1.32.2 The Blood that Binds
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The canopy swayed as a rabbit forged its way through the forest underbrush. For a moment it paused, standing on its hind legs as its dark trimmed ears twitched to each sound that filled the night air. For all its caution, it only hopped twice before returning to its work.

Above, Alexander eyed the creature. The wind was with him, keeping his prey unaware as he pounced. Seconds slow, he only met empty ground as the creature bolted. Agitated, he brushed himself off and gave chase.

The rabbit wormed its way through the forest floor, leaving him to trip over the various obstacles in his larger form. However, when it turned to hide in a burrow, he saw his chance. With a clawed hand, he lunged and killed it.

“Finally,” he hissed before tossing the corpse aside and wiping his hand off on a bush. “I hope you enjoyed that as I’m never doing it again.”

He gagged as Michael suggested something.

“No, I won't eat it! What kind of beast do you think I am?” A moment later, he shook his head. “I don’t care if I killed it. I have standards.” He paused, “then next time, you can eat the rodent.”

A horn's blare cut their conversation short as it trumpeted ten times before silencing. It wasn’t the softest alarm, but it was effective. It also meant he had spent over a damn hour on that rabbit.

"No, I'm not heading back either," Alexander jumped up and went in the opposite direction of the Grotto. Sure, Trisha had ordered him to return by the tenth horn, but there was no way in hell he was.  It wasn’t as if the fabricated hangout was dreadful; he just refused to suffer any farther under the hands of that red-furred tyrant and her child horde. Besides that, he wanted to keep Michael entertained so he traveled deeper into the forest.

After a few minutes, he stopped at a break in the treeline. He settled down. His tail hung lazily, swing along with the modest breeze, as he watched the sky. It was a dazzling night, not a single storm cloud dared to disrupt it as a perfect view of the stars and moon spread out before them.

“We’re spending the next full moon at Easter. It’s too busy here, I’m exhausted.” Absentmindedly Alexander clawed at the tree. “Also, if we hunt there, you can properly come along. I doubt even if Richard was in a good mood, he’d let a human join. Of course, you’ll have to be naked too.”

He pulled his hand back, revealing an elegant heart carved into the bark.

“No one would see us. But if you’re worried, we can always build a burrow and hide there. Or buy a few wooded acres to build a cottage on. No one would bother us then. Don’t even need the full moon.” He teased. All the while, he carved at the tree until there was little of the original bark left. It was then an earlier idea returned to him.

“There’s an experiment I want to try,” he said while straightening. “That grimoire, as childish as it is, was a decent reminder. I fear I’ve been lazy,” he sighed. “Or perhaps a bit selfish. After all, magic is something I'm very good at. Yet I've barely put it to use. Either way, I think I know how to return to Overworld.”

He moved to a blank spot on the tree and carved again. Quickly, a complex array of lines grew into a swirling sigil. With each finished layer, he started over. Layering it until the bark nearly crumbled from the complexity.

“No, it’s nothing like that. This is a test. I’d need the Root for an actual attempt. This just sends a message,” he finished the design with a flourish.

“Now baby, what do you think I should send our house plants?” While there was no guarantee it would work, he figured it was better to test it in the worse conditions, to begin with. If this were normal circumstances, he’d add a hint of infernal magic along with a short chant to seal the deal, but that was too much for his host. He had already tried to vocalize the magic earlier and almost lost his tongue.

“Not a bad idea, but I’m afraid they’ll ignore it.” Some time passed before he nodded his head. “That’s a good one. Let’s try it.”

His claw hovered over the sigil, but the moment it touched, a chill ran down his spine. An odd wave of familiarity crashed into him. Everything collapsed as his mind pulled into painful focus. His senses flew into overdrive as they tried to grasp the source of this feeling. Instead, it created a wretched mess of sensations that destroyed his concentrate. The only solid thing he caught was a coppery smell, it invaded his nose before it was washed away by the pungent odor of earth and decay. He gagged as he covered his face.

The rancid stench lingered as it rolled through his nostrils and sat upon his tongue. The illusionary taste of rot made him want to vomit. His eyes stung with tears as he choked on the air.

As much as it burned, the smell brought forth a memory of Neil’s. It was practically seared into his mind alongside the images of his family's unblinking corpses. The scent of rot, the scent of death.

Alexander drove out the toxic odor as he took control himself. With a forceful exhale, he suppressed the rioting emotions that threatened to tear his host apart. For all Michael’s doubts, Neil was coming along almost too well. Alexander gritted his teeth as the fledgling soul once more pushed for command in his panic. Neil wouldn't win, but the mere fact he could be stimulated so heavily aggravated Alexander.

What he needed right now was calm, but behind his closed eyelids all he got were flashes of the murder scene that flared up in a disorienting flurry. He dug his claws into the branch beneath him to maintain his balance. Time passed before he could suppress the unwanted panic.

Once Alexander regained control of his host, he found that even without Neil’s interference, he had a personal level of familiarity with the energy. But whatever it was, was imperfect. There was a pulse of danger, something endless and desperate but no less frightening. However, where lesser creatures might shrivel before it, he was annoyed. This energy was nothing more than a piss poor bastardization of his husband’s.

