Past Secrets – Version 2 – Nov 2017

The site hound was back outside of the guard shack.

Renner shook his head at the description Snowhawk gave him of the lupino in the footage. “I have never seen one matching this description. If they are as big as you’ve said, they would stand out like a sore thumb.”

Snowhawk sat down and sighed. “How do you find a shapeshifter like an Avizon?”

“If she is working with with this Chernomor, she will probably return. Otherwise, you’re only going to have her eye color and height to go on. There are not many people left in this city, but plenty of places to hide.”

“Yeah, I found that to be pretty easy to do…”

“I will get word around to keep watch for these things, and call Chal and inform her of all of this, since she will be in charge in Adian’s absence, as she has before.”

“Thank you, Renner. I’m going to tell Janus.”

Snowhawk heard the heavy door slam closed as she trotted off, and into the house.

*********

Helaine sat on a bench, under a blanket with Sunila, and the two watched a fire in front of them pop and crackle. They would sometimes look at the sky, clear for once this night, and talk of the stars. The two kept each other warm most nights and remained companions thorough the day. They found solace in each other, one being herd bound and without the only family member she’d ever known, the other having left the only home she’d known, hoping for a chance to do more than she ever could in Juv, but arriving in town soon after the slave uprising.

Jerome watched as the liver chestnut delphin he’d been training walked to the pair, with a mug of a fire-warmed hot chocolate for each of the females, and one for themselves. In return, they offered to share their blanket with them. This was not the first time.

The old Guard grinned. “Nothing to worry about with those three,” he mused to himself, then turned and walked further through the camp. They’d set up in one of the abandoned apartment buildings in the center of the city several nights before, but some of the group would still spend time in the nearby park. Some weren’t comfortable being inside the building, others just wanted to be out after being locked away for so long.

As Jerome neared the center of the park, a small distance from the perimeter of their camp, he saw Legacy kneeling next to a bench, head down, and studying the area. His hooves crunched the pea gravel and ice under them as he neared the young Guardian. “What did you find?” he called out.

“Do you smell it?” Legacy asked, standing from where he was.

Jerome took several deep breaths of the air around him, slowly walking toward the bench. “A wolf. A delphin. And something else. Two something elses, one’s just very faint.” He paused, then drew back sharply as he scent hit his nose. “Wolf blood.”

Legacy pointed to the ground around them. “I can barely see the tracks, so they were here a few nights ago, when it last snowed. A set of large hooves, and a set of paws. And… I can’t make the third set out. But the delphin was here. The hoof prints are smaller.” He pointed to the ground under the bench, where he’d brushed away the snow over the ice. He pointed to another area. “There was a fight here, and the wolf bled… a lot. I just have this feeling Snowhawk was here, and I don’t think she was conscious,” Legacy stated as he surveyed the area.

“It’s a hell of a walk from the Sinisusi estate, but not out of the question. Do you want to use this as an excuse to politely check on her?”

Legacy stomped a hoof. “Yes… and no. I’m not sure if I have the right.”

Jerome shrugged. “She might need a Guardian, Legacy.”

“You’re right,” he sighed. “Can you–”

“I’ll go with you,” he answered before the other could finish. “Something is coming. Onyx warned me about her family line, but I can’t remember why.”

“Let’s go back to let the others know, then we’ll head to the Sinisusi estate.”

*********

A pair of hoof beats echoed through the city. As the Golden Guard and the young Guardian trotted toward the home of the former slaver, they walked mostly in silence. Legacy’s stomach felt like it was tying itself into knots, and his heart started to beat harder as they neared their destination. “Thank you for coming along, Jerome.”

He caught the glint from Jerome’s horn glinting in the light as he nodded. “I keep thinking about what Onyx said. It was so many years ago, my memories are fuzzy. I can’t keep track of both Snowhawk and Helaine, not if they’re separate like this. I don’t know what this wolf has left for security, but more help can’t hurt.”

“Are you suggesting I should work for them?”

