Jane Hall, or as she thought of herself, Mouse, made her way down into the town of Tulsa, Fafnir at her heels, Nevyn tucked away in her top and Sparra on her shoulder. Her feet ached, and she could tell Fafnir's pads hurt from padding on the asphalt road. She reached out with her mind, the way she had just always known how to do, to comfort the timber wolf. He reached up and licked her hand and Nevyn squeaked crossly, his claws scrabbling on her skin. Ah, shh. I love you all. You're my family.
Packmate. Fafnir agreed with her and Sparra nibbled lovingly on her ear. Nevyn just hmmphed, the rat plainly not content. Mouse chuckled softly, soothing the rat down as she thought about what life had been before she found them. Lonely, that's what it had been. She'd been five or so, she thought so anyway, when her parents had died in a car crash and then she'd been foistered out to a range of fosterhomes. Scary and lonely, that's what struck her most about those times, surronded by bored or hating minds. And then she'd found that she could talk to the Folk, as she liked to call them. She didn't bother trying to talk to people in that way anymore once she'd starting talking to the Folk. Man, she was hungry. She could sense that the others were too.
First things first, we scout out a house and get us something to eat. Her family agreed wholeheartedly.
~*~*~*~
Up you go, Nevyn. Mouse helped the rat up to a small window in the house she'd found. There'd been a few dogs, or at least they looked like dogs, around but she'd sorted them as she always did. Sparra chirped softly, and then flew off to get her own food. She sensed Nevyn moving around and then the rat gave the all clear; all the minds in this house were sound asleep. Fafnir whined softly as she slipped inside through the wall in the *other* walking, his whole mind taken up with worry for her. I'll be good. I always am, aren't I? She stepped into the kitchen and her eyes lit up as she opened the freezer. Lots of steaks, just perfect for her wolf. She started scooping them into her arms, ignoring the biting cold and shoving a doughnut from a pastry box into her mouth. Then she heard footsteps and a light switched on so she froze and slid under the kitchen bench to hide, hoping the person would go away. Instead, the footsteps came closer. You don't see me, she willed fiercely. You don't. And then she saw Nevyn in the middle of the floor as the light to the kitchen came on.
Zac
Zac switched on the light and spotted a rat in the middle of the kitchen floor.
"Dang!" he yelped as it scampered off. "Whoa... Mom is not going to be pleased when she hears about rats in the kitchen."
He yawned and headed for the cupboard and pulled out a glass. He then walked over to the sink and filled it with water.
Having filled his glass, Zac leaned by the bench and gulped his drink down.
"Wow, I was thirstier than I thought," he mused, getting another one.
Then he paused. His ability to manipulate temperature tended to make him sensitive to the temperature around him and changes in it. This also included body heat. And unless there was a whole horde of rats in the kitchen, then it was much hotter than it should be under the bench.
So what did he do? What any other person would do. He bent over and looked under the bench...
Mouse
Mouse felt one unreasoning surge of terror as the person looked under the bench, a guy and then she faded through the bench, leaving the food behind and rapidly swallowing the cloying sugar pastry in her mouth. NEVYN! The rat scampered up into her arms as she rolled on the ground and rose to her feet. Fafnir howled long and loud as she bolted for the door and his body shook it as he flung himself against it in an effort to bring it down. Lights flared and voices yelled confused comments. She got one hand on the doorknob and Fafnir's voice rose into a frenzy as she jiggled it uselessly, and then turned around, large brown eyes stark in her white face. Oh god. She was doomed, it was simple as that. Tears started to roll down her face. She couldn't slide through the walls when she had Nevyn. She couldn't. She didn't know what it would do to him. "So, you got me now." The door behind her still shook and Fafnir wailed in misery.
PACK!
Zac
"Hey relax," Zac said. "I'm not going to hurt you.
He could tell just from looking at her that she was very hungry. She was wearing faded blue denim jeans, a too large flannel shirt with a dirty white top underneath that and dusty sneakers. Zac held out his hand to her.
"I'm Zac, and you are?"
"Zac?" called Diana. "What's going on?"
Zac waved a hand at her behind his back. He guessed a crowd of sleepy people were gathering in the hallway, but hopefully they would know enough not to interupt. This girl was obviously very frightened.
