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After a long while, Chapter 7 is here! What are the demon hunters going to do without any more leads?

Credits to  utunu for helping me copyedit. :>
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Requiem for a Death God - Chapter 7: Kyrie (4th movement)
By Whitepython


“I don’t know what got into me. I really am sorry for what I did.”

It had been twenty minutes since the ritual to learn Vyshelmuth’s whereabouts failed. Varabol and his demon hunting partner were sitting down at a bus stop right next to Bluewater park.

The bus stop was placed on an ample sidewalk and was illuminated by a street light. There was also nearby a crooked and old, metallic fence. Behind this fence stood an almost endless line of Gosratine trees, dividing Bluewater park from Aguafria Avenue.

It was the time of the year where the Gosratine’s purple, pod-like flowers were falling from the treetops. Silky soft flowers carpeted the floor under the demon hunters’ bare feet. The treetops only preserved tiny and abundant green leaves that swung as the wind blew against them, showering over the demon hunters what little purple pods were left.

“Whatever. The ritual and the board are ruined anyways.”

Varabol felt like a bully who destroyed the smart cub’s science project fifteen minutes before he could present it to the whole class and now was being scolded by the principal. Worst of all was that they were out of options to figure out where to find Visandro or this demon lord.

“I really didn't mean to make the angel angry. Angels study under the Hallowed Angels, and the hallowed ones teach them all the virtues that the God of the Holy Light also taught to mortalkin, right?”

“Yes,” Sbinoa said. His voice reflected anger. “Basic teachings of The Church of the Holy Light.”

“So, the angel will forgive us, right?”

“By Rhandriel, I don't know, Varabol!” Sbinoa snarled, expressing his frustration with this. “I have never, ever, made an angel angry before.”

“I uhm- I am truly sorry,” Vara said. He lowered his gaze to the floor and went silent. He pushed some of those purple pods away with his clawed feet in regret. He felt so bad for bringing this whole investigation back to square one. This was his golden opportunity to demonstrate to his brother that he was a capable demon hunter, and perhaps change Sbinoa’s mind about helping him return to the clan. But he ruined everything.

“Well, what are we going to do now?” Sbinoa said.

“I- uhm,” Varabol shrunk on his seat and tucked his reptilian tail over his lap before gazing away. “I dunno. I-”

“No!” Sbinoa snarled loud enough to make Varabol almost fall from his seat and return his attention to the wolf. Sbinoa tensed on his seat and his face twisted in anger, with his fangs peeled. “You won’t escape from this one. I wanna hear what we should do next, and I refuse to let you stand from his bench until you come up with a good backup plan. Visandro could be already sealing his pact with Vyshelmuth. They both could be on their way to kill us all because you couldn’t follow a simple command. We’re not moving until you drop your little, useless attitude and think! That's an order, Varabol, think!”

Varabol squeezed his eyes shut and dropped his shoulders as he was overtaken by the anguish of losing Zantazar and the rest of the Ghost Soldiers. He wished so badly he could go back in time and stop himself from ruining the ritual.

But the peeled fangs next to him told Varabol that he had to come up with something. It had to be something quite good.

It was after mentally going back to what happened during the ritual that Varabol spoke out.

“I, well, that angel first said no. Then, the angel said yes before it acted in an erratic way. Perhaps the angel was trying to tell us ‘I dont know’ all along?”

“So, if the angel, the expert on the topic, doesn’t know what is going on, what do you think that we should do?”

Varabol placed his hands over his horns and shook his head as he tried to come up with a deeper interpretation of the earlier events.

“You aren’t escaping from this, Tailbones. Even if we have to sleep here, we won’t leave this bench until you think!”

“Argh! Well,” Varabol said, forced to say just about anything. “How about we hunt down Visandro because one way or another, he will lead us to Vyshelmuth?”

“That wasn't that hard now, was it? You can do what’s right if you stop to think instead of just acting on an impulse or crying when things go wrong. That is why I wanted Borges to be Tailbones and not you. What happened a moment ago is proof that you still are too green for being anywhere near the elite ranks. If you ever manage to return to the Ghost Soldiers, I will make sure that you return to the rookie levels. No, wait! Lower than rookie levels. I will make sure that Vrimidio and Remetrio become your superiors!”

“I…” Varabol said as he shook his head. “If I had listened to you and refused that early promotion, Zantazar would have had no way to believe that I worked with Visandro all along. According to him, that early promotion was the reason why he couldn’t believe that I wasn’t part of Visandro’s shitshow.” Varabol went silent as once again in his mind, Zantazar beated, yelled at and accused him of being a traitor.