“It couldn’t hurt.” Jerome paused, then placed a hand on Legacy’s shoulder and the two stopped walking. “I know you think you have feelings for her. I won’t say you don’t, but what I will say is to hide those feelings. You don’t know her yet, and she will need protection more than a suitor.” The old Guard sighed. “If you need a way to redirect those feelings, channel them into keeping her safe, however she needs.”

Legacy nodded. “Right.”

He felt Jerome gently push him forward. “We’re almost there.”

And they were. Within the next five minutes, the corner of the estate’s fence was next to them. “This isn’t far from where I found her last month.”

“And where I found you… what, almost two weeks ago?”

Legacy nodded.

“Well. Go knock on the door, or ring the bell or whatever they do here.”

He hesitated. Was this right? Should he even be here? “Right. They need the help.” He strode to the gate of the complex, then tested said gate to see if it would open. It was locked. He glanced around and saw a buzzer, which had a screen above the button, next to a number pad. He drew in a deep breath, then pressed the button.

The screen flickered on after a moment, and Legacy found himself staring at the long snout of a site hound. “Hello, are you lost?” the hound asked, his accent extremely thick for this area.

Legacy straightened himself. “I am the Guardian, Legacy. My charge has chosen to live here, so I am here to ask how we can work together, to keep her safe.”

The hound paused, scratching behind his own ear. “I am not the one who makes those decisions, but we can bring you into talk.”

“Thank you,” Legacy replied, bowing toward the screen. The canine waved his hand, in a “don’t worry about it” gesture. “It is no problem. I will send someone to the gate while I get in touch with the boss.”

The screen flickered off, and Legacy turned to Jerome. “I’m almost worried at how painless that was.”

“Understandable. Still, do you get the feeling something is off?”

“Now that you mention it, yes. This whole place feels more ‘off’ than usual.”

Legacy’s ears swung first, followed by his head, toward the sound of a heavy door closing. He saw a blonde-colored lupino quickly trot down the front stairs and jog to the gate. She had some white markings on her muzzle, ear tips, and neck, and her hair was dyed a bright, light blue which transitioned to a hot pink near the tips. Emerging from her head, just at her upright ears, were a pair of curved, ram-like horns, and shimmering on her forehead was what appeared to be a cabochon cut jewel. Both shared the colors of her hair. As she reached for a panel on her side of the gate, Legacy noticed the same colors on her claws.

Jerome stepped forward, inclining his head slightly as he spoke to the canid. “Would you happen to have some delphin blood in you, ma’am?”

A noise escaped Legacy that would be difficult to describe, but would have resulted in a puff of liquid if he’d been drinking. Jerome should know better than to ask someone what their blood line is, especially when that someone is a lupino. His mouth hung open, shocked at what his mentor had said.

She looked over, at first glaring, then she laughed. “Jerome, you damn well know the answer to that.”

“Good to see you alive, Chal.”

“You too, you old fart. Now stand back some,” she replied with a grin, pushing the last button on the panel she stood near, letting the gate swing out and open.

The two delphin stepped back to avoid the heavy gate, then once it was open far enough, walked through.

Jerome led Legacy toward the odd-looking, possibly part delphin, lupino. “Legacy, this is Chalcedony. Chal, this is Legacy. He’s a guardian in training.”

“There aren’t many of you left,” she replied, looking Legacy up and down, then walking around him.

Legacy wasn’t sure if it was her appearance or having had similar experiences while he was a slave, but he felt he was being appraised like a piece of meat.

Chal slapped him on the back and laughed. “Relax, you’re not on the menu.” She then stepped in front of him, and extended her hand. “I’m the second in command of security here.”

Legacy reached out and shook her hand. “I’m not sure–”

“Renner explained to me what you had said to him. You say your charge has chosen to live here.”

“Yes. Snowhawk.”

Chalcedony smirked and cocked her head. “Come on inside then. We’ll have a meeting.”

*********

“So, we’re just supposed to wait?” Janus asked, frowning as he looked at Snowhawk. He’d just heard the update about his brother, and the strangers that had crept around his home.

