The Bonding Chronicles Ch. 15

No matter what her mother did, she never wanted to hurt her, but if the vengeful side of her nature ever took hold, she was not sure she could stop herself from lashing out.

Vivienne recognized what the documents would mean to Sara, and knew the impact that they would have when Sara became aware of them. She had originally intended to confront Andrew with them, to try and help Sara realize just who she was involved with, but as the truth of what Andrew and Sara were came to light, she realized that she had no idea what they meant.

The pages within that beige envelope had previously seemed so compelling to Vivienne, proof that Andrew's past was a fabrication, but after everything she'd learned, she knew better. She understood that Andrew may have needed Sara more than he knew.

"I need to go."

Sara's tone was monotone and lifeless, caution written in the moments between words.

Vivienne sighed and asked, "Can I take you and Andrew to dinner Sunday? Somewhere public?" A smile spread across her face, masking her nervousness as she continued, "You know, somewhere more neutral?"

Hope still simmered in Sara's heart that things might yet be salvageable, so despite the betrayal she felt nipping at her heels, she nodded and said, "Sure, that restaurant on Lake Quinault, near the lodge."

"The Salmon House?"

"Yeah, that one," Sara said, before rushing to the entrance, her shoes almost jumping onto her feet as she flew out the door.

Vivienne was left in that large house, worry and hope both swarming through her mind, hiding in the shadows beneath the cloud of regret that hovered over every thought the woman had.

***** Into The Den Of The Beast *****

Tani'm's strength returned to her after only a few minutes of being in the forest, her gift drawing energy from the forest that sheltered her. Thunderfoot, having sensed the danger that Tani'm was in abandoned his search, joining up with her soon after. He was not sure where they were running, but he was pleased not to sense the wolf on their tail.

The moon was high in the sky, lighting their path through the thick brush of the majestic rainforest. Moisture soon gathered across Tani'm's body, her feet stained green by the moss she sped over, her hands adopting the same hue as she used them to guide her path when leaping over moss-covered obstacles. Summer was near its end, which added an unwelcome chill to the air, not that Tani'm or Thunderfoot noticed.

They were two beasts of the forest, speeding through the night towards safety. Or at least that was what Thunderfoot hoped, trust in his companion almost absolute.

The journey was longer than Tani'm expected, the Vespa having made the course seem much shorter, but she arrived just the same. While she gasped for air, her lungs burning and legs aching, she laughed at the small shuttered house that rested at the edge of the clearing they had just come into.

It was larger than her place, by a good degree. What amused her was not the size, but the sturdiness of the construction. If the wolf had tracked them there, he would have a hard time finding his way inside.

Approaching the building confirmed her assumption. The front door was thick and solid, made from hardwood, and all of the windows she could see were shuttered with wood of equivalent make, thick bolts holding the shutters closed from the inside, making the house a fortress against what she hoped would never come.

Much to her frustration, the door was locked and would not budge, the slight shimmy confirming for her its solid construction.

"Fuck," she mumbled, while looking along the front of the building, finding that all of the windows were just as secure.

She scanned the forest, expecting to see the wolf storming across the clearing, white foam and feral growls pouring from its mouth as it made a frenzied dash towards her, but all she saw were the tall trees that swayed with gentle purpose in the night. For some reason, that scared her more.

It didn't take long for her to find the back window, which Andrew and Sara had left open. Thanks to her athletic physique, she was able to jump up and climb in with relative ease. The room was dark, the moon providing just enough light for her to make out the barest of details.

One wall was covered with shelves, books arrayed on every tier, the gaps and decorations that rested between the groups showing how much care had gone into the organization of what was on display. The bed looked large, and she squinted for a moment, confirming that the mattress was indeed missing. A computer desk rested across from the bed, beside the entrance to what she assumed was the master bath, and as she went to take a step into the room, the scent hit her.

There was no doubt, the room belonged to Andrew and Karen. Their sexual odor was rich, and while Tani'm lacked the gifts of her jackalope companion, she recognized an unfamiliar scent that she assumed belonged to Sara.

