Ezekiel sat, with a hand full of wet clothing, staring at the stairs that Brandon had just fled up and disappeared from onto the second floor of the barn. Ezekiel didn't know what had prompted the mortal to run off, and since he was hardly in a position to chase after him, being mostly nude himself, Ezekiel resolved to leave Brandon to his own devices.He took his time washing out the slop from his clothes and Brandon's, before ringing them out and placing them in the grass beyond the Barn to dry in the sunlight.Soon enough the clothing were dry enough for him to redress himself. Then deciding that he had given Brandon sufficient time to hibernate Ezekiel made his way back inside of the barn, over to the stairs that lead to the second floor and called him down. It took a few more calls, but eventually Brandon appeared at the top of the stair case looking like he was dragging his feet. He also looked terribly self-conscious in the single long towel that he had wrapped around his hips.
After an awkward hour of more work and hay spreading the sun was in the middle of the sky and surprisingly most if not all of the strain between them had managed to melt away.Brandon was happy to let the silence wash away the confusion and embarrassment and the nervousness that he had felt during the shower and during his and Ezekiel's talk. And since neither one of them seemed determined to dwell on it, or even analyze what had happed or had been said Brandon soon found himself panting and taking a standing break next to Ezekiel.Ezekiel, who had plopped down on a bench in the shade created by the roof of the barn also seemed content to move on and settled back into the cool manner that seemed so natural for him. Exerted from work, both of them took their time cooling off and catching their breaths before Ezekiel disappeared off inside of the barn, only to reemerge a few minutes later with two plastic flasks, each frosted over on the bottom, suggesting that he had retrieved them fro
The Drums that Ezekiel had led Brandon to were seven giant cylindrical towers that climbed at least six feet into the air, covered in clean white plastic, with pipes the color of aluminum sprouting out the back of each one that then branched off past grass and soil into the earth.Brandon quickly guessed that the pipes led either to a river or a well deep beneath the surface.Ezekiel walked over to the first and closet Drum and tapped it with the palm of his hand."These are the Drums..." He explained. "They are normally filled by those pipes in the back which are fed from a giant river situated to the north behind my house."That's nearly seven miles away from here." Brandon exclaimed after thinking about what Ezekiel had told him for a quick moment."Yup, just about." Ezekiel agreed. "My family and a few of the Clans men dug the pipe trails a couple years back. But in the winter the river behind the mountain freezes and we have to hall all the water out here manually, it's grueling
The next three days they returned to the horse farm. It seemed to Brandon that tending the Band of horses was Ezekiel main concern that week, and he guessed that it was because Crystal seemed just about ready to pop.The routine that the two of them were developing was far too easy for Brandon to feel comfortable with and he was quickly frustrated to find that he actually liked the long patrols to the Farm.The time spent out of the room gave him a chance to get out of his own head....and Ezekiel's presence wasn't wholly ignored in this. When they hung out....there seemed to be a lot unspoken, but what that was Brandon didn't exactly want to focus on....and for the most part Ezekiel seemed to feel the same. They got along well, and there was plenty of work to be done with the horses each day. So Brandon didn't have much to dwell on what was or wasn't being said.....or done.....desired or secretly dreamed about. And he liked it that way.Most of their time on the farm was a quiet few h
Half an hour later Ezekiel was shaking his head."Dammit, I knew this was going to happen!" He growled, a flash of bright light chasing its way through his eyes as he looked at Brandon then back at Crystal. The first fawn was born nearly within three minutes of Ezekiel placing Crystal in a pin full of warm clean hay...it was a small female with dark black eyes and a chocolate brown coat, but after that fawn (that Ezekiel decided to name mahogany) nothing else was forth coming.After fifteen minutes Brandon had watched Ezekiel hop into the pin and like an expert he had reached into Crystals body and tried to help the mare push out the second fawn that he said he could feel inside of her....but nearly another eight minutes had passed and all Ezekiel seemed to have to show for his efforts was a shirt covered in birthing blood."This isn't good.....it's stuck." Ezekiel hissed standing next to Brandon, turning to the coiled up rope that he had laid over the post nearly an hour ago, as thou
After showering, Ezekiel separated from Brandon and met up with his father and brothers in the field.Having personally decided to leave Erin and Drin out of the search party Ezekiel and his brothers and their father Mantilo made the slow journey out to the home that Billy, a small time bee keeper in the eastern village had kept with his only daughter Beth....before as the reports indicated form his father's sources and from Billy's own daughter Beth; Billy suddently vanished into thin air.Ezekiel and his brothers traveled in apprehensive uncertainty that translated into silence. There had been very few missing people's events in their time as Guardians. In the last seven years there had been about twelve Clans men who had gone missing. Of that twelve five of the Shifters had come to unfortunate fates, Six had simply been misunderstandings and One case had been the work of hunters. The moon danced up into the night, kicking the sun out of its perch, before Ezekiel, his father and his
Ezekiel dreamed seldom and when he did dream....it was often just a confusing dream that he would forget within minutes of waking up....But tonight he dreamed of something he didn't think he would ever forget.It started off so innocent and normal...and painful. Everything was dark, nothing moved and that was painful because all he could do was listen.Someone was screaming in his head, in his heart.Ezekiel heard every scream, it ripped at his nerves, it made his snarl and hiss, but there was nothing to hiss or snarl at. He simply had to listen to the screams....screams that sounded familiar for some strange reason he couldn't quite put his finger on. Suddenly Ezekiel blinked and in the next moment all the darkness was gone. No shift...or movement on his part....he was simply standing in a small room.A bathroom.....A familiar bathroom. His bathroom, back at the mansion or at least one that looked like his.The echoes of the mysterious screams chased themselves around in Ezekiel's h
The jagged ill-fitting puzzle pieces of his mind came together by the next morning...so that no one would know Brandons struggles in the nights before.Emerging from his room, Brandon descended the steps the next night and just as he hit the bottom floor, the front door was thrown open and six tired looking Guardians shuffled into the front room. Leading their weary trek into the front parlor where most of the Shifters simply plopped down onto the carpet was Mantilo. All of them shoe-less and with eyes glowing and....claws out on their fingertips that looked sharp enough to gut a man. Instantly Brandon was gripped with....joy to see all of Ezekiels family returned safely after hours of hunting, but shocked and disgusted with the reaction Brandon shook his head and dropped the smile he felt on his face.Brandon tried to turn back, but he had barely shifted his feet on the steps backwards before a familiar and feminine voice was calling out to him."Brandon...sweet heart...?" It could b