“Unless we either see the avizon, or I bait the Chernomor into showing back up,” she replied with a small shrug.

“I really don’t like that idea…”

“I don’t particularly care for it either but–”

Snowhawk’s statement was interrupted as she suddenly stopped and turned to look at the door. A second later, a knock was heard.

“It’s unlocked,” Janus called. The door opened a moment later, and both he and Snowhawk saw Chalcedony step through.

“We have a pair of… interesting visitors,” she said as the door slid closed behind her.

Janus noticed Snowhawk’s ears locked onto the doorway, and she straightened and stared at it, he couldn’t read her expression from where he sat. “She seems to think so,” he remarked, looking first at the lavender delphin then to his security team’s second. “Snow?”

“One is a golden delphin. I know the second, but not as well.”

He knew that some delphin can pick up when another of their kind is near. Snowhawk’s ability with this was never well developed.

“I would hope you know him. He claims he’s your Guardian.” She turned and opened the door again, then waved the pair in.

As the first of the two stepped in, the shimmering gold fur of the Royal Guard caught the light of the room. “Jerome,” she almost whispered. “I didn’t know you had…” She sniffed, and reached up to wipe at her eyes. Before she could say more to him, the second delphin walked through the door. “Legacy–”

Janus jumped up, seeing the second delphin enter.

Legacy raised his hands to try and pacify the wolf. “We’re not here for trouble.”

Jerome placed his hand on the younger delphin’s shoulder, then stepped in front of him. “Will you hear us, or specifically him, out?”

Snowhawk glanced to Janus, who gave her a slight nod, then walked toward the two male delphin. “Very well. Why are you here?”

“We know that something happened in the park, either last night or the one before. We saw the tracks, and smelled the blood. I don’t know what’s going on, but I just have this feeling that you could use some more help.”

Snowhawk sighed and nodded. “Chal, would you leave us?”

“Call if you need,” the horned lupino said as she waved and quickly stepped from the room.

“Well, catch up later!” Jerome called after her. She grinned and waved at him as she closed the door.

Snowhawk motioned to some chairs in the corner of the room. “Please, sit down, and I’ll tell you what we know.”

*********

All three males in the room, Janus, Jerome, and Legacy, had interlaced their fingers and had their elbows resting on their knees, with their muzzles resting on their thumbs. Snowhawk had told them all she was aware of. She hadn’t been able to tell Janus about Emerald’s voice in her head yet, but now he knew. She leaned against the desk behind her, her arms crossed in front of her, and her gaze diverted out the window.

Jerome was the first to break the silence. “Well, that was a little deeper than we were expecting.”

“I don’t expect help. The first thing I need to do is figure out where Adian is, and what this Chernomor has done with him. Whatever has happened to Adian is my fault–”

Janus interrupted her. “That’s what you said last year, after–” He couldn’t finish his own sentence.

“After I almost died. Again. I know.”

“I don’t want you walking into another trap.”

“I will have to get back to Helaine soon. If this Chernomor knows about her, she might be at risk. I’m training another Guardian for her, but they’re not ready to work alone yet.”

“We can work this out here,” Legacy said to his mentor. “If you feel like you should go now.”

Snowhawk looked at Janus. “How many open rooms are in the main house?”

He shrugged. “Most of them. A lot of the staff lives offsite or in the old barracks. This place was never even full when Ulmer was alive. It just felt that way.”

“Ask the group if they want to live here. But tell Helaine I really need her to come back, for her sake.”

Janus nodded at this idea. “I wanted to suggest that, but it sounds better coming from Snow.”

“Some of them are set up in an abandoned apartment complex near that park. But I will give them the offer.”

“Should I–” Legacy began.

“Stay here,” Jerome instructed. “It would help for you to get the grand tour, and to better get to know, at the least, Chal.” He looked at Snowhawk and Janus. “That is, of course, if you don’t mind him being around.”

Janus shook his head as Snowhawk shrugged. “Any extra help at this point would be useful. Just none of that “failure” business I’ve heard about is going to be allowed,” the wolf stated, lowering his head and glaring at the young Guardian.