Chapter Six: Barking at the Moon
"Hello?"
Greg stiffened at the call; he hadn't gone far from the town. Perhaps ironically, it happened to be right between himself and Toronto, forcing the gryphon to remain close while he debated how to get past it. His panicked flight had left him short several dozen feathers and adorned in bloody scratches on his sides and legs. Nothing that wouldn't heal, but he wouldn't be trying that again anytime soon. Well…maybe if he had to.
"Please come out, I won't hurt you," the female voice coaxed.
Wary, Greg prowled to where he could see the woman. Not that he was planning on letting her know where he was. Once was enough, thank you.
She stood in a clearing, though it was small. Green eyes scanned the trees and she'd caught her bottom lip with her teeth, worrying it a touch. The grubby polo and jeans were gone, replaced by fresh clothing, though he couldn't tell the colors in the darkness. A tiny smattering of freckles dusted her face, one eyebrow white and the other dark-blonde, like her hair. Her nose was small, her chin almost delicate in the way it curved. Hope faded into disappointment and Amber's shoulders slumped.
"If you're there, I just wanted to say thank you," she called. A hesitation, then she stepped forward. "And…and I believe you. I think you're human, no matter what that lady said."
Feathery, furry ears pricked, but Greg held perfectly still.
For a minute, silence reigned. Then Amber sighed and stepped back. "I'll never forget you," she whispered, turning to go.
Instinct murmured, overriding Parker's caution. Without thinking, he dropped from his sheltering tree, landing on the ground with a soft thud.
Amber whipped back around, eyes wide as she met Parker's hazel. She smiled, a broad, happy smile that sent an odd sensation through Greg's chest. "There you are," the young woman whispered, crouching. Both hands stretched out, holding a plate that Greg hadn't noticed until that very moment. He couldn't see it very well in the darkness, but the scent of cooked meat drifted to his beak. The gryphon crept to her, sniffing at the meat before he snatched the steak off the plate, though he opted not to eat right in front of her. He most certainly had better manners than that.
She studied him, then giggled. "Never eat in front of a girl, right?"
Greg nodded, earning a second giggle.
One slim hand stroked his head, rubbing gently behind one ear. "I, um, I'm gonna call my folks tomorrow," Amber told him. "Tell them everything that happened." She paused. "I guess my ex didn't want to press charges, so I don't have to stay here or anything."
Both ears pricked. Surely neither of the subjects had been her boyfriend. And what was that about charges?
But Amber did not explain. "I told the cops about my car and I guess it got found already, but it's busted." A sniffle and Greg spied wetness at the corner of one eye. "I'll ask my Dad what I should get, so I can get home. At least my stuff is okay; that's something, I guess." Another pause. "Um, you can eat that now. I need to take the plate back and I already ate."
Oh. She'd brought the plate for him. Understanding, Greg let the steak down, carefully ripping off a piece with his beak before it landed on the plate again. The gryphon ate cautiously, doing his best to keep from damaging the plate or making the surface screech – nails-on-a-chalkboard did not appeal. When he'd eaten everything save the bone, he trilled thanks before he snatched it.
Before he could slip away, she reached out, resting a hand on his head. "Listen, could you come back here tomorrow? Same time?"
The Sergeant considered, then met her gaze around the bone and nodded.
"Great, see you tomorrow, big guy."
Bemused, Greg watched her go. Considering, he decided it might be a good idea for him to eat as much as possible and possibly find a handy river for another bath. Particularly if his newborn hope turned out to be correct.
Fortunately, Greg did, indeed, locate a handy river close to town. He wasn't able to locate any fish on such short notice, but did find a herd of deer. Ignoring his human distaste, Parker let his gryphon side take control and soon realized he should've done that from the start. The gryphon prowled with an ease that his mountain lion teacher would've envied, curling around the herd from the trees with only the creaking of the branches marking his route. On the far side, he crouched, eyeing an older male who'd wandered just a bit too far from the rest of the herd.
In a blur of speed, the gryphon dropped, landing next to the deer and launching upwards to latch onto its back. Powerful muscles flexed, dragging the prey sideways and down. Talons closed and the big predator's beak bit down, severing the spinal cord. Death was instantaneous, something Greg's human side was grateful for. He'd accepted that, as a carnivore, he had little choice but to hunt – still, he hated inflicting unnecessary suffering.