Mouse
"Not gonna hurt me? Oh, I've heard *that* line before," Mouse said bitterly. She was hyperventilating and her eyes flickered looking for a place to escape to. Runrunrunrunrun...Her mantra chanted through her head, enforced by seven years on the street. You run, and if they don't catch you, you get to keep running. Run Nevyn! Nevyn's mind touched hers in acknowledgent.
Get out of this, you hear me Mouse?
Always, Rat. Nevyn ran his snout briefly along her jawline and then leapt from her arms to the ground and scampered away, quickly making his way outside. And then Fafnir came crashing in through a window, sending shards of glass spraying everywhere. "Fafnir!" She yelped eyes wide with shock as the immense timberwolf advanced growling on the guy that had her bailed up. "Don't you hurt him, you hear me?"
He DIES! Fafnir bunched his muscles for the spring, and then she bolted past the guy and bore Fafnir to the ground, sending a shock of her fear into the room. She heard a woman scream, but disregarded that.
"DON"T!" She wailed as Fafnir got loose from her arms. "We RUN! We don't fight! Spider getcha too!" Fafnir whined in acknowledgment and licked her face. She stared at the people in the room now, even more terrified then she'd been before. They shot wolves around here, when they could catch them. She didn't want to lose her family again. "Please, don't kill him, please, please, I'll do whatever you want, just please don't kill him..." She started to sob noisily, and Fafnir licked gently at her tears. "Please..." She hid her face in his ruff, and wept, waiting for that flicker that meant he was dead, unconsciously spreading her terror and sorrow into the room in increasing circles.
Diana
Diana stopped in shock as she felt the emotions emminating from the girl at the front door. Slowly she stepped towards Mouse, using her own emapthic abilities to dampen the sorrow and terror filling her family.
This would certainly explain the strange empathic echos she had been getting for the past couple of minutes. Kind of like when you see something out of the corner of your eye, but when you go to take a good look at it, it's not there.
"My son is telling the truth," Diana said to the girl quietly. "We're not going to hurt you, or your friends. In fact, we'd be more inclined to feed you."
She wagged a finger at Mouse, all the while subtly projecting an air of comfort and trustworthyness.
"Such a skinny thing," she said. "Come on, I think we need to fatten you up a bit. There's a spare bed you may have tonight, and I believe we have some steak your wolf here may eat too. My name is Diana, by the way."
Mouse
"You, you do it as well!" Mouse stared at the woman in wonder. "You can feel them, can't you? The, the emotions, swish through the air llike butterflies and so much too much to hold. That's why I don't like people. Too much to think, too much to feel. I like the Folk." She raised her head and whistled sharply. Sparra came in through the window and chirped inquiringly at her. Mouse whistled back, and then Nevyn slid out from the shadows and came to her as well.
You are a very silly mouse. Why I ever saved you, I don't know. The rat informed her acidly.
Because she is pack. Fafnir calmed down slightly, still rumbling menacingly.
"Nevyn, that's the rat, Sparra, and Fafnir my wolf. We are pack. We are flock. I am them and they are me. We are. My family, all I've got. You won't hurt them, will you? Otherwise I slide through your walls, no matter how you try to cage me up." She quirked a sly grin. "It confused the humans ever so much when I did that. Did in front of one of them and they nearly wet themselves in terror." She chuckled then, and Fafnir echoed her amusement. She looked very feral for that moment, and then reverted back to scared little girl in a flciker of an eye. "I would so much rather be Folk then two legger." She sniffled back tears. "Promise not to hurt them?" Her concern was all about her family.
Diana
"My dear, I would no more hurt yor family than I would hurt my own," Diana assured her. "And yes, I am empathic too. All of us here have powers too."
"That's right," Zac jumped in. "I can manipulate temperature - that's how I knew you were under the bench. The temperature was different."
Diana winced, wishing Zac would keep his voice down. Animals didn't like loud noises.
"Come on. We'll see what we can get for you to eat," she said. "What would your family like?"
The idea of willingly giving a rat food repulsed her slightly, but Diana made certain this was shielded so that Mouse couldn't feel it. And speaking of feeling things, it seemed to Diana that she probably hadn't been properly trained in her powers, or at least not completely. And at that, Diana realised, she probably had a few things to teach her! She had never been able to have an empathic relationship with animals before.