Perhaps this was the reason why Zantazar and the rest of the Ghost Soldiers disliked him so much. Tonight was yet another proof that he was too stupid to be a reliable and good demon hunter.

“I… I just ruined the only chance we had to stop Visandro and fix everything. I am perhaps not really cut out to be a demon hunter after all.”

Varabol went silent, struggling to hold onto his tears as a couple of purple pod-like flowers fell over his lap. A moment later, Varabol felt a padded hand rub between his pseudo-wings.

“I am really a worthless idiot like everybody thinks, huh? Perhaps I should lock myself up in that car workshop like you wanted and stop letting everybody down.”

“Hey now, don’t take it that way either. I wasn’t trying to send you away because I think you are useless or anything. All I am saying is that you need to think more before you act,” Sbinoa said. Varabol felt that furred hand leaving his back. “I am sorry for snapping at you earlier. Even if we had that huge argument because of Visandro when you skipped ranks, I still think of you as my little brother.”

All the negative thoughts stopped. Did Sbinoa really consider him that close?

“Can you forgive me for messing everything up?”

“We didn’t get our answer. But also, no demonic incident came from this mess. So, you’re forgiven.”

The usually stone serious wolf tried his best to put on a smile. While that was something that Sbinoa had little experience doing, Varabol could see his brother wolf trying his best to achieve it.

Could this be the opportunity to rebuild the lost brotherhood he had with the lupine before Visandro got in the way?

“Here, I got you this right from Zantazar’s wallet.” Sbinoa pulled from his gray jacket three 100 tonne bills and handed them to the dragon. Varabol picked them happily up in a hurry. “Just for my little brother. Use them wisely because I can’t get money as often as I'd like to. You’ll still have to find a job sooner or later.”

Varabol was glad that Sbinoa was bending the rules to help him out. Knowing how strict Father was about money and accounting at the clan, he couldn't imagine what his brother might have gone through to get this money.

“I- do you really mean it? Do you still think of me as your little brother?” Varabol wanted- no, he needed Sbinoa to elaborate.

“I do,” Sbinoa said. “We’re adopted brothers, aren't we? Both of us were forced to be part of this demon hunting mess.” Sbinoa leaned back against the backrest of the bus bench. “And I know what I’m talking about because I remember what it is like to have a brother, a mother, and a father. I used to have a family before life took them from me and forced me to cross paths with Zantazar, exactly like you.”

Sbinoa returned to his serious attitude as he placed both hands on his left leg and turned his head to the side. Varabol knew exactly what it was like to miss your father and your mother too, even if his own case had been quite different from Sbinoa’s case.

A car accident.

Varabol didn't know the details because the wolf had always refused to talk about his past. All he knew was that Sbinoa lost his whole family in a car accident which he barely survived.

Now, he felt so bad for doubting his brother earlier at the Rosecup. Sbinoa was also an orphan struggling to make sense out of this cold, cruel world just like he was.

“How is Zantazar doing?” Varabol asked with the hopes to break the sad moment. “He got kicked really badly by Visandro when we were all fighting, and I am worried he broke something.”

It took Sbinoa a moment to react before he chuckled and shook his head. “Don’t worry, he’s fine. I honestly believe that old nutknack will outlive us all, and he’s going to outlive all of the demonic princes, too.”

While Varabol wanted to scold the wolf for talking that way about Father, he also couldn’t help but to also chuckle loudly at the comment.

“I don’t think I said this earlier but,” Varabol said, “thanks for being the only one who hasn’t beat me up. Pretty much the whole clan but you have.”

“Y-yeah. I probably should have stopped Vrimido and Remetrio much earlier, but I was thinking about what to say.”

Vara nodded and went silent when a bus appeared to make its stop next to the bench. A large pack of anthros descended from the bus before disappearing in several directions. The bus had a large promotional banner on the side describing a wolf wearing clothes from the times of the empire of the sands.

The wolf in the picture was showing his back as he held a large, curved knife behind him while another two wolves in the distance in similar attires were also hiding something behind them. The title ‘Betrayal at Moon Empire’ was written under this picture.

Once the bus took off, the dragon resumed the conversation.

“Where is Zantazar hidden anyways?” Varabol asked, in the hopes to change the topic towards the future.

“Forget it.”

“Why? I just wanna know he’s safe in case things go wrong later.”

“You want to go there and cry and beg for him to take you back in and that would be the end of you.”

“Wha-? Why?”