Despite suspecting that Amber would bring him food again, Parker dug into his meal. A single steak, no matter how well cooked, wasn't enough to fill him. While many steaks came with bones, something his gryphon instincts insisted was quite important, the bones were small and insufficient. And so, regardless of if his fledging hope was right or wrong, Greg knew he had to eat when he could, storing and reserving his strength for the trek home.
With that very much in mind, the gryphon ate every scrap of bone and meat before him, then headed back to the river to clean up – and hack up any gryphon 'hairballs'. Disgusting as the thought was, the 'hairballs' were yet another part and parcel of being trapped in his Animagus form. Fudge.
By the time the sun went down, Greg was back in position, though he was much less tense than he'd been the night before. The gryphon fairly lounged in the trees around the clearing, enjoying a moment to relax. If he was wrong, so be it, but if he was right… Well, if he was right, it would be well worth the lost day of travel.
The sound of an engine drew his head up, though the gryphon edged back, using the branches to hide himself from any unexpected visitors. That Auror might've adjudged him a 'dumb animal', but he was nothing of the kind and determined to maintain the Statute as much as possible – outside of extenuating circumstances of course. Greg edged back a bit further, tucking his wings as close to his body as possible as he eyed the part of the clearing closest to the road.
"Hello?"
Parker relaxed; it was her. He paused long enough to scan for any other humans, then shuffled forward and dropped out of the tree.
"There you are," Amber exclaimed quietly, a smile spreading. She hurried forward to meet him, petting him almost automatically. Then she jerked back, looking between her hand and the gryphon. "Oh! I'm sorry, I shouldn't be doing that. I mean…you're human and…"
Greg rumbled laughter and nudged her.
"You…you don't mind?"
He shook his head.
Amber beamed and went back to petting him. "I called my parents," she chattered, before faltering and drawing back to hug herself. "Dad…he was so mad at those guys and my ex."
Parker rubbed against her, offering what comfort he could. So, her boyfriend hadn't been one of the subjects. That was something of a relief; at least she hadn't had that sort of betrayal to deal with.
The woman managed a shaky smile. "Thank you," she whispered, reaching down to hug him around the neck. After a few moments, she shook her head and kept going, a determined note in her voice. "Anyway…they sent me some money so I could get a car and go home. Wanna see it?"
Greg suppressed a whine – all she wanted to do was show off her car? – and followed the young woman back to the road. Then he froze, beak dropping open as he stared at the large, rugged pickup truck parked by the side of the road. The engine alone…it looked powerful, even with the hood down and hidden by the truck's almost muscular front end. The grill was silver and large, with a small Ford logo in the center, bracketed by headlights about a third shorter than the grill; they were a mix of square and angular, perfectly suited to the hefty engine behind them. The vehicle was two-tone, painted a dark blue over most of its body while the undercarriage and lower panels were a subdued tan hue. It was clearly used; mud was splattered over the front and the paint sported tiny chips here and there. The Sergeant couldn't tell how well the vehicle ran, but it was big enough for him. The idea that this traumatized young woman had picked out a vehicle for his benefit was rather humbling, especially since he suspected she'd never driven a truck before.
As he stared, she went over to the truck and lowered the tailgate. "Come on, big guy," she called. "I know we can't get very far tonight, but I want to get out of here."
The gryphon prowled forward, noting the prominent F-150 right in front of the driver door, and hopped up into the truck bed. Amber crawled up after him, retrieving a tarp that looked rather familiar. It smelt different and appeared to be both larger and heavier than the other tarp had been, but Amber put it to use in much the same fashion, tucking it around Greg's unique features to conceal them from random observers.
Once she was done, she slid out of the truck bed, put the tailgate back up, and headed around to the driver's side door. Greg felt the truck creak beneath him as her weight pulled it sideways ever so slightly, then Amber was in her seat. The key turned, heralding a comforting rumble from the engine, then the truck pulled out. The gryphon cringed as the truck made a laborious, jerky three-point turn, sighing with relief when the vehicle finally completed the turn and began to make its way through town. Once they were through the small town, the truck cruised onto the mountain roads beyond.
Enough of the afternoon and evening remained to get them out of the Rocky Mountains and down into Colorado Springs proper. Although Greg was forced to keep his head down, he was enthralled by the scenery around him, silently vowing that a future vacation would bring him – and his kids – back out to Colorado so he could get an actual look around. Between the scenery, the history, and any tourist attractions, Parker was certain his kids would have a blast. Besides, it had been far too long since he'd taken time off. Even after his nipotes' arrival, he hadn't taken many vacations – and this certainly did not count.
