good at hiding her emotions, or she was not a human at all. All humans had faults, and the mystic animals would not all just gather around her like she was the goddess of them all. Something was wrong.
D stood gently, and made his way to her side, and rested a hand on her shoulder. He let her turn around, and show of the birds that had made their way to here, and the puppies that rolled around her ankles.
"I'm glad you are enjoying yourself my young one, but something does not seem right. Why are you so happy?" He asked, already suspecting an answer.
"Oh! I just love birds! I wish I could be one, even if my parents say it's impossible to try and be a bird. They never let me do what I want..." She chattered on to the temporarily deaf Count.
Just as he thought. This girl was a sickly sweet human with no badness in her. She was just so pure...she was unbearable. She chattered away with out a second thought, and D rolled his eyes. These types of humans were so annoying. He wold be polite for her sake, but it was so annoying to have to entertain a human with fluff as a brain.
D lead her back to the couch, and poured her some more tea as he made affirming noises every now, and then to make it seem as if he was listening. As he was ready to doze off in the middle of their 'conversation' Chris came rolling in laughing in his own special way.
/D! D! Guess what Pon-chan and I did today? We made finger paints! the telekinetic boy exclaimed happily while showing of his artwork. Most of the paint had gathered onto his shirt showing hand prints, and paw prints of the suspected Tanuki.
"Very nice Chris! I was just about to close up for the day!" D said happily for the interruption.
"Oh...well, I guess I'll come back another time." Ra said happily, and started to walk for the door.
The birds flew from her, and the animals retreated from her as she excited the shop, and the Count slumped as soon as she left.
'Now I know why Grandfather prefers to be on business trips. Some humans are just so unbearable.' he thought to himself as he stood to tend to Chris, and what he would be doing for the night.
The Count began to clean up around the shop, when he stopped, and pondered his recent thoughts.
'No...I do not hate all humans. Yes, most are unbearable, but Leon. Leon is anything but that. Chris is also a joy to have around, and to talk with. He is loyal, like a young dog, and Leon is fierce, and protective true to his name. A lion.'
Count D settled his tea cart away, to be brought out when another human comes around. He settled himself into the chase that was in his shop, and he inhaled deeply the scent of incense, and animals. He always loved being in his shop, but he wanted to travel, and visit the others.
He heard the calls of the Alaskan Timber Wolves, and the Parrots of the rainforest. He could sense the want from the elephants in Africa, and the caged hunger that was a Panda in China. His home country. He thought with a quickening heart how wonderful it would be to go back to China, if only for a little while.
The Count closed his multicolored eyes, and sighed sadly. His kind was so lonely. They never got to know others as friends, or family. Always alone, and always wanting more. He was a selfish species, but the humans had caused that.
Yes.
The humans.
They cause so much pain, and hatred. D looked up with a glimmer of rage in his soul, and scowled. Then again, it wasn't all humans. Leon did nothing to the animals. He was almost like one. Chris was and innocent, sweet little boy, and he did nothing to the Kami race. In fact, he was almost like those village children of so long ago that adored his kind, and were used as story tellers.
Chris was so sweet, and strong. He would be a brave, handsome man when he got older. Leon. Now, he already was a handsome, strong man. Not so sweet, but definitely delicious.
Leon had an aura around him that commanded, and strove for power. His power is always used for a greater purpose, wether it be protecting, hunting, or living in general. D stroked back his black locks of hair, and grinned. Leon was like a lion in every sort of way.
He was the leader of his pack, and of the rest of the animals, but he never hurt any of them. He is loyal with out a fault, and pleasurable to look upon. Leon is always prowling, but breaks down by himself, and only lets the few trusted see past his mane of stubbornness, and hate.
Like a cub shoved off a cliff to fend for itself, he climbed out, and took to his own when his mother died. He was brave, and looking out for the young cub that did not make it back up by himself. Leon was the perfect example of a perfect, and beautiful human. Unfortunately, he is not looked up to like that. Others just see his attitude, and his bad habits.
Count D smirked, and stood. He should go wake the sleeping lion, and see how he is feeling. The lion should not have gotten hurt, and whoever hurt his lion would die, a slow, and painful death.
D planned to track whoever hurt his protected, and bring him back for the shop to deal with. He might just kill the disgusting human himself if he felt needed though. It was despicable how human's could kill each other, kill themselves, hurt themselves, or hurt others. It was so odd, and strange to the Kami who understood, and loved animals.
It seemed that humans were the most basic of animals, and there instincts so pushed away, that they are nothing but soulless creatures. They needed to come back to Mother Nature.
How can people do such horrible things?
The Count patted down the hallways thinking about what has been going on, and how he can help it stop if it was bad. Chris was being put to sleep, and Leon seemed to be waking if his subconscious was telling him the truth. He would have to wait, and see.