Taylor
Taylor grunted a little like a pig as he looked up at his old house. There appeared to be moving boxes in the windows, which showed that Mouse wasn't planning on staying there. Or maybe she didn't have a choice. He did remember she was being watched.
And she'd had to leave her apartment when Sidhe was shot. Maybe this had something to do with Fafnir... if Blakesley had been telling the truth.
Taylor put his hands in his pockets and began up to the front door, before knocking.
Mouse & Clarissa
Clarissa finished taping up the box and went to the front door. She opened it and regarded Taylor in some surprise.
"Taylor. Fancy seeing you here."
Mouse shrank back into herself, and Bets sighed, pressing against her Pack Leader's legs. One hand dropped to the knife in her boot, eyes weary and hostile, faintly animal still but contianing more humanity then they had even a few hours ago.
Taylor
"I'm here for the rest of my property, not including the house of course," he regarded the living area curiously.
Then he raised an eyebrow at Clarissa.
"Steel moving you out?"
Clarissa & Mouse
"Yep," Clarissa said, popping the p.
"We're kinda busy, so just go find what's yours and try not to get in the way."
She moved away to keep packing. Mouse closed her eyes, curled around Bets on the floor in a corner. She was too weary to deal with this now. Bets licked her face and Mouse kept the hilt of her knife in her hand, knees drawn up against her chest and the fact of what she was doing not visible to a casual glance.
Taylor
"Fair enough," Taylor took a deep breath and stepped inside.
He headed toward the bedroom and grabbed his suitacse before searching through the wardrobe to find the rest of his clothes.
Keltie
Keltie moved across the hall from the babies's room to look at Taylor.
"Sae, grabbing ye stuff and getting gone? Not that I could blame ye."
The waterhorse eyed him for a moment.
Taylor
"Don't start," Taylor said forcefully.
He'd never really liked Keltie, but that was hardly her fault.
He began sifting through drawers.
Keltie
"Boyo, if I was starting, ye would know it."
Keltie snickered a whinnying laugh.
"Beside that, the bairns want to see ye. Well, Jase wants to see ye. Mel wants to gut ye and Flynn doesn't care. LIttle cat."
Taylor
"Well I have no idea why," Taylor raised his eyebrows.
"Considering I spent little time with them to begin with."
He took one last look around the room, then took the suitcase out the livingroom and dumped it. Then he went into the kitchen.
Mouse & Keltie
Mouse whirled and stared at him with wide eyes, nearly dropping her glass. Bets bared her teeth and pressed in closer to Mouse's legs.
Rabid.
Bets, don't.
He is.
Stop it now.
As you say, Alpha.
Keltie sniffed slightly and went to tend to her charges. Well, there was no need to be rude about it. And did it take that long just to say hello to them? No, not really.
Taylor
Taylor froze and instantly closed his eyes. Great. He'd thought she was somewhere else.
After a moment, he opened them.
"Hey," was all he said, before he went to a cabinet and grabbed his things.
Mouse
"Hey."
Mouse edged out of the room and out the backdoor.
You think he's rabid? Then what was yesterday, hmm?
Grief. And now, he's dead and we move on. Life continues, and the Pack has pups to care for.
I'm telling you, Bets, I don't know how much more I can take. It's hard enough to stay here. I'm so close to packing up and leaving, running.
Wait until the pups are a bit more grown up, and then we can run.
Taylor
Taylor finished collecting his things, then went looking for the two fuzzles. He felt guilty for leaving Dorian alone, but he belonged with Mouse now.
He finally found them in the bedroom where they slept. Meena and Xanthe were already saying goodbye to the turqoise cub. After Meena gave him a kiss on the forehead, Taylor separated them, then left the room.
He slung his backpack over his shoulder, before peeking into the nursery to see if Keltie was there. She was, so he moved past and into the livingroom again.
Clarissa
"Going now?" Clarissa asked, finishing taping a box.
"All quits? Never coming back no more?"
Taylor
"Never is a strong word," Taylor squinted, "be careful how you use it. If she lets me, I'll keep in touch."
He glanced in the direction of the back door and closed his eyes for a moment.
"I ran into Blakesley the other day," he said suddenly as he turned back to her, "he told me something about Fafnir..."
Clarissa
"Ah, hope yet for the love struck."