“I already told you he’s dead serious on murdering both you and Visandro. He armed himself with Visandro’s gun. He found it in Visandro’s room the morning after that mess you all went through. Both Vrimido and Remetrio are taking turns guarding his hideout. If you show your snout over there, they will murder you, no questions asked. If I tell you where he is, your death will be something I will regret and carry over my shoulders the rest of my life. I already have so many regrets about what happened to Borles. I forbid you to even ask again.”

Varabol went silent as he remembered that gun. It used to belong to Visandro Sr. the original founder of the Ghost Soldiers and Visandro’s grandfather. That particular gun was the one Visandro Sr used during his military service. According to Zantazar’s testimony, when Visandro Sr was on his deathbed, he handed over the leadership of the Ghost Soldiers to him and the weapon to his grandson, hoping that through their shared name, Visandro would also share his prestige of being an excellent demon hunter.

But with the events from four nights ago, it was obvious that the hope was made in vain.

“Do you think that Borles would have believed in me just like you?” Varabol asked, in an attempt to keep the conversation alive. “Or do you think that he would have also beat me like everybody else?”

“I don’t-” Sbinoa stopped himself before shaking his head. “I think he would have believed in you in the same way I do. He was a really great guy to have around, and I miss him dearly everyday. He would have probably caught Visandro by the tail by now.”

“Ha! That would have been nice.”

“How about Caberul? Do you think that Visandro’s missing little brother would have also believed in me?”

“Tailbones, I- don’t ask me about that one. There are many things you don't know about him.”

“And what am I supposed to know about him? He tricked Zantazar and deserted the Ghost Soldiers to be never seen again. The depression he brought to the family was what ultimately killed Mrs. Alcbalo.”

“Look.” Sbinoa shook his head. “All I am saying is that you shouldn’t hurry to judge him. That’s the problem you yourself are having against the rest of the clan here. If Caberul disappeared, there has to be a reason.”

Varabol went silent, remembering Visandro’s little brother who escaped from the clan to never be seen again.

Fortunately, Varabol wasn't part of that particular mission when it all happened. He was still way too green to take a mission, but it all took place a year after he was recruited into the Ghost Soldiers.

Zantazar had scolded and argued with both Borles and Caberul for slacking too much. In his opinion, the young ones needed a harsh reminder of what being a Ghost Soldier meant. So, he took them with him on a mission to hunt a demon hidden in an abandoned factory at the old industrial sector. Borles narrated that as soon as Zantazar gave the order to spread out to look for the demon, Caberul took the chance to run deep into the abandoned factory and hide.

When the badger and the horse noticed that the young one went missing, Zantazar had ordered Borles to guard the entrance and keep an eye on either the demon or Caberul.

Borles waited for countless, long minutes until Zantazar returned in shock. He told the badger that he found Caberul, but he was crawling out of the factory through a ventilation duct. Zantazar asked him what he was doing and the young one said that he would run away and escape from the Ghost Soldiers because he was tired of everything.

Zantazar claimed that he asked his son to stay and talk, but Caberul crawled deeper into the ducts to never be seen again.

Borles narrated how much Zantazar asked him to go back and help him look, but none of them could find anything at all. The pain from the separation was so devastating that Visandro’s mother developed a deep depression. Zantazar had even left the rank ‘Tailbones’ unoccupied in case his son were to change his mind and decided to return.

That was until 3 years after the event, when the depression on Mrs Alcbalo grew to the point where she was consumed by it until she died by her own hand.

During her funeral, he remembered too how angry Borles, Sbinoa, Visandro and himself were with Caberul for leaving his family behind. Since then, Caberul had been remembered as a traitor and a coward who deserted the Ghost Soldiers.

The hatred in their eyes and the words of resentment of his fellow demon hunters towards Caberul as Mrs Acballo was finally laid down was something that Varabol was terrified of. But also, Varabol could remember how much Visandro wailed that day. He screamed as if he were having every single one of his fingers twisted and torn off of his hands in the slowest way possible.

It didn’t matter how much Zantazar scolded the young Visandro and how many times he told him to be quiet because real men never cry. The only thing that mattered to Visandro was to scream out loud the pain of losing his mother.

Several months after the funeral, Visandro decided the clan had to move on and he chose Varabol to replace Caberul as Tailbones. According to Visandro, accepting the position would make Zantazar very happy and it would definitely cheer him up after losing both his wife and being abandoned by his youngest son.

For Varabol, Zantazar was someone like himself. Someone who had experienced the pain of being turned down and rejected by his family with Caberul’s self exile and Visandro’s betrayal. On top of that, his leader had to endure the passing of his wife and his father.

