Okay, so I know I said I wasn't going to upload anymore until I finish publishing my book. Well, technology hates me. My flash drive went hay-wire and until I can get a new one- I can't do anything with my book! I am highly irritated, lol. Oh well. I had a lot of time to write this today since I'm stuck for the moment, haha.
Okay, I know it's confusing that one of my OCs is named Daniel (now this story has 2 Daniels, haha) but I had created this OC a long time ago and really wanted to put him in here. He goes in almost all my stories. You will understand why in a couple chapters, in one of the next couple chapters I will also explain why I'm not willing to just change his name. Alright, enjoy! :)
Danny slowly blinked his eyes open. Everything seemed fuzzy to him. What happened? He thought to himself. Where am I? A small yelp escaped his lips as he tried to sit up.
"Careful." A gently hand pushed him back down. "You almost died."
Looking up, his vision still slightly fuzzy, Danny focused on the girl before him. She was very small with golden hair which cascaded over her shoulder like a waterfall and flawless white swan wings stretched from her back. "You are the one we were searching for?"
"Yes. My name is Angel. You should have never come to Steepridge, it is dangerous to try and corner a wild animal."
"She means: you shouldn't have tried to catch her." Another voice spoke up. Glancing over, Danny studied the small boy who had spoken. He was almost abnormally thin with white-blond hair falling into his eyes. And his legs were missing from the knees down. He walked over to them on the stubs of his legs and plopped down beside Angel. Behind him stood a small Asian girl with cloudy eyes and long scars carved down her face as if someone had clawed her eyes.
"Who are you?"
"My name is Xiwang." The girl crossed her arms. "In Chinese, it means Hope. This is my little brother Daniel."
"Xiwang, we are the same age." The small boy cocked an eyebrow at her,
"Yeah but you are a LOT smaller than me." Xiwang laughed and Daniel glared at her.
"What happened?" Danny rubbed his head, trying to remember.
"You fell. Don't you remember?"
"No. It's all kind of fuzzy."
"Well you and your friends were fighting some sort of weirdo in a scorpion costume, he went after you and you fell thirty stories. You should be dead."
"So, did you save me?"
"We did," Angel's gesture accompanied herself, Daniel, and Xiwang.
"Why? I mean, we were hunting you. Why would you take that chance?"
"I will help anyone who needs my help. You were already to the point where no doctor on earth could have saved you- what was I supposed to do?"
A slight smile twisted Danny's bruised face. "Thank you. Now can you tell me, why does Fury want you so badly? He wouldn't tell us. But then again- he rarely tells us anything except what we 'need' to know."
Concentration furrowed Angel's brow as she sat cross-legged next to Danny and shook her head. "When a mission is personal, it becomes an obsession. I really don't want to go into my connection with Fury. Let's just say- people who live in a treehouse in the middle of Alaska probably don't want to be found."
Looking into the fire, Daniel spoke quietly. "Plus, now she can't leave. Even if she wanted to."
"Daniel!" Angel chastised the boy. When both Danny and Daniel looked up, they glanced at each other and broke into great rolls of laughter.
"This is going to get complicated." Danny chuckled.
"And amusing." Daniel added.
"Boys are stupid." Xiwang's observation made everyone laugh again.
Everyone fell instantly quiet when a loud scratching was heard by the door. When the children looked at Angel, worry in their eyes, she shook her head. "Don't worry, it's only Wolf." She stood to open the door.
"Why is Wolf back already?" Xiwang whispered to her brother who shrugged in response.
"Wolf," Angel held the door wide so the animal could come in, shaking snow from his thick white coat. "What's wrong? Why did you leave the…" She glanced back at Danny who was obviously listening in. Of course that is understandable, it's not every day you see a talking wolf. "The things you were supposed to be watching."
"Why didn't you come when the intruders came up the mountain?" He asked with a small growl.
Raising her eyebrow, Angel responded. "I could leave him." She gestured towards Danny. "But you handled it just fine, what's the problem?"
"Can I talk to you. Outside." It wasn't a question and he twirled around, tail twitching as he stalked out the door. Grabbing a coat of white buckskin, Angel walked out with him.
"What's wrong Wolf?" She blew on her freezing hands.
"It was his team on the mountain."
"Alright, I don't see the problem."
"They were going to tear this place apart looking for him so I led them to the place we found him. They think he's dead."
"I still don't see… Ohhhhh-" comprehension dawned in her eyes as well as worry. "Okay, we're in trouble."
"Fury is going to blame you. He is going to tear this place apart. And then we are all goners."
"I feel like I know what you want me to do. But I don't like it one bit."
"You got to Angel, we don't have a choice. You must use power."
"You want me to create a snow storm of hurricane levels. What if someone gets caught in it? They will die! How can I take that chance?!"
Raising his voice until he was screaming, Wolf bellowed, "AND IF YOU DON"T, THEY WILL DIE!" Calming down, he saw the tears in her eyes and sighed. Pushing his wet nose into her side Wolf whined. "I'm sorry. I'm a talking Wolf, I don't want to become a lab rat. With humans running tests on me to see how I work. I don't want our family split up. I don't want you to end up in prison. And that's what's going to happen. Please Angel, we don't have a choice."
Tears freezing on her cheeks, she opened the door and called, "Daniel, Xiwang, come here for a second."
Hearing her unusually serious tone, they fell instantly silent and got up, coming towards her. "Yes Momma?" Daniel asked as soon as they joined her and Wolf on the porch.
"We are in danger. I must call on my connection with the mountain. You two are in charge until I wake up. Don't fight, I'm begging you. You must act like an adult. This is survival. Take care of Danny while I'm out, he's still in the danger-zone. Daniel, you know what to do?" When the child nodded confirmation, she continued. "I'm counting on both of you to take care of our family. Wolf, stay with the others. Don't leave them! They need you. Xiwang keep practicing with Daniel, remember you ears can tell you just about anything and intimidation is your greatest weapon. Look people straight in the eye, it freaks them out. You are getting pretty good and knowing where to turn, but you aren't perfect yet. Daniel, I need you and Wolf to go into the city and warn Mariah, she'll get the word out. Can you two behave for a couple days and take care of each other without hurting each other?"
"Don't worry Momma, we got this. We will be good. We promise." Daniel placed his hand on her arm comfortingly."
Sighing, she nodded. "Alright, okay. Well then, see you in a couple days. I hope." The three humans went back into the tree house and Wolf spun around, leaping off the porch and galloping into the trees.
Once inside, Danny cast them strange looks. "Everything okay?" He asked.
"Yes, it's fine." Angel walked over to him. Bending over, she placed her hand on his shoulder. My children will be taking care of you for the next couple days, I will be… occupied."
Walking over to the corner of the tree house, she sat cross-legged and folded her hands neatly in her lap. Closing her eyes, she began to glow softly before slumping over.
Sighing, Daniel threw a blanket over her and hugged her gently. "I love you Momma." He whispered.
Utterly confused, Danny looked at the children for an explanation. "What just happened?!"
Turning around, Xiwang looked Danny straight in the eyes. He wiggled nervously under her blind gaze. "It's our last line of defense." She crossed her arms. "You know that storm that swirls around the mountain peak? The small one that never leaves? Well it's about to get a whole lot bigger."