Mouse
"Meat will do for Fafnir, probably the steaks I took from your freezer," Mouse said slowly, basking in the soothing vibes the woman gave off like a cat in the sun. "Nevyn is cool, he had some of my doughnut. Sparra just eats seeds and stuff, so I don't havta feed her. Don't really havta feed Fafnir eithrt, but he likes cow. And don't really want him killig the cows on the way here." She giggled as Fafnir pushed her over with a budge of his solid shoulder, and punched him back, the two rapidly descending into a flurry of playfighting. Soon, she sat back up again and brushed her fringe out of her eyes, igoring the stares. He growled as one of the guy's stepped closer to her.
Kill him.
Oh no you won't. She slapped him on the nose sharply, then looked up. "Don't come too close. He doesn't like guys near me. Very older brother-ish. Has good cause though, he's saved my skinny ass from bad stuff more then I can count."
Kill them all if they hurt pack.
"Stop it! You're not going to kill any of them, and that's final!" She yelled at Fafnir and he swivelled his ears back and growled at her. "Don't you growl at me, Fafnir, or I will cast you OUT!" He went on his belly and whined apologetically. "Don't mean it, mine." She ruffled his ears. "I think we can trust them, at least Diane. Huntress of the moon...I read a lot, and I love myth and legend. Fafnir, for example, is the demon wolf who eats the sun at Ragnarok, the Norse apopcalypse." She growled at Fafnir, and he yelped back, tongue licking up the side of her face, before gripping her trusting throat between his sharp teeth.
Taylor
Taylor looked around at the scene in shock, as they all basically did.
"What the heck is going on here?" he demanded with a frown, "Mom? Zac?"
He was holding Avery's shoulders as she stood in front of him.
Diana/Zac
"Taylor this is... these are our new friends, and they are going to enjoy a midnight snack with us. Zac, would you mind finding those steaks and heating them up for... Fafnir?"
"Sure thing," Zac said, bounding off to the kitchen.
"Now, what would you like to eat? Meat? Pasta? Pastry? Fruit and vegetables?" Diana asked Mouse. "And what shall we call you?"
Taylor/Avery/Mackie
"New friends..." Taylor raised his eyebrows, "oooook. Avie, Mac, I think you guys should go back to bed. It's late."
"Awwwwwwww," Mackie complained as Avie yawned.
"Come on now, bed," Taylor glanced at his mother one last time, before taking Mackie's hand and Avie's shoulder, and leading them back to their rooms.
*I want to stay and cuddle the rat* Taylor heard Avie chuckle in his head.
"Avie, what have I told you about using telepathy on me?"
"You don't like it," she replied with a frown.
He raised his eyebrows.
"I don't want to go to sleep!" Mackie complained.
"Mac," Taylor warned, "now come on you two, you can both see... the girl and the animals in the morning. Ok? Good night."
"Good night," They each replied, returning to their rooms.
Taylor sighed, watching their doors shut, and looked back down the hallway. He couldn't decide whether to go back out or not. He didn't particularly feel like tlaking to animals in the middle of the night.
Mouse
"Well, I'm Mouse. Mouse bcause I run and hide and slip through the cracks. My dad used to call me his mouse, and then the Spider got him. I ran and hide and been hiding ever since. You don't want to meet the Spider," she told them solemnly. "My parents were eaten all up, their minds went poof!" She clicked her fingers. "Just like that. He didn't catch me though. Can you do the slippy thing too?" She asked Diane with interest, distanced from the memory of her parents deaths by time and a memory block of her own making. "Like this." She stuck her hand through the floor and giggled as she moved her fingers. "You have lots of insects down here. I'll have whatever's going, by the by." She brought her hand back up. "And what the hell was with your dogs?" Fafnir whined in uneasy remberance.
Not right.
"Man, can you say that again," she agreed with her wolf. "Very much of the not right and the what the hell? It looks like a dog, but sure as shooting don't smell, act or think like a dog. Coffee? I like coffee." She shot off on another tangent, feeling a lot more relaxed. "Cup of coffee would be to the good." Then she really looked at some of the males in the room. Her eyes went wide and a blast of surprise hit them all. "Oh my god. I do not believe it. No. Definitely must be hallucinating here." She gestured vaguely at the room. "They are not Hanson. Can't be. Oh god. This is soooo not good for me. Eep. Stupid. Very very very stupid me to believe you. Uh huh, you won't call the cops or nuthin. Oh god, I am so dead." She tensed up again, and pleated her fingers nervously through Fafnir's ruff. "Far out, I finally meet some one famous that ain't trying to pick up an idiot girl from the street, and I break into their house. Fafnir, I do something this dumb again, please tell me if you see it coming in advance."