Now, his adoptive father needed him. It was time for Varabol to quit playing romantic teenager fantasies in a hopeless relationship with Kau. It was his time to remember who he truly was if he ever planned to return to the Ghost Soldier.

Varabol was an elite ranked demon hunter.

He had to commit to his father even if it was going to hurt him to leave behind his angel Kau.

“I think…” Varabol broke the silence. “I think the reason why I can’t simply give up and become a mechanic or whatever is because regardless of everything that happened, I still want to be loyal to Zantazar instead of running away like Caberul or even Visandro did just now.

“If Zantazar hates me because of a lie, there’s nothing much I can do for the time being. But I cannot and I will not accept the idea of him dying at the hands of a demon. That’s not something a rookie, let alone an elite demon hunter, would accept. Once he is safe, I can try another meeting with him. To try to apply for a temporary job doing something else and show him how good I am, or whatever it takes to make him see the truth. But as long as Zantazar’s life is at risk, I refuse to stop fighting.”

“I-” Sbinoa shook his head as he looked down to the floor. “I suppose that you are set on sticking to Zantazar and the Ghost Soldiers no matter what you’re told or whatever happens until the very end, aren’t you?”

Varabol gave his brother a firm nod before locking his eyes on those brown, lupine ones.

“Because I am letting you off the hook for ruining the ritual, it doesn’t mean that you have it any easier,” Sbinoa said with resignation before continuing. “You must find where Visandro is and there is no room for failure. The more time we give to Visandro, the less and less likely it will be that we can stop him from contacting that demon. I don’t think I have to tell you how bad that will be for all of the Ghost Soldiers if that happens.

“That’s why we will commit to each other, like brothers, to stop whatever Visandro is planning to do with that demon knight. We will find a way out of this mess together, like the family we are. We will overcome this problem.”

“We will!” Varabol said with a wide grin. “I promise you, brother, to focus on this and let nothing or nobody distract me. I will find a way to stop Visandro and protect you and the rest of our family.” Varabol was excited that not only he had fixed things with Sbinoa, things were even better than before with his adoptive big brother. All he had to do now was to find Visandro. “I will find a way to stop Visandro, and even if you say it is impossible, I will do whatever it takes, even if I have to find a way to kill that death god.”

* * * * * * *

It had been an hour since Varabol finished his meeting with Sbinoa, and he was now lying down on his cheap motel bed. He was wearing only some black briefs while the TV was on and broadcasting the nighttime news in the background. Varabol’s mind was working in overdrive to come up with a way to get a part time job to earn enough money for food and to afford this motel room. The part-time part was really important because he still needed enough time to investigate Visandro’s whereabouts.

During the rest of the early night, Vara used his cellphone to look online for any information on both Vyshelmuth and the Seven Crowns of the Sun.

About Vyshemul, there wasn’t anything new outside of what Sbinoa said, minus the touch of death. About the Sun, all the linknet knew was that the item was some kind of medallion which was part of the culture of the local tribes around the Vesconna region.

The dragon also had elaborated a small list of all the possible places where to look for clues on the renegade equine. He wrote it at the back of a flier he picked up on his way back from Whitewater.

But now, his biggest concern was to earn enough money to pay for his motel room. With a place secured, he could eat just about anything with whatever little money was left for him.

But who in this cursed town would be willing to hire him for a couple of hours, yet pay him more than 250 tonnes a day? With this economy, that was impossible!

He remembered that Montekausko offered help with that, but he felt like he was already asking way too much from the wolf.

While he dreaded to bother Montekausko with such a thing, who else could help him out? What if Kau helped him with a job at that fancy place he works at? It would be the perfect solution! That way he could at least hang out with his angel while keeping his distance from the lupine after work.

But asking Kau for help could backfire. He had to stay away from Kau in order to focus on his mission to stop his former clan mate and his demonic ally. He couldn’t waste time fooling around with Kau at bars while struggling with his emotions for the black wolf, all while his father’s life was in danger.

Should he save himself time and energy by asking Kau for a job, yet be strong enough to ignore his growing crush for the canine? Or should he try his luck somewhere else in order to keep his emotions for his beloved angel under control? Even if doing so would lead to him wasting more time looking for a job?

The dragon had to keep himself calm enough to think without letting the anxiety take over. After all, the money he received from Sbinoa only extended his deadline by one more day. After that, homelessness, starvation and the danger of having no heating vest were to return to his life.

As he had this inner struggle, a knock on his door made Varabol stand startled from his bed. Varabol put on his jeans and left his chest bare before he rushed to open the door, thinking that perhaps he was required by the motel staff.

