Chapter 3
A Long Dead Past
"I'm back!" Renee called pushing open the front door. It wasn't locked; which was nice since she didn't have to set down her bags to open it.
Jared was standing by the living room windows with his back to her. He seemed to be looking out the open glass at the street. It was slightly strange to see an Atavus suit standing in her house. But she knew it was him by the way his black hair was tied and how he stood. Something like a quiet strength seemed to float off him. He may not be the quickest person in the world but he seemed nice enough.
His head turned to her so that only his profile was shown. He seemed just a bit sad and at the same time hurt too.
"Street came by." Jared whispered.
"Oh, Justina! Where is she?" Renee only just now remembered that Street was going to drop by at 8:30. Jared turned around to face her holding the baby in his arms. The dark hair baby smiled at her mother reaching out for her.
Renee set down her bags and walked across the room to scoop her up. Tucking the wiggling bundle into the nook of her right arm she smiled back at her daughter. The girl reached out catching her left pointer finger in her grasp. She giggled was a piece off her black hair fell across her forehead.
"Sorry about not telling you about her. With all that's been happening I totally forgot to mention it. No one knows about her except for Street and I. It's safer that way for her." Renee explained to Jared. He seemed to be watching her closely.
"Is she why you disappeared for 10 months?" He asked her.
"You know about that?" Renee asked lightly bouncing Justina in her arm.
"I filed reports. You were in a lot of them." Jared explained coolly.
"Yeah well, when I started to show it was to big of risk to be out on the battle filed. I mean can you image if Howlyn found out? He would have had every able person on the planet looking for me." Renee said laughing.
"You bet I would have." Jared breathed under his breath.
"What?" Renee asked. Jared looked at her again.
"Oh, what I meant was if I was him I would have too." He said. Renee looked him over.
"Are you alright? Nothing happened did it?" She asked concerned.
"Nothing of great importance. Did you have a pleasant outing Renee?" He nodded to the bags behind her.
"Oh yes I did. And don't worry about paying me back either. I've got enough to spare." Renee said walking back to the bags. Jared stepped around her picking up the bags before she could.
"I take care of these." He said smiling down at her. Renee hadn't noticed it before but he had an amazing pair of emerald eyes. They seemed as if they had a far deeper color than the normal eye should allow. And he was suddenly standing too close to her than he had before. He was a foot away but he seemed closer than that at the same time.
His eyes dropped down to Justina but then did a slight double take and stayed on her. Renee also looked down. Justina was staring at Jared with a very strange expression. She looked perfectly open and expectant as she up at him. As if she was waiting for him to do something.
Jared took one long look at the girl and turned to go towards his room down the hall. He held a bag in each hand so he closed the door with his foot with a snap. Renee looked after him and then to Justina.
"You're doing it again. How am I ever going to make new friends if you keep unnerving them?" The girl smiled blinking her lovely blue eyes as a response. Renee just laughed heading for her own room at the end of the hall.
***
Howlyn dropped the bags on the bed letting them tip over as he did so. What had he been thinking? He had been seconds from dropping that kid out the window. He had to get use to it; Renee was no longer his. She had made her choice to die with her race instead of to join him.
"But would she reject me in this form?" Howlyn purred to himself thoughtfully. It was an interesting idea. Could he trick Renee to love him as a human?
//Maybe. I could quietly go about getting information and get Renee back. // Granted he'd be human longer than he would have liked but his people would find away to fix it by the time he got what he wanted. He looked at the bags on his bed carefully.
"Step one: start to look the part." He said picking up one of the bags.
***
20 minutes later Renee had put Justina to sleep and was waiting in the living room for Jared to come out. She didn't want to rush him but she was getting hungry. She was just about to get up to knock on his door when she heard him come out. If Renee hadn't known it was Jared she might have never guessed with out the help of his old exo-suit.
He now wore a deep crimson button up shirt with black pants. The pants seemed to hang off his hips while at the same time displaying his powerful legs. A dark greenish black jacket stopped just past his waist and hung open letting him hook his thumbs in to his pockets. He had a pair of black slim boots tucked under the cuffs of his pants and a sliver watch sticking out of his coat. He looked great.
"Do I look alright?" He asked looking down at his choice concerned.
"You look fine." Renee said getting to her feet at last. "Are you hungry?"
"So the gnawing pain in my stomach isn't suppose to be there?" He asked sarcastically knocking his head to one side. She ducked her head trying to hide her small smile. Something about his expression was just funny to her.
"Come on will take my car." She said heading for the door.