When the truck pulled into a motel parking lot, Greg resigned himself to sleeping in the truck bed and waiting for his next meal, but Amber came around the back once she'd checked in and moved her truck closer to her room. As she lowered the tailgate, she murmured, "Come on, big guy. I'll get you something a little later, but let's get you inside."
With a nod, Greg slunk forward and leapt down to follow his rescuee-turned-chauffer to her hotel room. He wasn't surprised that she'd rented a single – besides, even if she'd gotten a double, the Sergeant knew he wouldn't have slept on the bed. Not with his claws and talons. Besides, the carpeted floor was more than enough after several nights sleeping rough in the mountains. He was surprised when Amber departed and came back with two takeout containers that smelled of steak for him; much as he appreciated the gesture, to constantly be buying steak had to be cutting into what few funds she had left. The truck, likewise, had to have been far outside her budget.
He whimper-whined, wishing he could talk and explain.
And yet, to his shock, she seemed to understand his concern. Brushing a lock of hair back, she set the two steaks down and explained, "I told my Dad, you know. About you." A faint smile. "I know we weren't supposed to, but how else was I supposed to explain why I needed a truck and enough money to buy lots of steak?" Her smile turned almost shy. "He said if I'd found a man willing to beat up two serial killers for me, then I should hang onto him."
Greg blushed all the way down to the roots of his feathers. He was at least twenty years older than her! With three kids, an ex-wife, and a drinking problem – even if he hadn't touched a drop in over a decade. Besides, he already had a girlfriend. Assuming she hadn't moved on after he'd gone undercover.
"Easy, big guy, he didn't mean it. I already yelled at him; I don't even know your name."
Oh, good…it had just been a joke. Rather sad, that he hadn't realized that until she'd said so.
Sheepish, Parker towed one of the takeaway containers into the bathroom and made short work of the first steak. He would wait until morning to eat the other. Once he was done, he carried the empty foam container back to her and headed to the inner side of the bed to curl up. To his bemusement, Amber turned on the TV, turning to the History Channel and some show about ancient aliens. Talk about not giving ancient civilization much credit – just because it was hard to figure out how they'd built all those structures didn't mean aliens had come down out of the sky to do it for them. Although…perhaps…perhaps they'd had magical help. After all, that had been far, far before the Statute of Secrecy.
With those theories and others running through his mind, Greg curled up a bit more and went to sleep.
The next morning, Amber heated up the remaining steak before giving it to Greg, then departed for her own breakfast. Half an hour later, she came back with a plate piled high with sausage and ham. Before the gryphon could voice any protest, the young woman giggled. "Free breakfast," she explained. "I told them my friend was a real meat-eater."
The pun was terrible, but the meat went down nicely, particularly since Greg knew it had essentially come with the room. His more gryphon side whimpered, longing for a few bones, but subsided at Greg's mental glare. Amber was doing her best and – indeed – spending far more money on him than she should.
Once he'd finished, Amber stepped outside, scanning for any observers before walking to her truck and lowering the tailgate. When she signaled, Greg streaked out of the room, racing to the rear of the truck before whirling and jumping up into the back. He curled up, fluffing his wings a bit to give himself more air before the tarp settled in place. Amber tucked the ends under him, frowning.
"We're going on the highway today, big guy. I think I'm gonna have to tie this thing down. That okay with you?"
The Sergeant trilled and nodded, accepting the inevitable logic. Losing the tarp on the highway would be bad and besides, if the tarp was tied down, it might protect him a bit from the truck's momentum. Unlikely, but perhaps.
"Okay, stay still, big guy. I'm gonna have to get tie-downs at a hardware store."
Greg nodded again, watching Amber slither out of the truck bed. She departed for a few minutes; when she came back, she climbed up and started the vehicle, pulling out into traffic shortly thereafter. A few streets later, Greg caught a glimpse of a hardware store sign before they pulled in. Amber parked and left, leaving the gryphon behind to stew. He had no idea where in the United States she was headed, but her route thus far had taken them towards Toronto. The longer he could ride, the less he'd have to walk, so it would be best to stick with her as long as possible, unless she passed Toronto.
He analyzed the links, pulling them to the fore of his awareness. The colors shone bright within his mind's eye, confirming what he already knew. They were still alive and in good health – at least physically. Instinctively, he reached for them, crying out over the vast distance, but just as before, the communication winked out, vanishing into nothingness. Blasted, bloody collar. But not even the collar could stop him from going home.