But what he found behind the door was a familiar, tall, handsome and black furred wolf. He wore gray pants and a white, long sleeved shirt. The cloth stretched the best it could to cover that broad chest. With a loose, red tie hanging from his neck.

Kau carried a plastic bag with something heavy inside and a wide, canine grin of happiness.

“Hey Vara,” Montekausko said. “How’s my favorite gym pal?”

And just like that, Varabol’s mind played back all those fantasies and dreams he had built during the last three nights. Varabol saw himself with his angel laying in bed, hugging and licking each other for the entirety of the night. Ready to consummate their mutual love between naked furred and scaled bodies the morning after.

But he had decided already to focus on his demon hunting mission and to abandon impossible fantasies like those!

“I, Kau! I- I really wasn't expecting you, I-”

The canine grin on Kau’s snout disappeared in half a second as he lowered the plastic bag he was once proudly displaying.

“But I told you last time we met that I was going to come here after work. I promised to both bring dinner and check on you. I wanted to know how your meeting with your workmate went.”

“You did? Ah! I must have forgotten. My bad, Kau.”

“Don’t tell me you have eaten dinner already!” Montekausko reflected his defeated attitude in his limp shoulders and a soft snarl on his muzzle.

“No, no! Not at all!” Varabol walked one step back as he showed off his scaly palms. “I was thinking about what to eat for dinner. I am glad to have you here.”

The black wolf perked his ears up as he licked his chops and the happy little grin returned to his muzzle, though it wasn't as lively as before. “Good to hear that I got here before you could go out and have dinner without me.”

“I really apologize, Kau. Today has been a very bad and stressful day for me. My head has been everywhere but over my shoulders. Please, come in.”

Montekausko was quick to squeeze his large self inside the small room, leaving the plastic bag on the tiny dining table near the bed while Vara quickly closed the door.

“I am sorry to hear that. I am going to guess that things didn’t go as planned at your meeting, did they?”

Varabol shook his head and his shoulders drooped.

“Well, things will start getting better for you from now on,” Montekausko said.

“How so?”

“I got you several, one-day passes for the gym. You can go back every now and then and workout until you recover your job and can sign up to be a regular again.”

Varabol knew that hitting the gym would be the perfect opportunity to snoop around for Visandro’s whereabouts. Perhaps someone had seen him during his evening shift at the gym. Visiting the gym was a must, but not with Kau. He didn’t want to have the wolf involved in his demonic misadventure.

“Yes! That’d be great, thank you Kau.” The dragon peeled the rim of his scaly snout into a grin of happiness even if a shiver ran down his spine in worry.

“I’m glad because tomorrow is arm and chest day and I need my ol’ reliable gym spotter. I am considering increasing my weight and I’d love to have you around.”

“Of course, anything for my good gym pal Kau.”

“Only downside is that due to gym rules, the passes can’t be used two days in a row. That means that you can’t go binge eating bad stuff.”

Varabol released a soft, reptilian chuckle before resuming paying attention to the handsome wolf.

“I also have a company cocktail to attend during National Heroes day in a couple of days, so no trip to the gym that day either.”

Varabol nodded as he moved a few steps away to turn off the TV.

“What were you watching anyways?” Kau asked.

“Just the news. You know, the usual crap that happens in this town. Rich anthros getting richer. Politicians stealing millions of tonnes while pretending they don’t know what they're being accused of. Drug lords executing each other and innocent anthros in broad daylight while the feds look the other way. A regular day in Riverstone city. ”

“Ye-yeah, I suppose it happens,” Kau said. Varabol turned around to see the wolf forcing a smile before clearing his throat. “But not everything is bad news out there. Like I said, there are also good things to be looking forward to!” Kau said as he approached the bag on the table, pulling two disposable containers from it.

“Oh? What would that be?” Vara asked, genuinely curious.

“Bukortus, our sister moon, is going to be visible in the night sky. This event starts tonight and it will eclipse our moon in around a week! It is going to be a great sight to behold because we’ll be having two moons in the night sky for a while. You should try some stargazing. It might help you feel better.”

Kau looked up to the ceiling as the wolf's tail swished tail back and forth for a minute. Also, Kau drew a soft smile that revealed his white fangs.

There was some kind of silly happiness that the wolf expressed about having two moons in the sky. Yet, that happiness was beginning to rub off onto Varabol, erasing some of the stress that he was experiencing.