Diana/Zac/Isaac
"Don't worry about it," Diana smiled, leading her into the kitchen.
Zac had located the steaks. He had put most of them back, but there were a couple on the bench. He concentrated for a moment, and the next the streaks were nice and warm, not hot, just warm.
"I hope they've been heated to your ideal temperature," he said politely to Fafnir.
"You're right to say that our dogs aren't dogs," Isaac said, stiffling a yawn. "They're Ka'millens. They shape shift for camoflague. They only look like dogs. Although sometimes Crater turns into a cat. It depends what mood he's in. He's changes his mind all the time."
"Yeah," Zac agreed. "Once he tried being a bird, but all that flying made him air sick."
"Would you like caf or decaf?" Diana asked Mouse.
Mouse
Mouse was feeling very uneasy again. People were never nice to her without wanting something in return. "Caf. Lots of sugar. So they're really not dogs? They are so something different? So, what the hell are you guys then?" Fafnir was happily ripping into the steaks beside her. "Well, as long as you're not demonic Satan worshippers, I can deal. And why can you do my head thing? The Sisters told me it was because I was a wicked girl with the devil in me, but you're not. You're nice." Nevyn ran up her back and onto her shoulder, feet gripping the back of her shirt firmly. "Please, I don't understand." She sawyed a bit on her feet, going very white.
Diana
Diana stopped and stared briefly in her prepreation of Mouse's coffee.
"You... you don't know you're an alien?" she asked, astonished. "Why, honey, I, I... we're all aliens here. At the very least you're an alien/human hybrid. Zac, sweetie, would you ming boiling this cup of water for me?"
"Sure."
"Thank you. You mentioned The Spider before?" Diana considered this with a brief glance at Isaac, who pretended not to noticed.
"Water's boiled," Zac said cheerfully.
"Oh, good. How much sugar would you like?"
Mouse
"The Spider ate my parents," Mouse said rather calmly. "He didn't notice me. I was only five. He...did something to their minds that made them stop breathing." Mouse glared upstairs as she felt a soft touch ruffle through her mind. "Don't! Don't go in my head!" Fafnir snarled next to her as she clutched at her temples. "I can't remember! I can't! It hurts too much! Don't make me! I put it away behind a wall, and don't you dare make me remember little girl, or I will come up there and let you see it as well!" She breathed heavily for a few moments as the presence scurried out, leaving a blackness behind. "Oh dear." The wall crumbled anyway, and Mouse fell forwards in a dead faint. Fafnir howled and stood above her crumpled body, only her former commands keeping him from leaping at the aliens and ripping their throats out, growling in a terifying way and his fur standing all on end.
PACK! I can't sense her Rat. She's lost.
What did they do? What did you do?! Nevyn turned and chittered at the shocked people angrily. You sent her back into the bad place, you stupid, stupid two leggers! I am going to bite that kid so hard, I'll give her rabies!
Taylor
"Oh no..." Taylor murmured to himself, hearing the animal's cries downstairs.
He ran to the top of the staircase and jumped down four at a time, racing out to the kitchen again.
He saw the girl laying on the floor, the huge timber wolf standing over her body, the rat nearby yelling angrily.
He groaned a little as the other members of the family watched him. He rubbed his temples for a moment, then looked up.
"Ok wolf..." he began, kneeling down, "just calm down, ok? She's not lost. She's definatley not lost..."
He shook his head. It had been ages since he'd had to calm any kind of dog, and that was just a Chihuahua...
"She's just," he looked up for a moment, "she fainted. She'll be ok. Rat? She didn't mean it. She's still young, she's still learning."
He bit his lip.
"She'll be ok," he tried to emphasize, not sure of what else to say.
Mouse
Very well for you to say. Nevyn huffed before crouching and starting to clean himself angrily. You didn't havta dig her out of it last time.
If she hadn't made me promise, you'd all be dead by now. Fafnir stated calmly. I hope you realise that. Well, maybe not yer dam. She seems to be alright. But that pup is just plain stupid!