Unfortunately, before he could catch it, it vanished in the evening wind. The quiet it left behind was palpable. Nothing moved, nothing breathed, just an unwavering stagnation that made the world feel empty.

“Strange…” He broke the silence and turned back to his sigil. A few theories flashed through his head, but all of them were so unbelievable that he didn’t even consider them. Instead, he noticed that the sigil had changed. No, those words weren’t right. His design was the same, but a thick liquid had welled up in the creases. At first glance, he dismissed it as sap, but as the moonlight streaked through, he found the substance had a darker tinge. He touched it and brought it into the light.

A deep red stained his fingers. He smelled it, but other than the color, it didn’t differ from sap. This wasn’t enough for him as he summoned up his eye to look at his sigil.

Snap.

The sound echoed through the air as he jumped and sent his eye away before looking for the source of the noise. It did not take long as Brody appeared beneath him. The man looked out-of-place in only a polo and shorts. He glanced around, stopping every so often to consult something that Alexander couldn’t see.

Just as Brody was about to leave, someone appeared.

“Brody, what are you doing out here?” Trisha asked as pushed through the brush.

“I seemed to have gotten lost,” he apologetically smiled.

“Got lost pretty far,” She laughed and patted him on the shoulder. It was awkward as her wereleopard form towered over him. “Which pack were you running with?”

“Donovan.”

“Not shocked, they always go hard. I thought they went west though?”

“Why are you out here alone? Didn’t you have Lead this time?”

Trisha sighed, “Yea, it’s just Neil’s dicked off again. I was trying to follow his scent, but it’s hard with how windy it has been.” She paused. “I need to stop babysitting him… How about I take you back to your pack? Their headcount is probably all messed up without you. I’ll find him afterward.”

“No, let’s find Neil first he has a habit of getting into trouble if we leave him alone too long,” Brody offered.

She shot him a look and almost shook her head, only for it to turn into a nod. “Sure. I think he’s around here somewhere.”

Their search target watched as they headed back into the forest. He waited until he couldn't hear them anymore to return to his carving. He had more important business to attend to as he traced the stained sigil and summoned his eye again.

The first look showed nothing wrong. Sure, the sigil didn’t have a lot of power, but his Runecraft was tight and properly laid. There was no reason for the change in sap color. But as he did a second pass, he pulled back with a start.

“Oh fuck. That’s… that’s not good,” he stood. “I need to call up tonight.” Something had attempted to override his work. It had failed, but the residual energy coming from it was otherworldly.

He was about to head to the Protector tree when a shout stopped him.

“Neil!” Brody yelled.

Alexander didn’t respond. But as Brody called up his exact tree again, he let out an annoyed sigh and looked down.

“What?”

“I need your help!” Though Brody’s words sounded rushed, his undisheveled appearance did nothing to convince him.

“I’m busy.”

“I’m serious. It’s Trisha. She got hurt while running around and broke her ankle. I need your help to bring her back to the Doctor’s tent.”

Alexander squinted at the psychic. Once more the stimulated Neil pushed back with a desire to help, but there were more important things to do. The sigil needed attention, but the young soul was rowdy. How Michael dealt with these burgeoning spirits all the time was a mystery to him. To keep it from causing too much trouble, he compromised to investigate.

With a frown, Alexander gave a slow nod and hopped down. “Lead the way.”

A step behind, they went in the same direction as earlier. Not too far in, a phone went off. Brody quickly answered it and kept walking. But Alexander stopped.

Brody noticed after the distance had grown between them. He turned back. “What’s wrong?”

“So, Trisha is fine,” Alexander sighed. “Look, tell her I’m fine on my own. I just want some alone time; I’ll stick with the squad tomorrow.”

“No, Trisha really is hurt.”

“Come on, you’re not that good of a liar,” Alexander scowled. “If she was injured, you would have called for help.”

“Neil, Trisha is hurt,” Brody stared into his eyes. “Follow me.”

A pressure crept into Alexander’s mind, but he shoved it aside as he snarled. He took a step back, his senses on alert, and focused on the man in front of him.

Confusion flashed across Brody’s face before he frowned. “Come on Neil, let’s go.”

“No. Call upfront, I’m leaving.” His fur was on edge as he kept his eyes on Brody while backing up.

“Stay.”

Alexander ignored him and headed back to his tree when he heard a soft crunch behind him.

On instinct, he dropped as a form flew overhead and landed with a hard, wet thud. A low growl emanated from it as Alexander recognized an all too familiar face. Red, slick muscles pulled back into a pained snarl as a greyhound abomination stared him down.

It sprang forward, forcing him to give up ground as it corralled him towards Brody.

“Would it kill you to follow direction?” Brody sighed.

As much as Alexander wanted to retort, his attention was focused on not getting hit as he barely slid past a slash. Luckily, unlike the restaurant, he had space as he dodged under and around the creature before darting into the trees.

Even as he worked to remain out of view, the breeze betrayed him to the creatures. He didn’t make it far before a horde of the monsters surrounded him. Even as they lurched and threatened, Alexander’s eyes remained fixed on Brody as the man leisurely approached.