***
Two streets over and one bum to the right they sat in a dinner at a small table for two. The theme around the dimly lit restaurant was a retro thing the Howlyn couldn't put a name to. The place seemed clean but the smell of burning grease was a bit nose catching. Even the red and white checkered pattern on table seemed to smell like it. He hated to think what it would smell like if he had his old sense of smell back.
Renee seemed to like it well enough. Howlyn noticed her checking each of the people out before choosing a seat. Even then the seat had a clear route to the back door and had a good view of the rest of the building. If he had to choose he would have picked the same table, kind of funny if you think about it.
"So why here?" Howlyn asked. Resting his arms on the table. Renee stayed relaxed against the back of her seat.
"Well, what Atavus would look for you here?" She said shrugging.
"Not a smart one." Howlyn replied looking around. She also looked around this time with the same look of disdain.
"Maybe, but how many of them are there?" Howlyn glared at her remark.
"I don't see your people traveling for light years at a time." He said coldly.
"No but we also don't go around trying to take over other worlds." She said now giving him a funny look.
"The Atavus have not always been like this." Howlyn countered angrily.
"Oh? And what were they like? You're the one who know the Atavus best so do please tell me." Renee responded.
"They are a proud warrior race. Gifted with strength of mind as well as body. They ruled the known space under the glory of the Empire. They colonized every planet in their system and explored thousands of others! Sure the planets were getting over crowed a bit but that's why-----!" He stopped talking suddenly.
"Why what?" Renee asked leaning forward.
"That's why Howlyn left." He whispered looking down towards the table.
"I don't understand." She said shaking her head slightly.
"He left because there was an uninhabited planet that could support a new colony in a distant system. But by this time there hadn't been a new colony in hundreds of years. He was just trying his help his Brethren survive. But his father didn't see it that way. His father believed that if the clan separated that far from each other it could start a civil war between the two palates. If only his brother had taken his side!" Howlyn pressed trying get a hold of his voice.
"Howlyn has a brother?" Renee asked surprised. Howlyn nodded.
"Jielyn, eldest of the royal line. He was four years older then Howlyn. But he turned his back on his brother to side with their father. Of coarse that didn't stop many of the people from siding with Howlyn. So they were cast out and Howlyn colonized the new world without the help of his people."
"How do you know all this?" Renee asked.
"It's in the ships data base. Howlyn put it there. I read it one day." He lied.
"What about Yulyn?" Renee asked moving closer.
"What?" Howlyn asked looking up with a slightly bewildered expression.
"What do you know about him?" Renee asked.
"Only that he is the first son of Howlyn and his first mate. He is also the son of two of the great houses in his system. The second son of the royal house and of the third daughter of the largest planet. Howlyn's father planned the marriage since Howlyn was the age of five. The reason being that if anything should happen to Jielyn and Howlyn Yulyn would have little trouble taking the throne."
"Did he love her?" Renee asked slowly. Howlyn turned to gaze out the window.
"That term is a hard one to use in Atavus society. To become so closely attached is sometime seen as a sign of weakness in a ruler. But yes I believe now that he did. I do know that he first met his mate when he was 12. He didn't like the idea of his mate being chosen for him. One of the only perks of being second son was that you usually picked our own mate.
"But when she walked into the room he was struck by how she looked. She was wearing a fairly simple royal dress with her hair let loose in tiny ringlets. She was only 10 at the time but her eyes made her look older and made her look taller." Howlyn stopped to laugh at that.
"That of course was ridiculous because Howlyn was a good foot taller than her at the time. They bowed and were perfectly polite while their parents were in the room. Howlyn started to think that maybe he would never like her if she would go along with this so easily. But when their parents left the room she changed." Howlyn stopped was a red haired woman set two plates on the table. Renee also looked at the plates with a bit of surprise. They both and forgotten that they had ordered anything.
"Go on." She said picking up a fork. Howlyn nodded thinking of where he left off.
"She became very angry. She even yelled at him to leave her alone till her family left. The she picked up the front of her skirts and ran outside to the fountain. It seems she was just as mad as he was about the arrangement. The dress she was wearing was a mark of importance and riches. She absolutely hated the thing. As he later learned she would have been much happier in an exo-suit running around in the forest. It was then that Howlyn started to like her. She was smart, beautiful, and had the spirit of a fighter. Like you."
"What?" Renee asked taken by surprise.
"That why he likes you. You have all the qualities he admires in a woman. I think the only reason he wants to kill you is because you're such a great threat to his Brethren."
"This has nothing to do with that." Renee said quickly.
"Oh but I think it does. Howlyn has always tried to keep his brethren alive and your killing them one by one!" Howlyn said.