Sparra trilled a song before swooping down to Taylor's shoulder. She will be fine?
Mouse screamed suddenly and arched off the floor. "MOM!" Fafnir descended back into full freak out defense mode as she cried heart brokenly. "Oh god, oh god, oh god. He ate them. Ate them all up. Shoulda been eaten too. Shoulda died with them." Mouse sat up and hid her face in her knees, sobbing harshly as the memories hit her for the first time in eleven years. "Stupid scaredy Mouse." She raised a tear-stained face to the Hansons. "Why? Why did she havta make me hurt again?" Fafnir snapped his teeth as Diane mistakenly stepped forward. "I just wanna forget! I don't wanna remember what it felt like! Don't wanna feel their minds blink out as he gobbled them down like flies!" She curled up in a fetal position and Fafnir stood over her again, snarling curses and imprecations.
Devil taken misbegotten demon child! Goddamn her for a stupid meddling little fool! The language got worse as Fafnir cursed steadily at Avery, even if she couldn't hear him.
Don't! Mouse doesn't like that! Sparra scolded the wolf. He drew his lips back from his teeth more, and recommenced his slightly accented cursing, using some French at times as his ire increased. Nevyn offered comments on the Canadian wolf's choice of words at points.
Taylor
Taylor frowned at the curses on his little sister.
"Look," he began, speaking in a mix of languages at the same time that everyone in the room could understand, "I certainly don't have any idea of who you are or what the hell you plan on doing. But you're not just barging into our home in the middle of the night to curse at a 12-year-old girl who certainly had no intention of bringing back any memories that might have surfaced."
He glanced at the girl.
"And I'm sorry for whatever the Spider did to your family, he's just about wrecked our lives too. He's been one of the most wanted criminals for years, and we find he's after my brother," he indicated Isaac, "just yesterday, wasn't it?"
He stood back with his hand on his head for a moment as he looked around the the people watching him. He took a deep breath trying to calm down, and sighed.
"And Avie's not a demon. She's an alien. And so is everyone in this room, bar the wolf, rat and bird."
He glanced at Ike and Zac again, before leaving the room. He made his way into the living room and sat on a couch with his ehad in his hands.
Mouse
"Sorry, sorry, sorry. Oh god, I'm sorry." Mouse gasped out before rising to her feet and running through the wall to outside. Fafnir snarled irritably at Taylor.
Now, you've gone and done it good. Idiot.
I agree with him. You *are* an idiot. Mouse! Nevyn bared his teeth at Taylor before jumping off the bench and running after her.
Sparra sighed in Talor's ear. Oh, dearie dearie me.
Fafnir yawned suddenly and scratched at his ear with a hindleg. Blithering idiots, the lot of you. He then neatly leapt back through the window. And I am so coming back for you, you and your sister. Hurting my packmate. Unforgivable. He paused outside and then put his head back up to glare at Taylor. Take a page from, your dam's book. She's an alright bitch, for a two legger.
Sparra flew to the window and looked back. Tell them, I'll try and bring Mouse back. I think she needs you, even if she doesn't like it. And maybe you don't either, but I think you'll help her.
She does just fine with us, you damned bird.
But they are her kind, and we're not, wolf. No matter how you wish we could be. Sparra sighed heavily again, before flying up to Diane and landing on her shoulder for a quck affectionate brush. You are good, like my Mouse. Sparra flew swiftly back out again, and Fafnir loped off with a disgusted sigh.
You always get all soppy.
And you are a musclebound idiot.
Shut up before I eat you.
Diana/Isaac/Zac
Diana was not impressed.
"Avery should know better than to go poking around in other people's minds like that. And at this hour she should be asleep anyway."
On that, Diana made her way up the stairs to Avery's room. Meanwhile, Isaac and Zac stepped into the living room.
"I wouldn't be too upset," Isaac said to him. "I mean, let's face it, Mouse has probably lived with those animals for years. With an empathic connection like that..."
"He didn't need to threaten Avie," Zac said, scrowling.
"He's a wolf! Maybe wolves generally have to react violently to, err, what they percieve as attacks on themselves or members of their family."
"He called her a demon!"
"Hey, I never said I agreed with him."
Taylor
"I just think they had no right," Taylor looked down at his hands as he spoke quietly.
He hesitated.