In his mind, Alexander queued a spell and hoped it would work right this time.

“Enough of this, it’s not worth the energy. Behave and come along like a good boy,” Brody said.

“What happened to Trisha?”

“She’s fine,” he waved his hand, “Unlike you, she’s better at following directions.”

“I somehow doubt that.”

Brody didn’t respond as he pulled out a pair of silver handcuffs with a gloved hand and tossed them at him. “Put them on.”

“Really?” Alexander chuckled.

“We don’t have all night.”

At that, the abominations closed in on him. He remained undisturbed as he tilted his head at Brody. “Many hats indeed. Animal Summoner, Dream Reader, Memory Seer, Empath… oh forgot one, Mind Controller. I’m amazed, you’re the full package. Ashe is a lucky girl.”

“How clever of you to figure that out… in the middle of the woods… alone,” Brody said, bored. “One last time, put on the cuffs or I’ll break your legs.”

Alexander pretended to consider it as he waited for Michael. He left when the beasts first attacked, intending to raise the alarms. He had yet to return.

“Now I must ask, Ashe, is she your actual girlfriend? Or some poor soul you conned into this mess?” He walked around his confined circle, taking the slowest route to the cuff. His gaze remained primarily on Brody, but from the corner of his eye, he saw the canopy sway in the wrong direction.

“I suppose con is an appropriate word when talking about him…” Before Brody finished, a roar echoed from the treetop, closely followed by loud explosions.

Blinding sparklers bombed the darkness as Alexander blocked his eyes and ducked to the side. One monster tried to catch him, only to hit with an exploding bottle. Soda erupted everywhere and gave him cover as he rolled away.

As more explosions flew down from the above, a rush of red soon joined them as Ester cannonballed into the crowd. She crashed into a beast, sending it to the ground with a crunch before rushing toward another.

Hidden from sight, Alexander provided support as he spoke the spell. The simple line of demonic was pathetic, but the best he could do as the two creatures about to grab his chaotic cousin lurched before letting out an unearthly withering howl. Their muscles bubbled and boiled before rupturing into a shower of blood.

Even with the successful curse, Alexander’s mouth caught fire. His host’s lack of magical talent did nothing to stop the backlash as he quietly extinguished the searing pain. Besides that, it also exhausted him as he cursed being stuck in a damn beast.

Unaware of her uncle’s struggles, Ester kept up her flurry of chaos. These creatures might tower over her, but she didn’t slow down as she dodged their attacks and head-butted her way through them. It’s what they deserve for bullying her uncle! It didn’t take long before they were a disorganized pile and her attention turned to Brody. With a roar, she rushed in for a head butt.

“Enough!” Brody’s voice vibrated as he caught and dragged Ester up into the air. “Playtime is over.”

For all her fire, Ester couldn’t resist his ability as it forced her to a stop.

“That goes for you too, Neil. We have an appointment to keep.” He didn’t shout, but his voice carried through the area. He motioned with his free hand, and his remaining greyhounds organized themselves before spreading out.

Close by in a tree, Alexander watched as he fiddled with a branch. Michael had returned and the results… weren’t good.

“No use in hiding, I’ve got your mate and kin. You won’t be able to escape. Stop wasting my time. Don’t worry, we won’t kill you yet.” The words were harsh, but when said by Brody, they almost came off charming. Unfortunately, it did little to sway Alexander.

Weighing his options, he already knew running wasn't possible. Right now, he only remained hidden because of the stale wind. His lack of familiarity with the woods and the speed of the Greyhounds, if he ran it wouldn’t take long for them to catch up. That aside, he had already decided to follow Brody the moment Michael returned with his update, but Ester was a problem. Two pieces of leverage were enough. He didn’t want to add in a kid, too.

He stopped playing with the stick as the last line of runes appeared on it. He figured intent should be enough with this world’s magic system, as he snapped and tossed it at Brody.

A pillar of flames exploded at his feet, startling him enough to let go of Ester. His break in concentration freed her from his temporary control. In that window, Alexander jumped down.

“Ester, go to dad,” he hissed before knocking her into the forest. For once, she listened to him and bolted.

“How noble,” Brody said as he looked down at Alexander. The flames had gone out as fast as they appeared. Since it was a weak imitation of fireworks, all that mattered to him was that it worked.

Alexander said nothing back, his tongue bloated. Still, he gave Brody a smirk as he straightened up. Surrounded once more by monsters, he didn’t flinch as he looked at the cuffs.

“The options haven’t changed,” Brody followed his gaze.

“I’ve enough silver. If I turn human, will you waver it?” He covered his speech impediment with pure cockiness.

“You really are an arrogant bastard, aren’t you?”

“It’s not arrogance if it’s true,” he replied before shifting. “Anyway, you've my mate.”

The shift caught Brody off guard as he took a step back before frowning and commanding his beasts to close in around Neil. “Fine, we’re running late as it is.”

Alexander motioned for him to lead the way.

A/N

Ester is my baby, and I wanted her to have an epic hero moment, even if she’s only 9. What’s safety? Only battle! Also, Chekov’s child, you can’t give a kid explosives without letting them use them once.

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