"They're killing us! What am I supposed to do? Stand back and let them take over the Earth?" Renee asked appalled.
"Let them have what is rightfully theirs, yes!" Howlyn insisted.
"This is our planet now. No mater what it was to them millions of years ago it's ours now." Renee in a quiet tone.
"And what do you expect them to do? Sit back while their pushed into the minority and die?" Howlyn asked out raged.
"They're dying anyway! You may not know this but they're dying from eating just. Whatever the feed off of all those years ago was the pure stuff. Over the years we've become polluted. It stops the healing factor in their bodies and will eventually kill each and every one of them."
Howlyn stared at her opened mouthed. //Could she be telling the truth? Could no matter what I do change the fate of my brethren still lead to their end? They are the only ones left, to die after surviving so much was inconceivable. //
"You're still killing them." Howlyn said not letting go of the fight.
"They leave us no choice! They refuse to leave Earth in peace." Renee argued.
"Where do you expect them to go? That piece of Talon junk wont take them to the moon let alone their home world. What you think they'll just fly there?" Howlyn said sarcastically.
"They could stop trying to kill us so that we could work together to help get other. Find another way to live on the planet." She continued.
"Don't you think they looked for another way?" Howlyn interrupted. "It took years to find the way they have now. Hundreds of people died they found a way to live. What do you think Yulyn's mother was dying from? She died because she chose to follow her husband. She wanted a better way of life for her people without sacrificing the life of another people to do it. She died for her beliefs and Howlyn will die for his."
"You sound just like him you know that?" Renee snapped glaring at him.
"Guess I'm not use to being considered a human." He remarked bitterly.
"All right, you brought up some things I may not have seen before. They're people trying to survive just like us. But they won't stop and I have to protect my people. And you may not remember it but you're part of that people too. And I think its about time you joined it." Renee said in a soothingly calm voice.
"What did you have in mind?" Howlyn asked darkly.
"There's a club I want to take you too. I think you'll really enjoy it." She said with a grin. Howlyn got the sinking feeling that maybe this was going to be a long night.
(AN: Listen I'm not sure on how good my Howlyn is in this story. Please review and give me some suggestions on how to make him a bit better. In the next chapter Howlyn get introduced to music, drinking, and.dancing. Insert evil smile here.)
"I'm back!" Renee called pushing open the front door. It wasn't locked; which was nice since she didn't have to set down her bags to open it.
Jared was standing by the living room windows with his back to her. He seemed to be looking out the open glass at the street. It was slightly strange to see an Atavus suit standing in her house. But she knew it was him by the way his black hair was tied and how he stood. Something like a quiet strength seemed to float off him. He may not be the quickest person in the world but he seemed nice enough.
His head turned to her so that only his profile was shown. He seemed just a bit sad and at the same time hurt too.
"Street came by." Jared whispered.
"Oh, Justina! Where is she?" Renee only just now remembered that Street was going to drop by at 8:30. Jared turned around to face her holding the baby in his arms. The dark hair baby smiled at her mother reaching out for her.
Renee set down her bags and walked across the room to scoop her up. Tucking the wiggling bundle into the nook of her right arm she smiled back at her daughter. The girl reached out catching her left pointer finger in her grasp. She giggled was a piece off her black hair fell across her forehead.
"Sorry about not telling you about her. With all that's been happening I totally forgot to mention it. No one knows about her except for Street and I. It's safer that way for her." Renee explained to Jared. He seemed to be watching her closely.
"Is she why you disappeared for 10 months?" He asked her.
"You know about that?" Renee asked lightly bouncing Justina in her arm.
"I filed reports. You were in a lot of them." Jared explained coolly.
"Yeah well, when I started to show it was to big of risk to be out on the battle filed. I mean can you image if Howlyn found out? He would have had every able person on the planet looking for me." Renee said laughing.
"You bet I would have." Jared breathed under his breath.
"What?" Renee asked. Jared looked at her again.
"Oh, what I meant was if I was him I would have too." He said. Renee looked him over.
"Are you alright? Nothing happened did it?" She asked concerned.
"Nothing of great importance. Did you have a pleasant outing Renee?" He nodded to the bags behind her.
"Oh yes I did. And don't worry about paying me back either. I've got enough to spare." Renee said walking back to the bags. Jared stepped around her picking up the bags before she could.
"I take care of these." He said smiling down at her. Renee hadn't noticed it before but he had an amazing pair of emerald eyes. They seemed as if they had a far deeper color than the normal eye should allow. And he was suddenly standing too close to her than he had before. He was a foot away but he seemed closer than that at the same time.