I'm coming, guys. I don't know how far it is and I don't know how long it'll take, but I promise, I'm coming home. No matter what.
Footsteps brought his head up, but it was just Amber coming back with what looked like a bag full of tie-downs. It took another hour and as much help as Greg could offer in his form, but by the end, the gryphon had a truck bed hidey-hole that was even somewhat ventilated, thanks to the way the tarp was now draped over the truck sides, the tie-downs threaded through six metal rings on the edges of the tarp. Much more pleasant than being wrapped in the thing.
The one downside to Greg's hidey-hole was his inability to watch the scenery change around the truck. The tarp's position blocked most of his view, forcing him to choose between staying hidden and potentially being seen if he craned out enough to watch the fields fly by. Despite a keen sense of disappointment, Parker opted for the safer route of curling up and staying under the tarp's protective fabric, though he privately vowed that when he came back for a real vacation, he'd take in every last kilometer of scenery. In the meantime, the gryphon curled a bit tighter and went to sleep.
Greg woke when the rumble of the truck engine changed. At first, he was a bit alarmed – was the truck breaking down? – then he relaxed as he registered the other changes. The highway sounds were dimming, the speed of the vehicle beneath him slowing. From somewhere in the distance, he could hear the chatter of families – a rest stop. Or perhaps a gas station.
Amber turned the truck and Parker wasn't surprised when the engine cut out moments later. Had to be a rest stop; the movement felt more like getting into a parking spot than pulling up to a gas pump. The gryphon remained where he was, stiff but unwilling to risk the Statute.
"Hey, big guy," Amber called, her head appearing over the tailgate. "Want to stretch your legs?"
He did, very much, but there was still the Statute to consider. Greg was about to whine when he heard footsteps. Heavier, with more than a hint of swagger.
"Well hello there, little lady." Smug, self-assured; the negotiator could almost see the man's confident, ladies-man expression.
Gryphon ears laid back; after being betrayed by one man and hunted by two more, Amber did not need some idiot male hitting on her at a highway rest stop. Worse, he could see the blonde's face. She was already trembling, fear plain along with a hopeless, trapped expression. Whatever her normal response to someone hitting on her was, her trauma had rendered it moot. Greg had no doubt that Amber would bolt at the least little opening. Either that or she would freeze completely.
A low, furious growl rumbled in the gryphon's chest and he let the volume build, careful to keep from letting any bird-like trills or screeches out. His eagle chirps and trills might be amusing, but they weren't what he needed now. Despite the temptation to move and deal with the fool more directly, Greg remained where he was, silently calculating how much louder he could growl without terrifying Amber.
There was another two footsteps, then Greg heard the man stop, the swallow audible even from his truck bed hidey-hole. His growl escalated, slowly shifting to a snarl. Seconds later, the ladies-man retreated, leaving woman and gryphon alone. The negotiator let his growl die away, ears pricking in Amber's direction and a certain amount of his own smugness showing.
Amber stilled, staring at him for a long minute. Then she giggled and all was well in the world again. She pulled the tail gate down, saying, "Come on, big guy. Let's stretch your legs before we get back on the road again."
Greg hunched, scooting forward before warily dropping down, but Amber had chosen her spot well. They were right by grass tall enough to hide his gryphon features and well away from other travelers. Parker spied one man hastening away and smirked inwardly. With any luck, the idiot would think twice before he hit on any other young women. Turning away, he darted into the grass to stretch his legs. Perhaps…
Rabbit!
Darting left, the gryphon snatched up the panicked animal, silencing it with razor talons – a perfect midday snack. Though he wouldn't take this particular treat back to Amber's new truck.
The days settled into a pattern. Aside from stops for gas or to stretch their legs, Amber drove most of the day. When evening approached, she would start hunting for a hotel, always finding one before the sun went down and early enough that she could buy dinner while the sun was still up. Privately, to himself, the Sergeant marveled at the young woman's ability to find hotels with free breakfast. Once Amber purchased dinner for both of them, the pair would retire to her hotel room, Amber eating on the bed while Greg towed his meal into the bathroom, ensuring relatively easy clean up.
Afterwards, Amber turned on the TV, picking a channel at random and watching until she was ready to go to bed. In the morning, Greg moved from his hiding spot between the bed and the bathroom wall to the opposite side, taking time to groom and preen while Amber took a shower and headed off to the hotel breakfast. Once she'd eaten, she came back with a plate piled high with breakfast meat and packed while the gryphon ate. Once Greg was done, Amber escorted him to the truck, checked out, and the pair headed back to the highway to begin another day of travel.
