Jamie flew through the crisp night... searching for the male. Hoping against hope he could talk with him. A dangerous decision, of that he'd no doubt... but he had to try. His brother had just finished feeding off a young girl's fear and pushed her to death... well, the brink of it at least.
"Ahh, little brother, what brings you around here?"
"Got run off my feeding ground. Not as easy as it used to be."
"What? By who tell, me little bro, and I'll make them a world of pain." He snarled, he was overprotective of his brother even if they had a sibling rivalry.
"Don't start. You know as much as anyone else that the Guardians are trouble for us all from time to time and none of us can match their strength. Yet."
"Was it that frost demon spirit?" He snarled, half the world and underworld had heard and felt Jack's transformation; some were proud, others were ready to kill him at any time they saw him.
"Originally, but he's nothing compared to his mate." The feel of a shifting wind made the male turn and he nearly grinned.
"Well, well... speak of the devil..." He almost smirked. It was a good human saying really. Several yards away Jamie landed on the ground, eyeing the two with caution.
"Quite, I've been run off myself by his mate trying to get to him." He snarled. I'd fit like a glove, but with Jamie around it wouldn't work. He glared at Jamie with hate.
"And what do you know he's here every time eh little brother... they always follow."
"Indeed... but I do not know why he would follow me here." Jamie kept his distance... he's outnumbered and while he could take on one... he's not sure he could deal with two at once.
"What are you doing here?" He snarled, getting in front of his brother; it was obvious he was like the female said, aggressive and more dangerous than the other, his younger brother.
"I wanted to talk." Jamie replied. Growling, the older brother was ready to protect his younger.
"About what?" He was suspicious.
"This whole situation. Something I figure you either know of or know nothing about." Kry frowned. No, he hadn't told his brother about his son wanting to be friends with Jamie's son.
"What do you mean? I know nothing, you said you were just run off right? What's going on Kry?" Josh asked.
"I was. I didn't say Jamie did it. As for you... why the hell do you want to talk?! There's nothing to discuss!"
"Your family doesn't seem to think so."
Audino wrung her hands watching the little ones play duck, duck, goose; either way they just ran around each other. Merix felt his father's anger and cried in fear immediately. Jack came in.
"What's going on?" Audino was busy calming him down hushing and rocking him.
"I-it's my husband, like you and your family have a bond so do we; only he has more of the connection with his father." Roxas tried to help calm Merix down.
"You know that's not true. Why are you doing this? Why are causing this rift in your family?"
"Damn it all! I'm not doing it because I want to! If only that little brat of yours had stayed away from my Merix." He snapped. Josh looked at Kry in worry at that. Kry glared at Jamie.
"Because of YOUR brat things have gone so wrong... He's single handedly destroyed my family... turned them against me..."
Merix wouldn't calm though, his father was causing him pain with his anger.
"I'm afraid we might have to snap the bond to daddy, son." He screamed all the more, fighting her mentally; tears were in Audino's eyes, she snapped the bond making Merix go limp and Roxas cry in fear.
"WHAT THE HELL'S GOING ON?! AUDINO WHAT DID YOU DO!?" Jack glared at her explanation.
"Now I've lost that connection to my son thanks to him! What have you to say for yourself?!"
"Your stubbornness has brought this about. Since I found your son influencing mine, I have treated him as if he were my own. We have done everything to allow the friendship the two boys wish."
Hushing the crying infant, she explained the reason she had to snap it.
"I think you need to find someone better than him because he's too self absorbed; I'm not saying anything against him but you don't have to put up with that." Jack said, sitting down.
Josh snarled.
"YOU'VE DONE ENOUGH! WHY DON'T YOU LEAVE HIS FAMILY ALONE!"
"Because I'm trying to mend it. Because it's the REST of his family that is driving him to this." Kry stared in angry shock.
"Why tha-"
"No." Jamie cut him off before he said something he regretted.
"I put everything together myself. She barely could say two words about this because she's so invested in it that she can't see it from an objective view. YOU, Josh, have helped push him to this because he's scared of something so deeply that he has caused this rift himself in an effort to keep Merix from Roxas."
"M-ME! YOU L-" He thought for a moment.
"Well, dad did try to hurt him. I'm the way I am 'cause of dad and if I don't push him... dad's still around so he won't hesitate to kill my brother and his family."