His eyes dropped down to Justina but then did a slight double take and stayed on her. Renee also looked down. Justina was staring at Jared with a very strange expression. She looked perfectly open and expectant as she up at him. As if she was waiting for him to do something.
Jared took one long look at the girl and turned to go towards his room down the hall. He held a bag in each hand so he closed the door with his foot with a snap. Renee looked after him and then to Justina.
"You're doing it again. How am I ever going to make new friends if you keep unnerving them?" The girl smiled blinking her lovely blue eyes as a response. Renee just laughed heading for her own room at the end of the hall.
***
Howlyn dropped the bags on the bed letting them tip over as he did so. What had he been thinking? He had been seconds from dropping that kid out the window. He had to get use to it; Renee was no longer his. She had made her choice to die with her race instead of to join him.
"But would she reject me in this form?" Howlyn purred to himself thoughtfully. It was an interesting idea. Could he trick Renee to love him as a human?
//Maybe. I could quietly go about getting information and get Renee back. // Granted he'd be human longer than he would have liked but his people would find away to fix it by the time he got what he wanted. He looked at the bags on his bed carefully.
"Step one: start to look the part." He said picking up one of the bags.
***
20 minutes later Renee had put Justina to sleep and was waiting in the living room for Jared to come out. She didn't want to rush him but she was getting hungry. She was just about to get up to knock on his door when she heard him come out. If Renee hadn't known it was Jared she might have never guessed with out the help of his old exo-suit.
He now wore a deep crimson button up shirt with black pants. The pants seemed to hang off his hips while at the same time displaying his powerful legs. A dark greenish black jacket stopped just past his waist and hung open letting him hook his thumbs in to his pockets. He had a pair of black slim boots tucked under the cuffs of his pants and a sliver watch sticking out of his coat. He looked great.
"Do I look alright?" He asked looking down at his choice concerned.
"You look fine." Renee said getting to her feet at last. "Are you hungry?"
"So the gnawing pain in my stomach isn't suppose to be there?" He asked sarcastically knocking his head to one side. She ducked her head trying to hide her small smile. Something about his expression was just funny to her.
"Come on will take my car." She said heading for the door.
***
Two streets over and one bum to the right they sat in a dinner at a small table for two. The theme around the dimly lit restaurant was a retro thing the Howlyn couldn't put a name to. The place seemed clean but the smell of burning grease was a bit nose catching. Even the red and white checkered pattern on table seemed to smell like it. He hated to think what it would smell like if he had his old sense of smell back.
Renee seemed to like it well enough. Howlyn noticed her checking each of the people out before choosing a seat. Even then the seat had a clear route to the back door and had a good view of the rest of the building. If he had to choose he would have picked the same table, kind of funny if you think about it.
"So why here?" Howlyn asked. Resting his arms on the table. Renee stayed relaxed against the back of her seat.
"Well, what Atavus would look for you here?" She said shrugging.
"Not a smart one." Howlyn replied looking around. She also looked around this time with the same look of disdain.
"Maybe, but how many of them are there?" Howlyn glared at her remark.
"I don't see your people traveling for light years at a time." He said coldly.
"No but we also don't go around trying to take over other worlds." She said now giving him a funny look.
"The Atavus have not always been like this." Howlyn countered angrily.
"Oh? And what were they like? You're the one who know the Atavus best so do please tell me." Renee responded.
"They are a proud warrior race. Gifted with strength of mind as well as body. They ruled the known space under the glory of the Empire. They colonized every planet in their system and explored thousands of others! Sure the planets were getting over crowed a bit but that's why-----!" He stopped talking suddenly.
"Why what?" Renee asked leaning forward.
"That's why Howlyn left." He whispered looking down towards the table.
"I don't understand." She said shaking her head slightly.
"He left because there was an uninhabited planet that could support a new colony in a distant system. But by this time there hadn't been a new colony in hundreds of years. He was just trying his help his Brethren survive. But his father didn't see it that way. His father believed that if the clan separated that far from each other it could start a civil war between the two palates. If only his brother had taken his side!" Howlyn pressed trying get a hold of his voice.
"Howlyn has a brother?" Renee asked surprised. Howlyn nodded.
"Jielyn, eldest of the royal line. He was four years older then Howlyn. But he turned his back on his brother to side with their father. Of coarse that didn't stop many of the people from siding with Howlyn. So they were cast out and Howlyn colonized the new world without the help of his people."
"How do you know all this?" Renee asked.
"It's in the ships data base. Howlyn put it there. I read it one day." He lied.