Although there were a few further instances of men trying to hit on the traumatized young woman, Greg's gryphon growl served admirably as male repellent, though the pleased, almost smug feeling of satisfaction never failed to confuse the Animagus. He was twenty years older than her, with three teenage kids, and he already had a girlfriend.
It was about mid afternoon on the fourth day of travel when Greg, dozing in the truck bed, noticed that they'd gotten off the highway and hadn't stopped for either gas or a rest stop. The sounds of high speed vehicles were replaced by the comfortable hum of cars going to and fro at the sedate speeds of city driving.
The gryphon tensed; if they were getting close to Amber's home, then he needed to get going before they were so far into the city limits that he'd be breaking the Statute with every step. But to leap from a moving vehicle did not appeal and his innate good manners would not let him leave without farewelling Amber, so Parker stayed in his spot, wincing as the city noise grew louder.
The truck turned, bumping up into an unpaved lot before pulling to a stop. The engine noise died and Greg's head perked up, hopeful that Amber would appear and explain where they were. It was too early in the day for them to be at a hotel and most hotels had paved parking lots.
"Hey, big guy."
Hazel met green, the gryphon letting out a soft sque-er? of inquiry.
Amber's expression turned shy and she turned red around the edges as she shrugged. "Welcome to Kentucky, big guy."
Kentucky? Furry, feathery ears pricked, the Sergeant's head tilting sideways.
Somehow, she understood. "Yeah, Lexington, Kentucky. Home, sweet home." Her smile was wistful. "Well, I guess technically it's the farm, but we're close." Gingerly, she propped her elbows on the tail gate. "We close to your home, big guy?"
Sorrowful, Greg shook his head. He didn't even have to check the links; he might be a Canadian, but he was familiar enough with the U.S. to know its rough geography and Kentucky was nowhere near the border, much less Toronto. He paused, reaching inwards, doing his best to judge the distance from his team. Mentally, he winced; he still had quite a ways to go before he'd be home.
He shifted, starting to rise, only to halt when Amber waved him back down. "Stay, please?" she pleaded. "I'll get you another dinner at home, okay?"
After a long minute of consideration, Greg let his bulk back down and gave the young woman a nod of acceptance.
She beamed at him. "Be right back, big guy."
Bemused, the Sergeant listened to Amber scamper away, her footsteps returning after several minutes. He heard her hop up into the truck, then the engine roared to life and they pulled out of the parking lot. To his surprise, the city noise faded as they headed back out of town.
The shadows were growing long when the truck pulled off the road and headed down a gravel driveway. Greg shifted, bracing himself as best he could without using claws or talons as the truck bounced and jostled over the uneven terrain. Beneath him, the truck thumped, though Amber slowed their pace enough to prevent further bouncing. After what seemed like hours, but was really only a few minutes, the truck came to a halt, drawing a silent sigh of relief from the gryphon.
The engine turned off, then Greg heard Amber's footsteps on the gravel before she appeared at the back and lowered the tail gate. "Come on, big guy; come meet my folks."
With an internal grumble at yet another Statute of Secrecy breach, the gryphon slithered out from under the tarp and leapt down from the truck. Around them, he could see acres and acres of pastureland, the fencing drawing his eye to the large, comfortable farmhouse only a few meters away. Beyond the farmhouse, Greg could see paths that led to several barns and there were several observers in the pastures, all of them curious about the new arrivals.
Feathery, furry ears pricked in interest and surprise; Amber's family owned a horse farm.
Author note: So. This Friday is Christmas. Now, honestly, any other year and I'd probably go for broke, posting both a chapter and the Christmas oneshot on the same day, but this year... *wince*
I'll be honest, I've re-written all of the material I lost when my hard drive crashed, but it took me a long time to do it, largely because I pinned my hopes on getting my stories back and so did not start reconstructing them until all hope was lost, a good two months after the hard drive crash. I'm way behind in writing, period, and I need to use my chapters and oneshots wisely, so you'll be seeing quite a few times where I mix my Side-Stories into the posting cycle rather than posting the stories all in one fell swoop.
So all of that to say that this Christmas, we'll have our Christmas oneshot and you'll get the final chapter of this story next week on Tuesday.
Merry Christmas, everyone!