She returned to the window, and after almost a minute, she managed to convince Thunderfoot to jump into the room. Something about not knowing where he would land was preventing the large animal from making the leap. The moment the magical creature touched down, she closed the shutters and bolted them in place, taking great pleasure as she felt the solid steel settle into the dense wooden frame of the window.

It was in that moment, when the frenzy of trying to escape the wolf had finally fell away, that she started to feel the cold of the night seeping into her damp flesh. Her shirt and panties were soaked with sweat and the moisture of the rainforest. In the distance, through the open doorway that lead to the living room, she could hear a fire burning.

By the time she was halfway down the hall, she could see the orange glow in the large room that rested just ahead, and the smell of burning pine had never been so appealing. Thunderfoot seemed worried back in the bedroom, and as she looked back she could see the rabbit sniffing at the floor, his gaze darting between the floor and her, a picture of the forest clearing from earlier in the night dancing into her consciousness while the rabbit's foot began to pound a worried beat.

Whatever had stalked them earlier that night was not there, Tani'm was certain of that, but for some reason, Thunderfoot seemed to be less convinced. The rabbit followed her, his short leaps seeming timid and cautious.

Tani'm shook her head and moved towards the fire with purpose. She could already feel the air growing warmer, and she was eager to use that heat to dry herself off and banish the chill from her bones. Fear was a powerful thing, she realized, and now that she felt safe, the fatigue that she had built since before the attack was catching up to her fast.

When she entered the room she was surprised by how clean the house was, everything tucked away and well organized. The entertainment center was sparse, but seemed to contain all the things that any family would need. A cable box and video game console were hooked up to an excessively large television, and there was another small box she didn't recognize, but her curiosity could wait, she decided, as she rounded the corner, eager to stand before the fireplace.

The warmth was more amazing than she thought it would be, the heat radiating over her exposed body in delightful waves. In a strange way, it reminded her of Andrew, and how his cum would cause her body to come alive with pleasure. The heat of the fire felt suspiciously like the radiant waves of joy she had felt in those moments.

Beside the fireplace she looked upon something strange, the mattress from the bedroom, leaning against the adjacent wall, a large dark stain facing the heat that bellowed forth. From it, Tani'm caught the unmistakable scent she had come to know so well, and as she tried to deny it, her body could not refuse its siren call of caramel and honey, mixed with the sweet scent of Sara.

It took her a moment to identify its aroma, but as she closed her eyes and breathed deep, she knew it right away: Vanilla.

She shook her head and turned her body, intent on spreading the warmth to her rear, when she heard a mumble from the couch that rested a few feet away. On it she found Karen, sprawled out with a blissful look on her face. Her body was shrouded beneath a thick and heavy duvet, the blanket swaddling the woman and keeping her in place.

Tani'm was captivated by the joy she saw in the woman's expression, Karen's eyes darting from side to side as she dreamt, her face framed in fields of curly cocoa-colored locks.

After a few minutes, Thunderfoot hopped his way into the room, sniffing at the air after every short leap, his body language making his uncertainty clear. By that point, Tani'm had vanquished the chill that had settled into her body, and was looking towards the dining room table, which rested just outside of the kitchen.

Fruit and bread rested within a basket at the center of the small table, and as she swallowed, Tani'm realized how long it had been since she ate. She made her way over, grabbing an orange and pulling a chunk of bread from a long baguette, before her attention was drawn to a note that rested on the edge of the small wooden table, held in place by a pewter miniature of an old and wise wizard.

"Bonjour Ma Chérie,

"I hope this finds you well rested. We wish we could be there, but Sara needs to talk with her mother and try to come to terms with everything that's happened. I promise we'll find a moment of peace soon, honey, and discover a way for us to all to live in the open. Leaving you there, during this important moment of your life, has reminded me of how much of our lives are not our own, and... I know, I'm rambling.

"I love you, now and forever.

