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Chapter 7

Tuesday, 28th May 1994

Gabriel yawned widely, stretched himself happily and looked around him. He was alone in Friederich's bed, bathed by the amber rays of the sun. The pleasant coziness of the soft warm sheets tempted him to linger there for a little while longer, but just then a familiar smell sneaked in through the slightly open door. He jumped out of the bed, picked up his jeans from the floor, threw them on and hastened down to the kitchen.

He stopped in front of the door, not sure about what lay in store for him inside, but the strong addictive smell finally pulled him in. Friederich looked up from the buzzing coffee machine and greeted him with a loving smile.

"Good morning! I was just preparing breakfast. Are you as hungry as I am?" he added with a wink.

Gabriel let out his secretly held breath and replied brightly. "I dunno, just how hungry are you?"

Friederich looked deeply into his eyes. "I thought you knew that already..."

Gabriel quickly turned to the coffee machine. While he poured himself a large cup of the bitter thing, he tried to understand his silly reaction. It had felt easy and right to look Friederich in the eyes and embrace him in the safe darkness of the night, but now, when the crude sun left no place to hide, he couldn't face the hidden side in him.

Meanwhile, Friederich had finished fixing breakfast, seemingly unaware of Gabriel's inner struggles. Gabriel threw aside his confusing thoughts and attacked the spicy slice of ham, realizing how truly hungry he was. While munching away with his mouth full, he suddenly jumped to his feet. "Thath'sh it!" he shouted, and ran away from the kitchen.

Friederich followed him, worriedly. Gabriel ran outside and looked at the metal letterbox. Its lid was not perfectly closed, and he let out a muffled cry of anticipation. His hand groped into the box and came out triumphantly holding an envelope.

Friederich stood in the doorway, watching his movements with an amused look on his face. When he saw Gabriel take the letter out in frenzy and start to read, he quietly retreated inside the lodge, leaving him alone.

***

Gabriel had just finished reading the letter for the third time. He raised his eyes from the paper and looked around. He could see his friend waiting inside one of the armchairs near the fire. He walked in and sat in the other armchair.

Friederich gave him a questioning glance. "Well?"

Gabriel almost smiled at the anxious look on his friend's face. "Well, what?" he teased him.

"Well... what did you think of it?" asked Friederich in the general direction of the fireplace.

A smirk formed its way from the corner of Gabriel's mouth. "Gosh, what can I say..." He made a dramatic pause. "This could've changed things a bit..."

Friederich turned to watch Gabriel's expression. "In what way?"

"Well, lemme put it like this... The Munich public would've missed a pretty damn good Wagner opera," he grinned.

Friederich grinned back with relief. "Oh, so you think it is even better that it happened this way!"

"Nah, not really." Gabriel resumed his serious mood. "It would've spared me a lot of worryin'..."

"I know... But think of how truly insignificant the time we wasted is, compared to the endless life ahead. If you look at it from this point of view, my painfully long past life is in fact only a blink of an eye. And yours could well be the "negligible quantity" of scientific equations - the epsilon."

It's been too long since I last cheated my arse off in a math test... Gosh, how time does fly.

Friederich stole a quick look at Gabriel's embarrassed expression.

"Yes, it is a whole new way of thinking you must get used to now. Infinity is a hard thing to understand, especially when you are inside it... But fortunately you and I are blessed with more than enough time to reflect upon its meaning, and that of many other things as well... But as for now," he resumed cheerfully, "let's talk about something more earthly for a change."

"Sure. Like what?" replied Gabriel eagerly.

"Like Gunther, for instance."

Damn. Forgot about that.

"Did he happen to tell you yesterday if he planned to go away somewhere? I tried to place a call to him this morning, but there was no answer."

"Well, not exactly. See, he... sorta left the hospital in a hurry."

"Without telling either of us anything?"

"I guess he didn't get the chance... He left all his clothes there."

Whew, at least it's out now!

"I don't think I understand.."

Gabriel gave him a helpless look. "There isn't much to understand here... One minute he's glued to that couch, the other he's gone - or, should I say, his body is."

Friederich's eyes filled with disbelief. "Gunther?! But didn't you search the hospital for him?"

"Of course I did. And I put the whole bunch of doctors after him, too. But he was nowhere." He thought a little, and hesitated before he asked. "Is he... a Beta too?"

Friederich brushed his hands through his hair nervously. "I don't know... he could be... but not one of my blood, I would have felt him years before." He looked at Gabriel. "I truly believe that you are the only one left."

"So in any case he's not really a danger to you, right?"

"I suppose not. But the strange part of this is that I never saw anything out of the ordinary with him in all the years he was in my service."

"Well, maybe he's just real quick... and weird."

"I suppose there must be a reasonable explanation to this. We'll just have to wait and see. What did you do with the clothes, by the way?"

Gabriel shifted nervously in his armchair. "Uh, I kinda... left them there. They said they'd put them with the other stuff some of the dead guys um... leave behind." He looked at Friederich questioningly. "Why? D'you think they had clues or something?"

"Oh, no, I think not. Unless there was something that caught your attention."

"Other than the purple panties? No, guess not", Gabriel laughed.

A slender female silhouette appeared in the doorway, her hand resting lightly on the frame. "Did I hear purple panties?! And I thought this wolf-business was supposed to get you in touch with your greater part, Knight!"

"Grace.." Gabriel groaned loudly and turned towards her.

"Hello, you must be Miss Nakimura! I am honored to finally meet you. Gabriel has told me so much about you!"

"Yep, I'll bet," and Grace shot a nasty look at the confused Gabriel.

