Wonderland Ch. 07

Thatcher rolled his eyes. "I know; the drama and intrigue right?" he snorted, shaking his head. "My father is definitely Fuyher. Fuyher tossed my mother out of the pack after publicly humiliating her for her actions. He doesn't know I exist, and I grew up very far away from him. But I always grew up knowing I was his bastard son, the pack that took me in would not let me forget my origins."

Thatcher sighed and rubbed his face, and I took the moment to get us two cups of tea, knowing it would help keep the story flowing.

"Thatcher," I began as I cut two slices of lemon for the tea, "how do you know for certain you are Fuyher's son? I mean..." I turned to face him and saw an unreadable expression on his face.

"You...how do I say this..." I walked to him and gently lay my hand on his arm before looking closer at him. "You and Talon have similar features," I murmured softly.

Thatcher narrowed his eyes. "What features?" he asked hesitantly.

I gently drew the V of his widow's peak with my pointer finger and tapped the faint crease in the center of his chin. "He has a soft widow's peak and a dimpled chin," I told him, watching emotions flicker across his face that I couldn't read.

Thatcher shook his head quickly and took the cup of tea I offered. "I turn into a Raspan, Tempest," he snorted. "It's not possible. I mean, I couldn't have Tze'hoc genes unless..."

I eyed him closely and watched as something dawned on his face. "Unless I had a twin," he breathed. He looked at me, his eyes widening. "Gargoyles cannot have more than one child at a time, but a Raspan can have a whole litter. It's why we breed so quickly. My mother was predominantly Gargoyle, so if I had, hypothetically, two fathers, that means I would have had a brother in the womb. By default, however, a Gargoyle can only have one child and so I would have taken my brother's genes at a cellular level and ingested them as my own." He then waved that idea off. "But that's a load of crap. No Gargoyle and Raspan has ever produced a child." Despite his argument, however, he did not sounding convinced.

I bit on my bottom lip as I sat across from him.

"You said a First Age Gargoyle has a very strong bloodline. Talon may have mentioned to me he has powerful magic because of this." I took a sip of my tea. "Maybe it's not as far-fetched as you think it is. Maybe certain conditions had to be in place."

Thatcher snorted to let me know what he thought of my hypothesis, although I didn't blame him. I wasn't deeply into science and had no idea what machinations went into cellular biology, but I did have a belief in magic and coincidence.

I eyed his dark hair and got an idea. "Thatcher, can you control what part of you changes?"

Thatcher nodded, a dark eyebrow lifting up slightly. "Can you change from the waist-up for me? I just want to see something."

Thatcher set his cup down and did as I asked. I watched as the fur, nails, pointed ears, fangs, and warm brown eyes appeared before looking up at his hair.

It was the color of an oily puddle rainbow, just like Talon's hair.

"Why are you smiling?" Thatcher asked quietly.

"You have Talon's hair," I said into my cup.

Thatcher blinked and the change was gone as quickly as it had appeared. His black eyes watched me closely, never leaving my face. After a long while he lowered his eyes and dropped his head a little, silence reigning in the kitchen.

I waited for a little longer before speaking again. "So what happened to Tze'hoc and the Great Battle? Even Talon isn't sure what took place." Thatcher swallowed his tea and shook his head.

"The line was broken and the Raspan's surged through. Tze'hoc was killed by my father, most likely retribution for his lost mate and to claim the world at the time as his. After Tze'hoc fell, the army that had followed him disbanded. Mayhem ensued, clans went into hiding, and ever since we live in fear of what Fuyher is planning."

He gestured to the snow outside. "When the Gargoyles, Lunar, and Drul's congregate, the seasons change to spring and summer. When the Raspan's congregate; especially the ones who have descended from those who ate the flesh of the Gargoyles, the season changes to winter. It's fitting because winter signifies death and hibernation. Two of the things that Raspan's seem to enjoy the most."

Thatcher and I were silent then, both lost in our own thoughts. I got up to make more tea and checked the chicken in the oven, though I knew it wasn't done. I turned back to Thatcher and saw that he was massaging his temples, his eyes squeezed shut. I walked to him and took one of his hands in my own, massaging the soft pad of his palm like I had earlier.

"I have one final question," I told him. Thatcher hummed in acknowledgement. "How do you and Talon fit into all of this?"

Thatcher sighed softly. "Tze'sic disappeared during battle. It became part of history that he was either eaten by the Raspan's or my father tortured him to death. Either way, he ended up dead." Thatcher smirked a little, his eyes distant as he became lost in a memory. "He's legendary, truly. One of the greatest warriors there ever was, one of the best strategists my father ever faced. It was because of him that the species survived as long through the Great Battle as they did."

I massaged the rest of Thatcher's hand now and felt the tension leave his body slowly as I continued to make small circles into his palm.

Even I felt relaxed by the touch.

"He's the only one left of the Ancients. He's the only one strong enough to defeat Fuyher in combat. He is a natural leader that can get anyone to fight under him if he finds the forces he needs."

I lifted my eyes up from Thatcher's hand. "What about you?"

Thatcher chuckled humorlessly. "My story and upbringing is not nearly as exciting. I grew up in British Columbia before it was even named that. I lived with a small pack of Lunar and Drul's that called themselves 'the Resistance'. They 'resisted' the Gargoyle's tyranny, they 'resisted' the Raspan's invasion...they 'resisted' common sense." He shook his head slightly. "I was raised to hone my magic and control my temper, which I inherited from Fuyher, possibly. I spent the war protecting my pack from the Raspan's and did so until the day they captured me. I was enlisted in their army and from there I built my own resistance of sorts."