“And also, more good news for you.” The wolf pointed at one of the containers. “Here’s the dinner I promised. While I wasn't sure what to get you, the place I went to advised me that reptiles such as you were mostly carnivores with a bit of room for veggies. So, they cooked up some fire-roasted and diced Kurresion meat. They bathed it in Rhalamoor sauce and added some steamed plohechokas on the side, with all the roots already removed. All ready just for you.”

Varabol could hear his stomach rumble while saliva almost escaped his muzzle. He hasn’t eaten anything since he had those scrambled eggs at the Rosecup with Sbinoa more than twelve hours ago.

“I- Thank you! Even if I haven't eaten Kurresion cooked that way before, it really sounds delicious!” Vara felt his heart melt a bit because his angel was so thoughtful of him!

“Best thing is that it is all protein and other good stuff so coach won't get mad at you.” Kau smiled–it was clear how proud he was of his choice.

The wolf pushed the white, take out box and a plastic fork towards Vara and opened it to show him what was inside: several dices of perfectly cooked and now brownish meat bathed in an orange-colored and sweet smelling sauce. In the corner were several green and spherical vegetables partially covered in a bright yellow sauce.

“You are a lifesaver, Kau. I swear to the Hallowed Angels that meeting you has been the best thing to ever happen to me.” Varabol couldn't believe the canine’s undeserved kindness towards him. Thanks to it, he was going to have a great night’s sleep tonight and be able to save enough money for another meal tomorrow.

“Oh fuck-” Kau said as he pulled his hand back from the plastic bag. “Forgot to fetch the drinks. Wasn’t sure what to get you.”

“Oh please, don’t worry. You already did too much for me. Let me get you something from the soda machine at the reception,” Varabol said. “Now, let me spoil you. What do you want?”

“No need for all that,” Montekausko said. “The reception can get us sodas.”

“How so?”

“Most motels nowadays have a small snack and drinking stations to provide room service.”

“Well, that’s nice.” Varabol admitted his surprise with this information. The only motel he has been at was Mawridge Motel, which barely had beds and tables for its visitors.

“Yeah, it’s mostly drinks though, and mostly alcoholic ones. But I think they also have a few sodas and snacks in stock. In any case, what do you want?” Kau asked as he walked to the small table near the entrance with the phone.

“Spring soda for me, please.”

As Varabol remained on his seat, looking at such a wonderful wolf placing the order through the phone, he started to doubt his decision about pulling the plug and distancing himself from Kau.

It was ironic that a couple of days ago, the dragon was deathly afraid of being rejected by the wolf during the lowest point in his life. But now, he was struggling to push Kau away from the mess his life was about to turn into. However, which other option did he have?

Even if he wanted to keep his heart under control, it was obvious that the more time he spent with Kau, the deeper and deeper he would fall for him. The God of Light was his witness that he was already deeply in love with his angel. Even if his logical, rational self knew that he couldn’t go around wasting precious little time chasing straight guys!

And even if the wolf was available, the demon hunter wasn’t really in a stage in his life where he could go seeking relationships that ultimately would be forbidden by his father once everything was sorted out.

Worst of all, he was failing to stick to the promise he made to his brother a couple of hours ago.

“They’ll be here shortly,” Kau said after returning to his seat.

“So, where were we?” Montekausko said. “Wanna talk about your meeting? It is obvious that things weren’t so hot for you.” The black wolf opened his own container. Varabol saw several strips of meat filling the container up to the brim as Montekausko picked up his disposable fork. After that, he lowered his muzzle into the container.

Varabol wanted to tell a lie and pretend things were fine, but he knew that Kau could read him like a book.

“Yeah, actually. My workmate isn’t sure what to do to help me, so his first impulse was to tell me to go find a new job somewhere else. Pretty much what you told me at the gym parking lot.”

“I know that’s not the answer you wanted to hear.”

Varabol stuffed his maw with one of the plohechokas while he thought about something more to come up with in order to make things sound more realistic.

“Yeah,” the dragon said after a moment of silence that he used to chew his vegetables. He also used it as an opportunity to think deeper about the lie he was going to say to cover up his demonic mess. “But after asking him to reconsider, he shared with me the suspicion that my superior might be working with a rival firm now. My work pal also suspects that my former superior is preparing to sell all of our private data and customer list to this rival firm.”

“That fucker!” Kau snarled. “How did your work pal figure that out?”

“My work pal searched my former superior’s room and found a business card from our rivals. I think he will investigate that route to see where it leads to. But since that's a vague lead, we’re not sure how far it will take us.”

Vara went silent as he slid yet another plohechokas in his maw to chew on. Kau put another piece of meat into his black muzzle but not before shooting another of his little happy canine smiles. “So, anything else I can help you with? How can I help you prove this theory to your boss?”