"I mean yeah, she was hungry and not even in the neighbourhood is as good a citizen as Mom, but that still doesn't count for the violence and insults."
He glanced up at his brothers and looked away.
"WHat's the world coming to when even aliens turn their back on aliens?" he couldn't help but chuckle.
Mouse
Mouse collapsed in a shivering, crying heap outside the house, a bit away, but not really that far. Just out of sight. Her legs wouldn't carry her any further. She kept running through what had happened over and over and over and over...*He* had come in. Forced her parents into the car, and when the car reached a certain point in the route, He made them stop breathing. They passed out and crashed. She'd felt it, even then. Even though she was still in their home. A despairing cry from both of them, and His evil, gloating chuckles as He drank in all their memories, all that made them who they were. Like a vampire. They thought the Spider had ruined their lives? He'd wrecked hers. Wrecked it into tiny flaming pieces. Nevyn crept into her arms and she sobbed into his dark coat. They don't get it. They don't.
You'll survive, you always do. He touched her face gently as Fafnir flung himself down beside her, still growling softly. Sparra winged after him, scolding the wolf all the way.
You're an idiot, wolf. She needs them.
Shut up, or I will eat you.
No one's eating any one. Mouse sighed and wrapped an arm around Fafnir's comforting bulk as her sobs subsided and she built her wall up again. We run again. That's what we'll do. Can't stay here.
You are going to. That woman would look after you.
No way, Sparra! Mouse objected violently.
You are marching your butt back in there, young lady. Sparra was quite cross with her charge. Go now. Go before I get more then cross.
No.
Don't be stubborn. They *know* you. They *are* you.
You are me! I don't wanna be an alien.
And I don't think you get a choice in the matter, dearie. Mouse felt Sparra and Nevyn's force of will make her get up, her argueing every step of the way. Fafnir trailed them, grinning wolfishly.
Fafnir! Help me!
And get Nevyn cross at me? I don't think so, no matter how much I love you.
You horrible beast! You're the main reason I don't wanna go back in there.
Ah, you wound me with your words. Fafnir added his will to the others, and Mouse's eyes went wide as she felt her back forced up against the wall.
Dammit, this is undignified.
And you breaking down in front of them wasn't? Nevyn commented acidly. You are going in there, if we havta fight you ev'ry step of the way.
No freaking way! Mouse hissed at them. "I am so not going back in there, you hear me you three?" She didn't seem to notice that she'd started talking aloud now, or that she was directly under the window Fafnir had shattered. "Not going in there again. Not for all the money in the world. Not even for fluffy puppies and cuddly kittens. Not even for a way to serve the Spider his heart on a plate. Just not *even*!" Nevyn snickered and she groaned. "I just said that aloud, didn't I? Dammit. No, stop it! Ack!" The pressure intensified and she started to fade through the wall. "I am going to kill you all. Stop it this instant, you inbreds!"
Diana
After giving Avery a good telling off, Diana headed downstairs again. She wondered where Mouse was now and found herself walking outside.
"I'm outside in the middle of the night," she murmered to herself, shaking her head. "But she might be here still."
Diana sighed.
"I hope she comes back. I suppose I could try calling... no... perhaps not. Well, I suppose if she wants to come back, she'll come back on her own accord."
Walker
Walker casually pulled up out front of the house. The boy's cars were in the driveway, and they'd probably be out in the morning before him.
Yawning slightly, he wound the car window up, grabbed his briefcase, and opened the door.
He heard a voice.
Frowning slightly, he instantly turned on his x-ray vision toward the house.
"What the...?"
He saw the skeletons of a wolf, a bird, and a small rodent by what he now realized as a broken window, and an alien skeleton disappearing into the wall. He cocked his head slightly. The alien definately wasn't one of his. Although it reminded him of Jess.
Looking around the neighbourhood, he began to make his way over.
"DIANA?!" he called out, catching the attention of the animals.
Mouse
Mouse oofed as they ejected her into the room. "Have I mentioned how much I hate you three lately?" She ran full tilt at the wall, desperate to get out again. And bounced back onto her ass. "Oh, bloody christ almighty." She held her face and moaned in pain. "My fricking nose." She got up again, taking on some very Fafnir qualities as her face set into a dangerous snarl. "Sorry for coming back in folks." She did a little bow. "Sorry for disturbing your night, yet again. And I am so doing the running like almighty smeg about now. Toodles." She ran for the opposite walls, and then came fulllength up against an older man with a very striking resemblence to the rest of the family. "Oh god. The fates hate me, they do." She wrenched her way out of his arms, spun on her heel and ducked through another wall. Away was the only thought on her mind, and she didn't seem to be following the directive well.