Friederich got up and walked to her with a welcoming smile. "My name is von Glower, Baron Friederich von Glower. Welcome to the club's hunting lodge."

Grace looked at him in amazement. He can walk? He was dying yesterday. Damn. Now what. She responded absentmindedly to the friendly handshake.

"May I offer you something to drink? To what do we owe the unexpected pleasure?"

Grace let him do the honors while her mind raced for a way out. She looked at Gabriel and then quickly away from his murderous look. It seemed she had interrupted something important. Ah well.

She took a sip of wine. "I... I came to talk to Gabriel."

Gabriel sprang from his chair. "We have nothin' to talk about!"

"Now, now, Gabriel. Miss Nakimura is our guest and..." Friederich stopped abruptly. The two followed the direction of his glance outside.

A bright thing emerged from the dark shades of the forest. It was rapidly approaching them in a smooth wavy movement that Gabriel suddenly recognized. And now there was no way he could deny the feeling of danger.

Grace stared in awe at the wonderful creature. While it approached, she could make out more details. It was the shape of a stingray, the graceful creature of the sea, but it swam through the air instead of water. Its brightness came from a white fire that seemed to glow from inside.

Before any of them could make a movement, the entity was inside the room. It remained floating in front of the door, undecided.

Gabriel was the first to wake up from the trance. "The talisman, Grace!!"

Grace took out the heavy amulet and gripped it in her hand.

Just then, the creature seemed to decide, and it was clear when it moved what its target was. Von Glower. He was sitting by the bar, not reacting as the thing went for him with its menacing thorn.

She slowly started to put away the talisman.

"GRACE!! Use the thing, dammit!!"

Gabriel started to run frantically towards her.

There was a torn look on Grace's face, and her hand hesitated in mid-air. Revenge against her enemy... Gabriel hers. Or not?

If I let him die now, I'll never see Gabe again.

Oh God but I hate him so much.

Gabriel reached her and grabbed the talisman from her shaking hand. He groaned at the first sting of pain that felt like his arm was ripped apart. But it was no time to feel sorry for himself. Friederich was in danger!

He clenched his teeth and forced his fingers around the burning metal, the torture of it making him sob. When his grip was firm enough, and he felt he couldn't bear any second more of the agony, he gathered his strength and threw the talisman at the creature.

The tilted square rotated through the air in slow motion, followed by three pairs of eyes. The creature stopped. The silence was intense, the waiting was unbearable.

A single beam of white light shot between the talisman and the stingray.

Friederich winced and drew back.

Gabriel closed his eyes for a moment, but when he opened them he saw the creature's fire burn even brighter.

Grace gasped, and then realized. "It's a creature of the light! The talisman can't harm it!"

The hurt upon his eyes had woken Friederich to reality. He looked at the thing floating in front of him and growled in warning. He heard his heart begin the wild rhythm of the hunt and felt glistening sweat cover his skin. The change was coming. He shot a desperate look into Gabriel's direction.

Gabriel looked around for a slightest clue to what he should do. The kitchen door was ajar and he could hear the faint flow of water into the sink. Of course... Water!

"Friederich, hang on!! I have..." He stopped in horror as he understood the signs on his mate's face. "NO!! Don't!!"

But Friederich's eyes were already shining yellow. He was panting, his muscles twitching all over his body. Gabriel felt the dull stirring of his own beast deep down inside. Quick! He ran inside the kitchen and rushed to the sink. A vicious snarl was heard from the main hall. Gabriel started to gasp for air, his palms were beginning to itch...

Must... stay... human...

He was changing...

And then he saw himself in the kitchen cupboard mirror. A faint hope glittered from his dizzy memory. He fixed his glance into his reflection's eyes and prayed that Friederich didn't howl.

***

Black and white were circling each other in the main hall. The wolf dodged the creature's attacks easily, but tried in vain to sink his jaws into its fiery flesh.

Grace saw the talisman lying on the floor in the middle of the battle. There was no way she would go and pick it up. She looked around helplessly, and noticed Gabriel was gone.

Oh God, tell me he isn't changed...

The two powerful creatures soon realized each other's swiftness and slowed to a halt. And it was the first time that Grace noticed the stingray's eyes. They were small silver dashes. Silver...

The Black Wolf looked into those eyes and shivered as in recognition. He lunged forward, but the white stingray flew upwards, avoiding his attack.

Just then, Gabriel emerged from the kitchen, panting, sweaty and tired, but human and carrying a glass of water in his hand. He ran to the light thing and threw the water at one of its undulating wings. It was a full hit, and white smoke rose from what seemed like a wound. The stingray froze in surprise at the unknown feeling and turned towards its new attacker.

Gabriel hadn't really expected the water to kill the creature, but the lack of almost any reaction frightened him. He waited for the deadly sting to turn his way, but it seemed the creature had no intention of changing its original target. His attack had only put it off for a little moment.

Still, it had been enough time for Friederich to jump and slash savagely into the creature's side. The stingray wriggled in pain, and finally decided this new feeling was displeasing, so it flew out of the door and disappeared as quickly as it had come.

The Black Wolf ran into the kitchen, and came out as Friederich a short while later, fastening his gown. Gabriel ran to him, worried, and grabbed his hand.

"Everythin' okay?"

Friederich looked at him sadly. "No, Gabriel. It's not..."

"Why? Are you hurt or somethin'?"

"It's not that."

"Come on, tell me already!"

"I know who it was. I recognized him when I looked into his eyes."

Grace had approached silently and was holding her breath, waiting for him to go on.

"... It was Gunther."

continue to chapter 8 >>

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