Varabol lowered his gaze towards his meal as he thought about it. Now that Kau was offering help, this became the perfect opportunity to ask for the wolf to help him find a job at that place he worked at. But once more, he hesitated to bother Kau with such a request as his heart beat faster at the idea of spending all day with Kau. Perhaps he should ask later, when the wolf was ready to go.

“I- Well, for the time being, me and my work partner will be working on putting a tail on my former superior. If we can recover the valuables and the books that my former superior stole, that would ruin his plans big time. But a perfect scenario would be if we could capture him and bring him back to HQ. That way he would have no option but to confess the robbery to everybody and my name would be cleared.”

“Let’s ambush him then! I could drive you around tonight after dinner time to look for that imbecile. Or should we try tomorrow night?”

“I don't think that’s necessary. I really thank you for your help. You have been too kind to me and have done so much for me, but this is something I would rather work on my own,” Varabol said. He was confused at the sudden offer. He was supposed to keep Kau from getting involved with this. “I don't want you to get hurt, this will be very dangerous.”

“Don’t worry, I-” Kau was interrupted by a knock on the door.

Varabol supposed that this was the so-called ‘room service’ that Kau was talking about. Vara rose to his feet and walked to the door to receive a lanky coyote carrying both drinks and a handwritten note for the total of the drinks. The dragon pushed the money into the coyote’s hands without tipping before closing the door.

“The anthros my former superior is associating with are very dangerous ones,” Varabol said after handling the wolf his drink and taking his own. “They could easily track you down and do something nasty to you or your family if you mess with their businesses. That’s why you should stay away from this situation.” Varabol really hoped to scare Kau away and get him as far away from this demonic mess as possible.

“That’s it? I am not afraid at all. My family will be fine, too,” the wolf explained. “What do you want to do next? Are we gunfighting inside a nightclub filled with armed thugs at three in the morning? Are we dragging someone by the fur of their ass out of their hideout while sneaking away from packs of armed guards? Just name it, I am not afraid.”

“I, no!” The dragon hissed in anger. He couldn’t believe that the threats he made were motivating Kau to stick even harder with this idea. “I am dead serious, Kau. This is not a game. This is something really delicate that could turn out to be very dangerous for everyone involved. Don't you get it? You could end up getting shot and killed.”

“No, Varabol. You are the one who doesn’t get it. I am also being serious. Or do you think that because I work at an office I am completely useless?”

Varabol realized that this would be way more difficult than what he once thought.

“I still would rather not have you involved.”

“Why? And don't give me 'I don't want you to get hurt' crap!”

“I- This is a very delicate mission and the slightest mistake could ruin everything for us. You don't have the training or skills to pull it off.”

“So, I can't help you because you think I am useless?”

Varabol went silent as he looked away from Montekausko. He didn't want to make his beloved wolf feel rejected, but the promise he made to Sbinoa played in his mind again. He had to stop Visandro no matter what, even if that meant parting ways with his beloved angel Kaudriel.

"You know what?” Kau said. “Don't even bother replying. The answer is more than obvious here."

"Kau. I am sorry, but parting ways is for the best," Varabol said. He brought his attention back to the wolf, and what Varabol saw were two yellow eyes locked onto him in rage and a muzzle in mid-chew. He had seen that expression of anger so many times before in other anthros. The last time he saw something like that, it came from Visandro. He had that same murdering glare when he was about to slice the dragon’s neck wide open at Zantazar’s bedroom.

“What? Parting ways because you think that I am that useless?! Fuck! Do you see these muscles?” Kau said as he flexed both arms. “They’re itching to kill that fucking idiot who double crossed you with a punch in the face. If I ever cross paths with that fucking imbecile, I’ll tear his stupid face off of his head with my bare fangs!” The wolf slammed both hands on the tiny table with such force that everything on it jumped, all while the wolf almost rose to his feet as the fur around his neck frizzled up.

“Or maybe the truth here is that you don't want me to be near you, isn’t it? Why did you try to sign out of the gym without me noticing? You dislike me and you are actively trying to part ways with me for good. You are angry at me because I canceled our meeting the night you got beaten up, isn’t it? The truth here is that you just don't want me near you at all!”

How could Montekausko believe something like that? Varabol was dying to be with him, everyday, for the rest of his days. To hug that strong chest against his slim body. To hold his muzzle close to his. To tell him how much his angel meant to him.

To confess how much pain it is having to hide his feelings away.