"I thought so. Would you two concede to return to me and perhaps speak of a solution? It is obvious to me that neither of you are unreasonable... you simply have the misfortune of being under the hand of a tyrant who cannot be reasoned with and must be dealt with in some manner. It is not our wish to tear your family apart." Josh moved to follow Jamie.
"You coming to help get your connections back with your family Kry or not?" He asked sternly. Kry nodded and followed after his brother and Jamie back to the pole. Josh quivered.
"Lets hope dad doesn't visit anytime soon, ok?"
"Let's hope."
"We'll deal with that when and if it happens. For now, don't worry about it." Jamie touched the bond.
Hun... we're going to have more guests soon.
Jack tried to console Audino, but it wasn't working well. He looked at her with sympathy; Roxas and Merix kept playing, but Merix was more worried about his mother than anything.
"Oh." Jack looked at Audino.
"Audino, um your husband's coming over with his brother; he's going to try and come to terms with his feelings. He wants to talk to you and Merix alone here." He said and tried to help her up. A few minutes later the three of them entered the room. Kry looked a little nervous. Audino looked slightly angry and sad all at same time.
"Um, me and Jamie will make tea." Jack commented, not wanting to be in this situation really. Jamie nodded and followed Jack out. Kry shifted a little once they're gone.
"I... guess I should start... I'm sorry this has been so difficult for the two of you..." Merix looked at his father with tears.
"But why woo you so upset every time I mentioned Woxas and fwiend?" He asked, his mother wasn't ready to forgive quite yet, but almost. He knelt down to look his son in the eyes.
"I didn't want your grandfather finding out. I might yell at you for it... but... he would have taken you from us both without any care for what you or I thought. He thinks it's treason to have friends outside our own kind. I wish I could explain it better son... I really do. I just don't want you to have to go through what I and your uncle did. I want better for you... but it's hard."
"Yeah, Merix listen to your father." Merix looked at his uncle.
"But w-why would gwanpa do that's?" Tears coming to his eyes.
"It's just who he is son. I can't explain it." Merix whined.
"We no have to wisten to grandpa, we are own peiples!"
"If it were only that simple son."
"Why wouldn't it be?" Asked Audino with a glare.
"You know as well as I do, dear, that nothing escapes that man."
"Yes but we're all together we will all fight him as a family!" She said angrily as she hated his father from the very start, always torturing him.
"That's the very thing I've been trying to avoid! Merix is just a child! He's too young for such!" Jack glared at the wall, having heard the entire conversation.
"Calm down sweetheart." Jamie said as he held a tray of tea. He moved passed him to deliver it. Jack sighed, holding his head.
"Why can't families get along?" He whined, it's like how he and Jamie were only a couple months ago; they'd had thier ups and downs but they had worked it out, so why couldn't they?
If they did... how would a family be strong when it really counted? How could we really be close, after all, if we hadn't gone through all we had? Jack winced at the comment, he never wanted to remember almost losing Jamie because of their fights and mistakes of the past. He growled and punched the wall, in the other room there was loud thump and a picture fell and shattered, making Merix start crying. Audino held him close, hushing him.
"Shhh, don't cry my sweet, sweet dark angel."
"Tea?" Jamie offered even as he gave Jack a mental hug.
"Oh, t-thank you." Audino nodded in thanks as well, Josh helped with handing cups out. Jamie nodded and made sure everyone was settled before speaking.
"Now then. What's the core of all this?"
"His grandfather of course." Audino snapped.
"I see. How can we help?"
"Well, for one if he ever found out we made peace with you he'd eat my son; so protecting is best option." She snarled at that fact. Jamie nodded thoughtfully at that. Jack growled, this was not going to go down gently; he just knew it. Jamie thought as much himself.
"We will, of course, protect the boy, but I do not believe that is the only action we need."
"What else action do you think is needed?" She was quite curious at Jamie's response.
"Confront the problem at the source."
"Oh no, no, if you've ever met his father you'd be screaming nonstop just thinking about him!" Merix giggled as Roxas made a new game called eat the most lint.
"Boys, come on now. Don't eat that!" Jamie said, seeing what they're trying for before looking up at Audino.
"I don't know about that. I've faced worse." Jamie replied, glancing towards Roxas a moment again.
"Why?" Roxas asked, having some in his mouth already.
"That's not food for one and two that's just gross." Jamie replied as he pulled out the lint from the boy's mouth, leaving Merix's parents to do whatever they liked, but he wasn't going to have his son eating the stuff. Merix giggled as Audino tickled his belly to distract him.