"-A"

Tani'm shook her head and rolled her eyes. Even the boy's letters were sickeningly sweet.

There was something about his note that bothered her, making her question the suspicion she had of him, but as she tried to find it, she couldn't put her finger on what it was. For some reason she found herself starting to trust him, and that thought frustrated her.

She saw how Karen had hung on Andrew's every need, and clung to him once he was awake. It was as if he was the sun, and she was glad to just bask in his presence. It was something she never wanted for herself, and knew would happen to her if she ever fell under the small man's power.

Tani'm grimaced at the thought, before continuing to read the postscript of the letter.

"PS: When you meet up with our friendly neighborhood druid, we need tannin from the bark of the trees in The Glade. I'm unsure what her gifts are capable of, but I hope she can remove it without damaging the trees. That would be a tragedy. I sent articles and molecular diagrams to your phone, and there are buckets out back, for whatever form she is able to extract it in - not sure what she might need, so trying to cover our bases."

Again she found herself annoyed at Andrew, his meticulous nature showed in the thought he had put into the preparation for what he had wanted them to do.

There was a small note at the bottom of the page, written by a feminine hand, for while Andrew's part of the note had been written with clear block letters, that last part was scrawled with swirly and almost decorative embellishment.

"Can't wait to hear all about your dreams! Mine were the best!"

In place of a signature there was a cute but crude drawing of a cat, jumping in the air towards a small butterfly. Karen had seemed certain that Tani'm and Sara would get along, but the more she found out about the mysterious woman, the less certain Tani'm was of Karen's assessment. The cat drawing was cute, but it reminded her too much of the silly girls from school, who were never able to take anything seriously.

She tried to put the note out of her mind, and continue with what she had been in the process of doing. With a sigh she made her way into the kitchen.

"Might as well make myself at home," she thought, her theft reminding her that she was not under Andrew's control, and that she could still do what she wanted. While she looked for a cup, she noticed a box of smoked salmon and a small assortment of chocolates that were resting on the corner of the counter. They seemed out of place, even though they were positioned with care, each resting an equal distance from each other and the edge of the counter.

"Man, he really has a thing for organization, doesn't he?" Tani'm asked to Thunderfoot, who just blinked at her with a confused and indifferent expression.

The rabbit was still sniffing and exploring the room, seeming to suspect that everything was a trap. She realized in that moment that the jackalope had never entered her house, and that this might have been the first time the magical creature had ever been inside a building.

"No wonder you're so confused, big guy."

Thunderfoot ignored her words, and just continued his investigation, not bothering to look at the woman who was obviously trying to convey some message. Her utterances never meant anything to him.

Having found a glass in the cupboard above the salmon and chocolate, Tani'm opened the fridge, hoping to find something to drink, but what she saw caused the cup to drop from her hand. Thankfully, the mug was sturdy and bounced without breaking, not that Tani'm would have noticed, as preoccupied as she was with the hind-shank of elk that was broken down and resting within the fridge.

"What the..." Tani'm began, her gaze drifting to Karen who was still dreaming away on the couch.

Thunderfoot had shown her an image of the cat that had stolen the leg from them earlier that night, and how Andrew had managed to coerce the creature into serving him was beyond her. All she knew was that the ocelot was not natural.

It was far too large, and even in the image that Thunderfoot had shown her, she could see intelligence in its eyes, as if the creature was...

Her eyes grew wide as she turned her gaze on the note.

"No fucking way!"

***** Temptations Buffet *****

Wildfang's frustration didn't last long.

While the forest guardian and her pet fled into the safety of the forest, the great hunter found solace in his failure, for while one opportunity had slipped through his maw, another had just become available. He growled with delight as he stormed across the forest, his thin but powerful legs carrying him far.

He had some sense of which direction the woman had fled in, and chose his course well, ensuring that there was great distance between them. It didn't take long for him to enter new hunting grounds, places where the animals had not grown accustomed to his presence, where he could feed with ease.

Sure, he may not have slain his adversary that night, but his attack had forced her into hiding, and while she played the coward, he would regain that which she had taken from him.