Meanwhile outside...
Do you think she'll be alright? Sparra twittered nervously.
She's tough. She'll survive. Fafnir dismissed the bird's fears, and then his head went up from his paws where he lounged on the ground. Look, it's the nice lady. Diane came around the corner of the house and he let his tail do a lazy thumpthump of welcome.
Well, I'm going in there to find out what's going on. Nevyn said firmly before climbing nimbly up the wall. Fafnir, next time you break in a window, can you manage to get all the shards out of the bottom? Fafnir snickered at the rat's peevish tone as he dropped down to the floor inside in search of Mouse.
Walker/Taylor/Diana
Taylor's head shot up as Mouse came running into the living room, completely confused.
"Uh oh..." he began, standing up slowly.
Then he heard the cries of Nevyn from the next room.
"In here!" he called out so only he could understand, as he watched the girl.
**********
Walker gave Diana a confused look, before seeing Nevyn jump from the window. He watched him run across the floor, and raised an eyebrow.
"We've had... some visitors," Diana began.
"I noticed," was all Walker could reply.
"Ah..." Diana began, hearing the bird chatter outside, "how did tonight go?"
Walker placed the briefcase on the kitchen table, looking the broken window over.
"Good. It went good. Everything's in order for the tournament..." he pointed to the window and frowned, "what exactly happened here?"
Mouse
Fafnir laughed slightly and bunched his muscles together to follow Sparra. This was the kinda fun that rocked. He landed on the floor in a skitter of glass shards, gave the aliens a haughty stare and padded after Mouse.
Mouse stared at Taylor in shock, her mouth slowly opening and closing. "Christ, what an almighty screw up this night has been." She dropped to the floor in a daze, and didn't even notice when the others came in and cuddled up to her anxiously.
This was your idea, Sparra, bringing her back in here, and I swear to God, if she dies on us, I really am going to eat you! Fafnir's voice was filled with furious concern.
Nevyn sighed, and then bit down on Mouse's wrist.
"OW! You evil rat! I am gonna kill you!" Mouse held her wrist and glared at him. Nevyn unconcernedly scracthed his ear with a paw.
Like I haven't heard that before, Mouse, Miss Silly Girl with her head off. Running around like that does not help. Usually gets you killed if I remember what happened to my cousin correctly. She glared deeper at him. Worked though, didn't it? She suddenly giggled and rubbed his head. No more running.
"No, no more running. I somehow don't think I could anyway."
Not if I'm lying on you, you can't. Fafnir pointed out smugly. Mouse finally flipped and started laughing hard. He smiled a tooth filled grin at the surprised Hansons. We are such the act. Heeellooo, Tulsa! She really truly lost it then. We are here for the one night only! The Animals, and their true leader, the Mouse! Otherwise known as Jane Hall, the eventual squasher of the Spider, if we ever catch up to the bastard. Could I eat him, Mouse? Fafnir's ears perked up. That'd be just...wow.
Taylor/Walker
Taylor raised his eyebrows at the bunch cuddled before him and his brothers.
"Ok... I think these guys have lost it," he said finally.
"Well, you're the only one who can understand the animals, Dr. Dolittle," Walker raised his own eyebrows, leaning against the door way.
He'd followed Fafnir and Sparra into the room. Diana was behind him.
"They just want to protect her," Taylor shrugged, "Dad... these guys... no, this girl's parents were killed by the Spider."
He whispered the last part, going over to his father.
"I don't know about you, but this whole Spider thing's bringing it a little too close to home for my liking. We know he's in Tulsa right now, because he's still after Ike."
Mouse/Diana/Walker
The Spider is here? Fafnir howled triumphantly. Oh, I am so gonna hunt the bastard down and rip him to shreds.
"There will be no ripping. Sides, I wanna cut his heart out with a knife. How can I do that, if you kill him first? And then I'm gonna eat his mind. Mousey mousey mousey with the nibble, nibble and almighty bite." Mouse closed her eyes tiredly and yawned, not noticing how her bloodthirsty words had shocked the people in the room. "Soooo gonna get him. You can hunt him for me, though. And beat him up a little."