“You already know why I didn’t want to ask for help back then.” Varabol explained once the wolf had calmed down a bit. “First of all, your life is worth way more than mine. Second, I am just not really worth it. I know I am an annoyance to everybody else, you included. Even if you’re trying to be polite, I know that the only feeling others can have for me is pity. That’s why I don’t want you near me, not in the slightest.” Varabol lied again, feeling his inner guts being squeezed tightly from the pain of rejecting his beloved wolf in such a manner.

“Varabol!” Kau shook his head before he lowered his muzzle “How can you believe that everything I do is because I pity you? Varabol, I-”

Varabol remained silent, and Kau shook his head once again before lowering his eyes to his food container.

“You know what? Do you want things to be this way? So be it!”

“I- Yes Kau, sorry.” Varabol shrunk to his seat as the wolf returned his muzzle back into his bowl.

He was glad that he hesitated to ask the wolf for a job.

Should he disappear from this motel room and go somewhere else in order to stay away from getting involved even further with Kau?

Silent and uncomfortable minutes passed as Varabol wondered what he should do next. Kau limited himself to eating his meal as fast as possible until his disposable plate was empty and Varabol quickly followed suit.

It was after a few more moments of silence that Montekausko finally spoke.

“Vara, I owe you an apology. I didn’t mean to explode against you like that,” Kau said. His ears were folded. “It wasn’t really nice or professional of me to say the things I did say a moment ago. So, I really, really apologize. If you desire for me to stay away from your businesses, I will respect your wishes and I won’t involve myself any longer with you.”

There was a deep sadness in Kau’s voice that made the demon hunter regret making that promise to Sbinoa.

“I guess I am just assuming and misinterpreting things,” Montekausko said. He spoke with a defeated tone. “I should perhaps start focusing more seriously on my career. My dad will kill me if I slack off and don’t earn a promotion soon.”

The wolf was quick to put all the empty, disposable containers and the empty soda cans and used up forks inside the plastic bag. His pointy ears remained flat and the fluff around his neck and back had dropped along with his shoulders. His little canine grin had died to give birth instead to a serious expression.

“Kau, I am sorry. I-”

“It’s okay, Vara. If you don’t want to come to the gym tomorrow, I will understand too.”

“Not that! I told you that I want to go and I mean it. I wanna work out and help you out like always. I just don't want you to get involved outside of the gym. It is for your protection.”

“Yeah, sure, if you say so. Thank you for worrying about me.” The wolf tried to smile, but failed to hold his smile as he picked up the plastic bag with all the trash. “I’ll be back early and see you tomorrow at 6:15 so we can be at the gym at 6:45.” Montekausko walked to the door and opened it to reveal the parking lot.

Varabol wanted to say something, just anything, that would make Kau go back to being his normal, happy self. But he knew there was nothing that he could say or do that would fix things the way they used to be.

“You can count on me, Kau,” was all the demon hunter could say as Kau left the room and closed the door behind him.

As soon as the wolf disappeared, Varabol went to his ugly and uncomfortable bed to cry his night away and to whip himself hard with his regrets. He hoped that tomorrow was a great day like Kau said so he could find Visandro. Finding that imbecile meant that he could fix his life and hope to patch things up with his beloved angel Kaudriel.

* * * * * * * *

“Minion of Zantazar...”

Varabol found himself waking up for no reason at all. He was surrounded in total darkness.

After estimating that it was around two or three in the morning, he tried to roll to his side to fall asleep again.

But he was unable to move.

The demon hunter felt some kind of strong pressure over his chest. He felt like several, cold hands with long fingers were pressing him tighter and tighter against his bed to pin him in place. The force was so strong that a shiver forced him to fully wake up and to struggle against that oppression.

He tried to speak or to even breathe, but such a thing was also impossible under the energy of those powerful hands constricting his chest. He struggled harder as the whole room felt as cold as if he were sleeping in the middle of a blizzard. After a few more moments of struggling, the sensation of those hands disappeared to leave him both panting and invaded by the unnerving feeling that something was wrong.

Really wrong.

And that sensation grew with every beat of his heart. He felt like something or someone was stalking him from the shadows.

Varabol turned his attention to the entrance, but something was blocking the light from entering from around the frame of the closed door like it usually did.

While Varabol’s eyes were perfectly adapted to see in the dark, he was unable to see anything past his bed, which didn’t help at all with his already disturbed state.

This encouraged Varabol to turn on his bedside lamp, and it took a couple of seconds to react to the button press. But the light that usually illuminated most his room was also unable to reach the darkness past his bed

“Minion of Zantazar,” a spectral voice spoke from the pitch darkness. “I command thee to rise from thy slumber...”

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