Clarissa focused on his last words.
"Blakesley what? He talked to you? Oh, f*ck, whoever's meant to be watching you now is in SO much trouble. What did he say about the wolf?"
Taylor
"Said he was dead," Taylor looked up awkwardly, feeling a lump in his throat.
"You can tell me he was lying, right?"
Clarissa
Clarissa shook her head slowly.
"He was shot three, god, I think it's three...days ago. We only managed to get Mouse out of her...fugue state to bury him this morning."
Taylor
Taylor nodded and folded his arms, a moment before his eyes started tearing up.
"I could have sworn he was lying," he said shakily, "I just... I just kinda figured that Fafnir would always be there for her, you know."
Clarissa
"It's been hell," Clarissa said simply.
"I'm surprised Ike or your mom didn't tell you. They came out here the day after. Well, Ike to talk to Mouse and then he called her to come help."
Taylor
"I haven't exactly been... conscious for a few weeks. They might have told me and I wouldn't remember," Taylor's eyes fell to his feet.
"I haven't really been much of a person lately."
Clarissa
"Oh, you'll go just fine with miss Pack mentality then," Clarissa said.
"Snarling and growling...nearly took off my fingers with her TEETH, and then only then, did she go for a knife."
Taylor
"I haven't really gone back to the animals this time," Taylor dropped the back from his shoulder and rubbed his nose.
"Moreso kero and antifreeze. Kind've steering away from the animal side for a while."
He looked up at the door again.
"Guess it reminds me too much of her."
Mouse & Clarissa
"Guess," Clarissa said.
A howl floated upwards from the back of the house, followed by the sounds of playfighting and snapping teeth.
"Well, it's probably less wear on the surroundings, at least."
Mouse flipped Bets over her and sank her teeth into the soft skin of Bets's throat.
Taylor
"We were probably never suited anyway," Taylor picked his bag up.
"And I am totally not meaning this as an insult, because I love her. But she's too... set."
He hesitated, trying to explain.
"She has this one track mind, whereas I'll cover any area I can, you know?"
Clarissa
"That would be most like she's spent most of her childhood and adolescence years hiding out in the mind of whatever animal she could coax into even a temporary bond," Clarissa said.
"I remember...when my empathy kicked in...and she had to cope with that from birth...and then, what happened with her parent's death and the YIRAAS complete failure at finding her and placing her with an alien family to help shield her...it's really a wonder she's not completely insane. She's lucky she's as stable as she is."
Taylor
Taylor nodded and looked up at her again.
"I think I've helped only as much as I could," he said finally.
He hesitated, then dug in his pocket. He pulled out a bright silver chain, the end of which held a large locket.
"Could you give this to her for me?"
Clarissa
"Will do," Clarissa said, taking the locket.
"Luck to you."
Taylor
"Valentine slash anniversary present," Taylor said, rubbing his left eye a little.
"And thanks. Mainly for protecting her when I couldn't."
He grabbed his suitcase.
"Let me know when you settle down," he raised his eyebrows.
Mouse & Clarissa
"I'll get Steel to drop you a line," Clarissa promised.
"We might be going radio silence, you know, to try and cut down on something like that happening again. She loses Bets..."
She shook her head.
Mouse panted quietly, head lying on Bets's side, looking up at the sky. Bites and scratches littered across both their bodies and she felt content.
Taylor
Taylor inched closer, then leaned over to whisper in Clarissa's ear.
"When you get there, check the phones, the lights and the vents. This house is bugged."
He stood back, then headed for the front door.
Clarissa
Motherf*ck, Clarissa thought privately to herself.
"Catch ya on the flipside, Taylor. Be good now."
She heard the moving van roll to a stop outside the house.
"Yo, Bee! Truck's here!"
Taylor
"Look after her for me," Taylor insisted, not turning back.
He headed down the driveway as Bee appeared from the back door.
"Let's get moving," he rubbed his hands together.
Mouse, Keltie, the Three & Clarissa
Clarissa helped Bee move the boxes into the truck. Finally, the house was empty. The next fun step was loading everyone into the cars before they set off for the new place. Keltie twitched slightly, and then opted to travel with the goods in the moving fan in her bike form. Mouse curled up around Bets on one of the seats and the Three were put in safe child restraints.
It was like watching a bloody three ring circus.