Oh dear, dear, dear. Sparra fussed, before cocking her head at the boy she knew understood them. She isn't normally like this. But mention of that awful man tends to set her off.
"True, Sparra. Could we set him on fire then? Temp boy could be so useful there." Mouse sat up suddenly. "Oh! Idea. We can hack him into pieces slowly. Havta catch him first. He wriggled out of this the last time. But I'm not gonna let him do it again. He will sorely regret having left me alive." Mouse smiled a truly evil grin. "Oh, so very much there with the regret and the overlooking. I wasn't important enough to kill, and he loves to show off." She looked at Diane directly. "He made me watch. A little girl, and he made me watch while he killed them. I can be a little bloodthirsty and vengeance taking about him."
"Oh, you poor child." Diane's hands went to her mouth in horror. Walker blinked slowly.
"So do please excuse the freaking out before. I've got that memory locked away again, but the girl...did something when she left. I don't think even she'd know what. I wasn't expecting to havta shield. And I'm sorry about Fafnir too. Bad wolf." She smacked the wolf on the nose again, and he whined. "Very, very bad wolf. They fed you, so you don't mouth off about their children. She didn't mean to do it. And I've talked to you about the swearing."
She didn't know quite so many words before she picked you up. Nevyn said acidly. You should be ashamed of yourself.
Bite me, rat. Right on the ass. Nevyn's nose twitched at Fafnir's insolent tone. Mouse gasped, but before she could grab Nevyn, he did as Fafnir had suggested. Fafnir howled in pain and leapt to his feet. I am going to KILL YOU! Mouse was rolling around on the floor laughing as Fafnir stalked after the very unafraid rat.
"Ok, explainations. Oh god, but this is funny. Nevyn was telling Fafnir off about teaching me swears, and Fafnir told Nevyn to bite him. On the ass. So Nevyn did." Mouse collapsed into laughter again.
Diana/Walker/Isaac
"I think," Diana said at last, "that it's about time we all got back to bed. I can show you to a bed, if you would like, Mouse. Your friends can share the guest room with you, if they choose."
Thus people started moving towards their bedrooms. Isaac, however, chose to sit in the living room and turn on the TV.
"Something wrong?" Walker asked, sitting beside him.
"I'm not going to be able to get back to sleep tonight."
"The whole Spider thing, huh?"
Isaac nodded.
"I don't think I've ever been so scared in my life. Dang it, why do these things keep happening to me?"
Walker didn't have anything to say to that.
Taylor
Taylor hesitated in the doorway, watching his brother and father talk.
Sighing a little, he made his way over to the couch and sat beside Isaac silently. He didn't need to say anything to let him know he was there for support... like he always tried to be.
Mouse/Diana
Mouse sat up and stared around, opening herself a little to the emotions. She almost flinched back from the feelings in the room. Fear, there was much fear and worry and loving protective feelings. She smiled at that. "Wow." She got an odd look from the talking to the animals guy. "You don't get what you have here, do you? Well, you wouldn't cos you're living in it. And um. Sorry about the wolf."
Don't apologise for me. Fafnir snapped. Damn pups always meddling with what they don't understand.
"Stop it! If I can get over it, you can as well. Shut up and deal, wolf." Mouse got to her feet and stretched, before kicking Fafnir hard in the side.
WHAT?!
If you're gonna go, do it outside.
I am not totally uncivilized, Mouseling.
Same for the rest of you. We don't dirty up their nice house. Mouse followed the Diane lady, twitching nervously at being inside. When she saw the room only really had the one exit, she freaked slightly. "Um, no. I can sleep on the floor, that'd be cool."
"You're sleeping in the bed, dear. Do you need a shower?"
"I'll be cool. Kinda tired, so I'll just crash. Um, thanks?" She looked nervously at the older woman.
"You're welcome, Mouse." Diana smiled gently at her and then left. Mouse looked around and sighed happily.
We have so got it made. We get to stay with a rock band. How cool is that? Sparra chuckled at Mouse's awe filled tones as the group got ready for the night. Eventually, Mouse gave the bed up as a bad job and slept on the floor with Fafnir for a pillow, her family all around her. She slept sounder after that.