"Well w-we could always destroy father. After all he did kill mom, a-and many of our siblings." It was because his mother and his siblings had wanted to make peace with everything they attacked and finally their father had got fed up with it.
"That is one solution." Jamie conceded.
"Quite, we'll do it." Audino said, with no other answers left.
"We being who? We need to think this through before anyone does anything."
"Jamie, darling, it's easy to kill one another; just we love each other enough not to but he's got to go. All you do is put him in sun light and he dies. It's as simple as that, except we're halflings, we can go in sunlight, but not for longer than 22 hours." She replied. Jamie sighed a little at that.
"Means we'll probably need some bait if we're going to."
"Yes we will." Roxas gurgled, having ate a box of bandaids.
"Roxas! Geez... Stop eating things that aren't given to you to eat."
"Nom." He replied and ate a sticker.
"Roxas, if you're hungry I'll get you something to eat, just stop eating things that aren't food. Okay?"
"Okay papa." He toddled off with Merix to play dinosaurs; Jack walked into the room.
"So what's the plan?" Jamie left the room to fix Roxas a snack. Roxas giggled as he ran around the room with Merix. Audino explained the idea and the bait idea was going to be her.
"Why you?!" Kry didn't like that idea one bit.
"What?" She looked at him with a glare.
"You got a better idea?"
"Yeah. I do, different bait."
"Like what?" She hissed and Jack awaited his glorious plan.
"Me." He said stubbornly.
"WHAT?! ARE YOU NUTS?! HE'LL KILL YOU!" She screamed.
"That's the point of bait!" He replied stubbornly.
"NO! I WON'T LET YOU BE KILLED BY THAT MONSTER! MERIX WILL AND STILL NEEDS HIS FATHER!"
"I'm not going to do that! Have a little faith will you!" He replied back. Jamie almost sighed; it was like looking at himself and Jack's past selves.
"Geezus, just don't d-do this please." She begged him.
"I'm not letting you go and it wouldn't be right to ask them. This is our problem to solve." She sighed.
"Okay, then I won't stop you."
"He won't be alone." Kry opened his mouth to object but Jamie shook his head.
"It wouldn't be right." She smiled.
"That's great."
"After all, we seem to be in this together, but someone needs to stay here with the children."
"I will." Jack said, hugging Roxas close.
"Any objections?" Jamie asked.
"Hey, uh maybe I'll stay here; Jack might be able to help after all." Jamie looks over at Jack for his opinion on this.
"Fine but don't let them eat anything that might hurt their tummies and do please watch them closely." Josh glared.
"One, don't tell me what to do, I babysat Merix since he was born and two, I know how to take care of a half demon spirit baby."
"Let's not fight alright? We don't need division before we go into plausible battle."
"Fine, but you better hope that Roxas is taken care of well." Jack snarled before following Jamie, Audino and Kry outside to his father's home.
That was not necessary, Jack, and very rude. Jamie said over the bond as the group followed Kry.
What wasn't necessary, trying to protect my kid? He growled at Jamie and nearly bit his head off but he backed off before he regretted something.
Talking to our guest like that. He replied calmly as he followed Kry.
WHAT?! I DON'T EVEN KNOW THE GUY SO HOW CAN I TRUST HIM! He screamed over the bond, angry at Jamie now.
Sometimes we must have faith, even when there is no reason to have any faith at all. That was how I sustained my faith in the Guardians for so long before I met you. A bit of warmth radiated from him, his core stirring. He was, after all, the keeper of belief itself. Jack calmed down.
You and your philosophical side, I love you come here. He drew Jamie close and kissed him gently. Jamie simply smiled as he's drawn in for a kiss mid-flight, which he returned lovingly.
"Alright kiddos time for a long nap." Josh went in search of Roxas and Merix but they were really good at hide and seek, which is what they were playing before he got tired of it. Sandy flew over to Josh, carefully forming his sand:
Want some help?
Kry led the group to the colder tundra where he knew the other spirit had marked his territory... in the middle of Russia.
Josh looked at Sandy, making sure he was a friend first... Sandy gives him a smile:
I know where at least one of the boys is hiding around here. I will help. I am Sandy, the Guardian of Dreams.
Jack looked at Jamie and then Kry, the two of them had a bad memory in this country; Audino stayed close to Kry. Kry slowed down as they near their destination.
"Stay hidden here until the right time." He said, looking at Audino more than the others. She nodded, hiding behind a rock as Jack and Jamie hid above in the trees. Jamie watched with a hint of anticipation as Kry struck out across the flat open plain on his own.