The full moon watched the gruesome sight, as Wildfang gave voice to his name, proving the ferocity from where it had come, killing and feasting upon the animals of the forest. Limbs were thrown yards from where they had once been attached, and the mighty beast ate and drank from the meat and bone of everything he came into contact with.

Every kill provided him more of the strength that he had been forced to sacrifice, and built upon the successes he had the night before, after the forest guardian had escaped him. With each animal downed he would drag the carcase into seclusion, before allowing his wild nature to put fang to bone. While he crunched his way through his meal, he kept an ear on the forest, trusting his instincts to warn him if the guardian was daring enough to interrupt him again.

It was a bloody and wondrously good time, providing Wildfang with more than he could have asked for. By the time the sun began to brighten the eastern sky, the large wolf collapsed into one of his many dens, stomach distended from the gluttony he had succumbed to. Warmth radiated out across his body from the viscera that rested within him, causing the wolf to value the wasted magical energy that the creatures of that land seemed to squander.

He was bound and determined to claim that forest, and every ounce of potential that those creatures had locked within their bodies would help to get him there. His eyes grew heavy, and as he felt the magic in his gut begin to rebuild and reshape his muscles, he dreamed of home.

The dream felt strange and discordant, everything standing out in strange shades of color he did not recognize, and had trouble understanding. The trees and brush were just as he remembered them, but the air felt odd, the heat of the great forest less penetrating, and the sun less abusive.

His body felt different in some unknown way, more powerful and agile. Looking at his front paw he could see thick leathery skin where fur had once resided, the flesh of his body seeming to have withered away, leaving his skin wrapped tightly around the sinewy muscles that clung to his bones. His claws seemed different, the edges glinting in the sun, seeming to have been coated in some strange stone that he didn't recognize.

Nothing about his dream made sense, but he loved it just the same. The power he felt as his thinner body moved through the forest was beyond anything he had ever known, his senses heightened in ways he could not comprehend. Sounds he had never heard seemed to scream out to him, and as he rounded a tree he could see one of his old pack mates chasing a noble elk, the massive wolf nearing the majestic steed, ready to claim his prize.

What stood out to him was not the chase, but the clarity with which he saw the two creatures. While the forest was alive with browns and greens, the two beasts stood out in bright red, as if the blood in their bodies was calling out to him.

A howl was loosed from his lips as he gave chase, and as the two enemies parted paths, each seeking to find their own escape from his terrifying form, he chose to chase the wolf, knowing it would be a more challenging opponent.

While Wildfang succumbed to the temptations of his dream, a hidden figure took shape from the shadows of the small cave. Pale skin clung tight to the contours of the tall man's emaciated face, his veins standing out in near black, mirroring the darkness that were his iris-less eyes. Dark robes hung from his body, looking like loose cloth that had been draped over his thin limbs, spreading out across the dirt and stone floor around him.

A thin smile spread across the man's face, before he backed into the wall and vanished, his work complete.

***** History Defined *****

Andrew woke with a start when Sara got back into the car, and he was pleased to feel the lightness of her mood. She was proud of herself, and seemed hopeful.

"Things went well, I take it?"

There was still worry in her eyes, though her face lit up the moment she saw Andrew watching her with joy in his expression. His cheeks were still flush from the dream he had just been having, and while he tried to hold onto every detail, he quickly let it go as Sara leaned in.

They shared a momentary kiss before Sara handed him an envelope and closed her door.

"Mom thought we should look at that together."

Andrew had just enough time to turn the beige sleeve over in his hands before Sara started the car and had them speeding backwards out of the driveway. He laughed at the rush of the experience, and thought to himself that Sara could always get a job as a stunt driver, if she ever wanted to.

She kept the car at its top reverse speed, and Andrew could feel the gears straining at the edge of comfort. There was something about Sara and cars, because while the car would have gone faster, she somehow knew not to push it any further, and so it was that they hit the highway going twelve-miles-an-hour in reverse.