Ch. 1
"You sure you don't wanna get paid?" The old farmer said in a western accent as he scratched his head in mild confusion. "This kind of job don't come cheap."
"I didn't say that I didn't want to get paid. I merely said that you don't have to pay me for this if you don't want to. I was just told you needed some assistance, so that's what I'm here for," Abaddon explained. Samuel didn't always listen to the things he said, so the boy had to repeat himself often. Abaddon had come to Samuel's farmhouse at a friend's request, saying that the old man would have a job that suited him. He walked across town to a bright blue two story farmhouse, where he found Samuel walking around in his dark blue overalls and brown boots, tending to his livestock. The old man had told him about a small band of grimm that had been wandering near his livestock for the last two weeks, sometimes even killing the animals.
"Well thanks kid, I didn't think I woulda found anyone who would take the job. I know yer a tough kid, but dealing with Grimm ain't no easy task." Samuel told him, but Abaddon had zoned out and was staring off into the distance. It wasn't until when Samuel whistled that Abaddon snapped back to attention. He wagged his wolf tail and his ears twitched as a sign that he was indeed listening.
"Sorry, my mind tends to wander off at the wrong times. But I don't have a problem dealing with Grimm. So what time do they usually come out?"
"Uhhh," Samuel scratched his bald head as he was thinking of an answer. "It's close to noon, and there's no exact time they like ta come but it tends ta be around sunset. So why don'tya come back around then alright." He gave Abaddon a pat on the shoulder before striding towards his farmhouse. "I'll see ya then."
"Okay, see ya then." Abaddon turned and made his way back across town. As he walked he looked around at the people, human and Faunus alike, going about their lives. Abaddon watched as children ran around with smiles on their faces and wonder in their eyes while their parents were either busy working or watching them. A few of them even waved at him for he had done tasks for them and many others who lived on Marrowshin, an island just south of Patch. The island in itself was pretty peaceful as Grimm encounters weren't always common.
In no time, Abaddon had reached his destination: An autumn red two story house with a bordered porch and above a railed balcony for the second story bedroom. A large oak tree stood near the house, with its branches reaching close enough to almost touch the balcony's rail.
Abaddon climbed up the oak tree and walked along the branch that extended to the 2nd floor. He leaped from the branch and landed softly on the solid oak floor.
"I wonder if anyone's home." There were was a wooden door that led into the house. Abaddon took a small silver key out of his pocket as he walked to the door, unlocked it, and slowly opened it.
The door led into a medium sized room with a single blue blanketed bed positioned on the far wall. On the right wall were two windows with a burgundy work desk positioned against the wall between them. On the left of the bed was a large black dresser and a tall lamp. There were also two doors on the left wall, the one furthest from Abaddon being the entrance to the stairs and the closes to him being the closet. There were also two large paintings, one above the bed and the other above the desk.
Abaddon walked deeper into the room and marveled at the two paintings. He had seen them plenty of times but he couldn't stop gazing at the craftsmanship. The painting above the bed showed a red robin with its child sitting on a small tree branch. It was a close up of the birds so you could see their feathers, the light reflecting off their black eyes, and how their feet gripped the wood.
Above the desk was a painting of a large oak that had each fourth of its two dimensional shape colored in a different season of the year. One portion had rain and cloudy skies for spring, another had bright green leaves and clear blue skies for summer, the next had orange and red falling leaves for autumn, and the final part showed the tree naked with snow covering its branches and the ground around it while under a star filled night sky. This was Abaddon's favorite one. "She could really make a living out of this," he thought
As he continued to stare at the artwork, his ears twitched. There was movement coming from behind him.
Suddenly, he felt someone jump onto his back and wrap their arms around his neck. It wasn't a choke hold, but a playful gesture, one he was all too familiar with.
"Abby! What are doing sneaking into my room?" Emma clung onto Abaddon's back and played with his messy black hair. He turned and walked in reverse until his legs touched the bed, then he deposited her on it with a small thump. Abaddon then sat down on the bed next to her.
"What, am I not welcome?" He asked with a smirk on his face. "Aren't you the one who sneaks into my tree house in the middle of the night?" He usually slept in a custom built tree house in the backyard whenever he wanted to get some fresh air for himself.
Emma Trennair was a cat faunus. She had short dark magenta hair with cat ears of the same color, dark green eyes, and fair skin. She wore a light green long sleeve shirt with black jeans and socks. Emma was only two years younger than him, but she could be very immature and childish at times for a 17 year old. They had known each other since they were babies and had always been close, almost inseparable. He thought of her as his sister and he her brother, which some would find weird due to the fact that it was like a cat/dog relationship. Although, they never cared.
Emma made a cute pouting face, using her cat ears to add to the effect. "Because you're my comfy puppy pillow. And I know you don't mind anyway."
"Then I hope you don't mind me nibbling on your ears again." Abaddon began playing with her ears, pulling on them a bit before he actually bit them.
"Hey, that tickles!" She giggled as she tried pushing him away but he wouldn't budge.
She was telling the truth though. Abaddon didn't mind it when she would sleep in his treehouse, using his body as pillow. It was one of the many things he only let her do, especially calling him Abby.
Just then, there was the sound of footsteps coming up the stairs. "Emma you forgot your cookies downstairs." Emma's mother, Helena, entered the room. She was like an older version of Emma, but with long magenta hair that reached past her shoulders. She wore a knee length cream colored dress. In her hands was a platter of chocolate chip cookies. Abaddon could smell their scent and it made his stomach growl a bit.
"Oh hello Abaddon. I didn't know you were home. You could've walked through the front door ya'know?" She gave him a generous smile.
Abaddon shrugged. "I like to take the road less traveled."
"Well, here are some cookies for both of you to share." She walked over and placed the plate on Emma's desk. "Emma just made them a while ago and they are delicious. I managed to get them out of the kitchen before her father could eat most of them."
"Thanks mom." Emma hugged her mother and took a cookie from the plate. She took a bite and a look of satisfaction appeared on her face.
"Alright, if you two need me I'll be downstairs. I have to clean up the mishap your father made." Mrs. Trennair gave both Emma and Abaddon a kiss on their heads before heading downstairs.
Emma grabbed another cookie and shoved it into Abaddon's mouth. "Try it please." He couldn't tell whether it was a question or a playful command, but complied anyway and ate the cookie. It was really delicious and left him wanting more.
Before Emma knew it Abaddon had eaten four more cookies. She laughed at his greedy appetite. "Did you talk to Samuel about that job?"
Abaddon wiped the crumbs from his lips. "Yeah, thanks for the tip Emm. He wants me to go back to his farm at sunset to get rid of some Grimm that have been terrorizing his livestock."
"It's noon now and it usually gets to sunset at around 6." She told him then ate another cookie.
Abaddon let out a yawn before placing his hands behind his head and falling back on the bed. "I'll just take a little nap until then. Helps to be well rested."
"No Abby, stay awake." Emma started shaking him, but he wouldn't budge. Sleep was already crawling at his mind as he closed his eyes. The last thing he saw was Emma looking down on him with her cute pouting face and then sticking her tongue at him. He managed a chuckle before slumber took him.
