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It was still there, brushing at the back of his mind, whispers on the wind that were almost words, moving over his feathers, leaving them ruffled and feeling out of place. It didn’t matter how far he flew, or in what direction. Whatever it was stayed frustratingly just out of reach. Still, he was sure he could hear it calling, and see flashes of it at the corner of his vision.
Finally giving up for the night, Ray coasted in through his open apartment window, landing on the back of a chair. He Shifted as he hopped off, and by the time his feet reached the floor they were human, pale and long-toed. He reached over to grab the shirt he’d tossed aside before his flight, shrugging it on as he walked to the kitchen.
“Something’s coming,” Ray said, making a face as he took a drink of too-cold coffee. He poured the rest in the sink and rinsed the cup. “I wasn’t sure before. I mean, city this size has its share of Others, but seeing Stella today confirmed it.” He cocked his head. “You know she was in the area?”
Turtle remained still, and Ray shook his head. “Not that it matters, I guess. It’s just… the longer we’re here, the less I understand why we were Called. Fraser needs protection, training, knowledge… none of those are really a Trickter’s area of expertise. And you may be a wise old fuck, but when it comes to the practical stuff, sometimes you’re out of your depth, y’know?”
Ray stopped, hearing a noise just outside the apartment. He sent out a tendril of awareness, relaxing when he recognized who it was. “Looks like I’m not the only one spooked,” he told Turtle as he went to open the door.
Wolf trotted in, getting a drink of water from his bowl before settling in on the couch.
“You too?” Ray asked when Dief laid his head on his paws, looking tired and confused. Ray perched on the edge of the couch, reaching over to ruffle Dief’s fur. “We’re all feeling it, some Power headed this way. If it’s something I’ve come across before, it’s been so long I don’t remember.” He shuddered. “Whatever it is, it’s dark, and not in my kind of way.”
Dief let out a soft whine. “That’s what Turtle and I were just discussing. The increase in Other presences in the area can’t be a coincidence. And now this, this… whatever it is. Fraser has to be the key. But until I know what wants him and why, I don’t know what I’m supposed to do. What we’re supposed to do,” he corrected as Turtle tapped the glass with his beak.
“You sure taking him back North isn’t the solution?” Ray asked Dief. “There’s gotta be a place far enough away that he won’t be found.”
Turtle took a step back from the glass, and Dief let out a low, rumbling growl.
Ray sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Okay, so yeah, he’d have less Protection, less chance of staying anonymous. I get it. I wasn’t really serious anyhow, so stop with the attitude.” He pointed at Dief. “And you have to stop looking at me – us – like we’re Pack. It doesn’t work that way.” No matter how much anyone wanted it to, he thought.
Needing an excuse to move, Ray stood up and went to the kitchen, snagging an apple slice for Turtle and a bottle of water for himself. Once Turtle was fed, he went back and got a box of animal crackers as well.
Sitting back down, Ray shook out the box, littering the coffee table. Anyone seeing it would have been surprised at the unusual assortment – turtles, wolves and ravens. And they weren’t the blobby, hard-to-guess kind either; the level of detail each had was near-photographic. He spent a quiet minute arranging them into random patterns, wishing for some kind of inspiration. When he kept coming up blank, Ray frowned and swept them all off to the side, then picked up the empty box.
Ray turned it over in his hands as he spoke. “All I know,” he said, shaking out the box. A man-shaped, Stetson-wearing cracker fell into his hand. “All I know, is we’re running out of time.”