He smiled a little. "They 'New Resistance' is following Tze'sic now, to make sure the Elders don't cause him trouble. Although, given your episode last night, I hope that everything is alright." Thatcher's smile faded as his eyes drifted to my neck, to the fang marks. "He did not finish the bond with you, but it is very strong. If he was hurt, you would definitely know."

Thatcher cupped both of my hands in his, squeezing gently. "He should not have tied you to him like this," he whispered gently, pulling me a bit closer. "Understand something, Tempest, these bonds aren't made lightly. You will feel his pain, his emotions, his hunger even. In turn, he should feel yours. Given the depth of the bond that I see within you...he took more than he gave." He allowed that to sink in before he continued. "As a human, protecting yourself from Talon will be almost as important as protecting yourself from any other harm. I can help you learn to block the emotions and limit the side effects of the bond. It's not much, but enough to keep you sane, which will be an added benefit in the upcoming months in case this world goes to the rats."

I frowned at that. "Thatcher, not to sound rude or anything, but how do I know I can trust you? How do I know you aren't spying on Talon in order to kill him? How do I know you aren't going to kill me?"

Thatcher had been expecting those questions though and he released my hands to fiddle with one of the earrings in his left ear. He pulled out the hoop and showed it to me. "Do you recognize that symbol?"

I studied the tiny circular object engraved within the metal for a few moments before I could place where I had seen it last.

"That's Talon's sunburst tattoo! The one on his ear!"

Thatcher nodded and replaced the ring in his ear. "Talon and I were friends as children," he said quietly, smiling a little. "I saved him from being a Raspan's lunch and he helped me hunt for food for my pack and brought clothes for the little ones during winter. If not for him, I wouldn't have survived to celebrate my twelfth birthday and the pack would've long died out. His father's clan had settled near where the 'Resistance' had hidden and we were friends for those two years that they had stayed. When he left, he gave me this ring, having made it himself. I gave him my dagger." He chuckled at my expression. "I guess you're familiar with it?"

"He held it to my throat the first time we met," I admitted, my memory playing back the moment he had pinned me down on the Wonderland boardwalk. "I have to admit, your present is worth more than an earring."

Thatcher shook his head slowly, his eyes going soft. "Giving me a ring denoting his clan is the highest form of payment there is. He made me his brother that day. I fell under the protection of his clan the moment I put the ring in my ear." He swallowed hard then, his jaw muscles bunching. "Ironically, we might actually be brothers," he whispered.

The heady smell of chicken brought me out of my own thoughts and I rushed to pull out the chicken and rice, having saved it in just the nick of time. Thatcher set out the plates and we immediately dove in, not speaking as we took at least two servings each. I had definitely outdone myself, despite the distraction Thatcher had been while making the meal.

Afterwards, we cleaned up and sat on the couch in the living room, each occupying our own end.

"What happens now?" I asked Thatcher during a commercial break.

"We wait," he said quietly.

I looked over at him and found that he was returning the stare. "What do you think your father will do next?"

Thatcher inhaled deeply and released the air in the same slow manner. "He will target his next threat. The humans."

I swallowed hard and dropped his intense gaze. I had guessed that much. I also knew that's where Talon had to be now, if anything Thatcher said was true. He was out searching for allies. He was trying to keep people safe, as he felt it was his duty. Finding other Gargoyles had to be his top priority. "Is there no place safe?" I asked Thatcher, my voice catching a little at the sobering thought.

Thatcher slowly moved across the couch to me and put an arm around my shoulders. "For now, you are safe," he murmured, his voice tight with suppressed emotion. "Fuyher may strike tomorrow...he may strike in a hundred years. For now, we plan and strategize. Hopefully Tze'sic will have some good news."

"And if he doesn't?" I whispered, tears spilling over my cheeks.

Thatcher tsked and put both arms around me, his sigh ruffling my hair. "While remaining realistic about the war is important, getting caught up on such hang-ups can also drive a person crazy."

Pulling back, he smoothed back my hair and smiled down at me. "There is always an option. If Tze'sic doesn't have good news, we simply have to find some."

"That doesn't sound simple," I muttered, sniffing a little.

Thatcher laughed and wiped the tears from my cheeks with the sleeve of my sweater. "It isn't."

I gently flicked his nose in recant before breaking out into a large yawn that caught me out of the blue, as did the growing sleepiness that filtered through my bones.

"Sleepy much?" Thatcher joked, slowly putting his arms around me and pulling me tentatively closer, as though he was ready for me to push him away. When I didn't, he gently rested his cheek on top of my head, sighing a little.

"The talk wore me out. Brain overload," I joked. Truthfully, I couldn't keep my eyes open for a second longer. Enveloped in Thatcher's arms, I felt safe. Hearing his heartbeat thumping slow and steady against my ear was more comforting than I could acknowledge at the moment, and when he covered the two of us up with a couch throw, I could almost pretend that the dark foreboding feeling in my chest was my imagination at work.

Wrapped up in a cocoon of my own lies and Thatcher's half-attempted comforts, I fell into a dreamless sleep, certain that I was safe from the new monsters that roamed my world.

How I wish now that I had known better.

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I'd like to thank my editor, mikothebaby, for looking over the past few chapters for me. I tinkered with the story a little before posting, so if you see any errors they're undoubtedly mine. As always, feedback and comments are welcome! I also enjoy the votes, ;)