"What about Yulyn?" Renee asked moving closer.
"What?" Howlyn asked looking up with a slightly bewildered expression.
"What do you know about him?" Renee asked.
"Only that he is the first son of Howlyn and his first mate. He is also the son of two of the great houses in his system. The second son of the royal house and of the third daughter of the largest planet. Howlyn's father planned the marriage since Howlyn was the age of five. The reason being that if anything should happen to Jielyn and Howlyn Yulyn would have little trouble taking the throne."
"Did he love her?" Renee asked slowly. Howlyn turned to gaze out the window.
"That term is a hard one to use in Atavus society. To become so closely attached is sometime seen as a sign of weakness in a ruler. But yes I believe now that he did. I do know that he first met his mate when he was 12. He didn't like the idea of his mate being chosen for him. One of the only perks of being second son was that you usually picked our own mate.
"But when she walked into the room he was struck by how she looked. She was wearing a fairly simple royal dress with her hair let loose in tiny ringlets. She was only 10 at the time but her eyes made her look older and made her look taller." Howlyn stopped to laugh at that.
"That of course was ridiculous because Howlyn was a good foot taller than her at the time. They bowed and were perfectly polite while their parents were in the room. Howlyn started to think that maybe he would never like her if she would go along with this so easily. But when their parents left the room she changed." Howlyn stopped was a red haired woman set two plates on the table. Renee also looked at the plates with a bit of surprise. They both and forgotten that they had ordered anything.
"Go on." She said picking up a fork. Howlyn nodded thinking of where he left off.
"She became very angry. She even yelled at him to leave her alone till her family left. The she picked up the front of her skirts and ran outside to the fountain. It seems she was just as mad as he was about the arrangement. The dress she was wearing was a mark of importance and riches. She absolutely hated the thing. As he later learned she would have been much happier in an exo-suit running around in the forest. It was then that Howlyn started to like her. She was smart, beautiful, and had the spirit of a fighter. Like you."
"What?" Renee asked taken by surprise.
"That why he likes you. You have all the qualities he admires in a woman. I think the only reason he wants to kill you is because you're such a great threat to his Brethren."
"This has nothing to do with that." Renee said quickly.
"Oh but I think it does. Howlyn has always tried to keep his brethren alive and your killing them one by one!" Howlyn said.
"They're killing us! What am I supposed to do? Stand back and let them take over the Earth?" Renee asked appalled.
"Let them have what is rightfully theirs, yes!" Howlyn insisted.
"This is our planet now. No mater what it was to them millions of years ago it's ours now." Renee in a quiet tone.
"And what do you expect them to do? Sit back while their pushed into the minority and die?" Howlyn asked out raged.
"They're dying anyway! You may not know this but they're dying from eating just. Whatever the feed off of all those years ago was the pure stuff. Over the years we've become polluted. It stops the healing factor in their bodies and will eventually kill each and every one of them."
Howlyn stared at her opened mouthed. //Could she be telling the truth? Could no matter what I do change the fate of my brethren still lead to their end? They are the only ones left, to die after surviving so much was inconceivable. //
"You're still killing them." Howlyn said not letting go of the fight.
"They leave us no choice! They refuse to leave Earth in peace." Renee argued.
"Where do you expect them to go? That piece of Talon junk wont take them to the moon let alone their home world. What you think they'll just fly there?" Howlyn said sarcastically.
"They could stop trying to kill us so that we could work together to help get other. Find another way to live on the planet." She continued.
"Don't you think they looked for another way?" Howlyn interrupted. "It took years to find the way they have now. Hundreds of people died they found a way to live. What do you think Yulyn's mother was dying from? She died because she chose to follow her husband. She wanted a better way of life for her people without sacrificing the life of another people to do it. She died for her beliefs and Howlyn will die for his."
"You sound just like him you know that?" Renee snapped glaring at him.
"Guess I'm not use to being considered a human." He remarked bitterly.
"All right, you brought up some things I may not have seen before. They're people trying to survive just like us. But they won't stop and I have to protect my people. And you may not remember it but you're part of that people too. And I think its about time you joined it." Renee said in a soothingly calm voice.
"What did you have in mind?" Howlyn asked darkly.
"There's a club I want to take you too. I think you'll really enjoy it." She said with a grin. Howlyn got the sinking feeling that maybe this was going to be a long night.
(AN: Listen I'm not sure on how good my Howlyn is in this story. Please review and give me some suggestions on how to make him a bit better. In the next chapter Howlyn get introduced to music, drinking, and.dancing. Insert evil smile here.)