"Shouldn't we follow him?"
"He said to stay here. He knows what he's doing. He's going to draw the other out." Jamie murmured back.
"Hey old man! Is this the kind of hospitality you give to your own son?!" Kry shouted at a small snow hut after a moment and there doesn't seem to be any response from inside. After a moment the door swings open and a Nightstalker that is older, but hardly past his prime, came into view.
"I taught you better." The other scowled. Jack winced.
"He seems kind of old to be this monster you so call him." Audino hushed him.
"That's just his trick!"
"You teach a lot of things old man, but you don't abide by any of them and I'm sick of it!" Kry growled, the other's scowl darkened.
"Don't talk back to me!"
"Or what? I'm not a child anymore!"
"You will learn your place!" He roared and Kry retreated as the other moved from the door, wings expanding in obvious challenge. This was what Kry had been expecting. He only hoped they would be enough to deal with the threat the other posed. Jack looked shocked, his wings spreading out at the challenge; a demonic side of him wanted this challenge but he fought it down and held onto Jamie closely. Kry spreads his own wings in challenge, the two snarling at one another as they seem to circle about; the fight started in the blink of an eye and both were struggling to strike at the other to cause pain. Jack was a little more than shocked, it was way more vicious then he'd expected though demon fights could get just as brutal; possibly to the point of even killing one another. Kry recoiled in pain, blood quickly pooling beneath his clothes from the stab wound that the other had managed. When he tried to close the distance though, Kry struck out to keep him at bay.
"We have to do something, he's gonna kill him!" Jack yelled at Audino.
"NO Jack, he'll be fine." Jamie nodded, Kry's wound had iced over. It was Jamie's work and the blood flaked off but neither combat seemed to notice as the two circled one another, looking for weakness. This was driving Jack's senses crazy just watching.
"We're only going to have one chance to catch him off guard... wait for the chance." Jamie murmured as the two combatants seemed to size each other up again before the fight continued again. Jack growled himself, getting antsy; Jamie tensed a little, ever watchful as the fight continued, it's in the moment just before the two draw away from each other again...
"Now." Jamie said. Audino sprang forward as he did to attack. Jack dove from the skies like a vicious creature; he bit into his neck before anyone could think, there was a loud snap and he shook the lifeless body about like a dog and a chew toy. A second before Jack had done so, Audino had attacked with a paralyzing spell and Jamie had slammed his light into the other to throw him off balance... the other Nightstalker hadn't stood a chance. Jack snarled and ripped into the flesh; actually eating him. Audino tried to stop him but one savage growl shut her up; Jack growled at any who tried taking his prize... or said victim. He even bit Jamie when he tried, Jack's tail whipped almost like a cat's; wings flared out in a protective arch. Jamie nursed the wound, but he wasn't too surprised. He'd tried to coax it from Jack to take back later... but apparently that wasn't going to happen. He sighed as he looked at the other two with a hard stare.
"This never leaves this place, understood?" He didn't leave any room for argument and the look he was giving them both told them that if either ever mentioned this battle to anyone else there would be consequences... Jack gnawed on the leg bone, growling. They eventually had to leave so he dragged the ripped apart old Nightstalker with him. Jamie had sent the other two back. Opting to stay with Jack until he was done. Once he finished his 'meal' Jamie disposed of any remains and then flew back to the pole with Jack. Apparently there was still a workshop wide hunt for Roxas in a game of hide and seek. Jack landed with a loud thud. No one but Jamie seemed to notice. Jamie sighed and headed straight to where Roxas is hiding. In a pile of stuffed animals that needed repairs. Roxas hissed and bit Jamie's hand, snarling; he was hungry, very much so. He needed blood. Jamie glared at Roxas.
"None of THAT young man." He pulled the boy off and held him so he couldn't bite him again before he took the boy out of the workshop. There was a good place for him to hunt... Growling, Roxas flailed, eyes bright red with hunting lust in them; he flapped his little wings, pulling on Jamie's arm, nearly dislocating it to escape.
"Patience son. Soon, very soon." He whispered as he flew, holding Roxas close to him. He took the boy in a warehouse where a few adults seemed to be lounging about without a care in the world.
"Enjoy." It's all Jamie said as he released Roxas onto the unsuspecting men who don't see either one of them. All that was heard next was the savage cries and roars of Roxas and the men's blood curdling screams; then silence aside from small sounds of bone crunching.