Spirit Gal, Succubus and Shadows, oh my!

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Pencil note in a messy scribble dated 17/9/08
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I was listening ta Blue doin a stint on KTOX, on my headset, and dancing away in front of tha fireplace, just kinda a shuffling slow dance, watchin tha fire a bit, and closing my eyes fer tha rest, just swimming in tha music, feelin grounded. Feelin real relaxed, after all tha Shadow visits and talk, I needed ta chill out, so a few hours shuffling without bein bothered had done me wonders. Hearin Blue’s voice, over my comms is weird though. Sleepin in her warm spot on my cushion was weird too, but, tha hospitality of tha Library extends ta all. Still, all their comins and goind had gotten me right nervous. That Feline-makin-curse has seriously messed with their heads, made some of them, right pleasant. That makes me nervous, cause I don’t understand them any more. All of a sudden though, I get this “boo!” from behind. Like I said I’m a nervous critter, it belies my feral side. I spook easy, but it keeps me alive. I’m not a coward, I aint afraid of danger and death, I just don’t like surprises.

Surprises usually mean a trip across tha Wide River in a bucket. SO I lashed out. All instinct. I heard tha noise of tha “boo!” and dropped to all fours on tha ground, swept out a leg at knee hight trying to collect the back of tha legs of who ever it was and snapped back a paw, ready ta claw tha crap out of whoever, or what ever it was. Time always seems ta slow down when this happens, I felt my hinleg connect, and sweep tha person over, and as I finished my spin, claws up, ready ta set to it, I see Spirit Gal fallin backwards. I make a grab fer her, but she clomps down on her butt.

“holy heyzeus on a stick, Spirit Gal, ya scared tha bollocks off me” I spluttered and I came up close to her as she coughed, started risin and dustin herself off. "I just wondered if I could," she grinned. I reached up and switched off tha radio "that'll learn me . . i'm real sorry there, are ya awright?" She said she was fine, tha she was really fine, but, she’s awful Fleshie, and I’m a bit of a bruiser. Just ta be sure i scooted over close, on all fours and looked her over, paws running quickly over legs and hips, examining her fer claw gouges or shock or whatever.

Spirit Gal smiled at me and tried ta assure me she was good "It's okay, really, At least you didn't spill tea on me like Abi did today."
She was, not contusions, abrasions, lacerations ta speak of. My exam done, I was hardly gunna let a chance fer a feel go unanswered so I grined and kept "examining" all the same "tea burns, nasty, stainy too . . . ." Spirit Gal squirms a bit under the attention. "She was showing off. She meant to dump it all on Blue." Spirit Gal is real close ta Blue. Like Featherpants is close ta her mate, Picket. This makes a complex thing inta a dangerous thing, considerin who and what Blue and Picket are. Shadows. Demons of tha House of Shadows. Picket was born, Blue, turned. I find it kinda hard ta swallow, but, can tha friend of my friend be my enemy?

I understand tha House of Shadows. I know their numbers. I know what the do, and why. I seen it first hand and picked up tha pieces after. Time and again. They’ve tried ta kill me a bunch of times, sometimes outta hand, sometimes personal. They have killed my friends, and Kin. Tortured and mangeled em. Twisted their minds and even recruited em. I know them, and understand them. I trust them ta always be what they are. Tha lot of em. Kishi, Phynix, Quiet, Nuku, Blue, Jason, Kumori, Krazzy. I know them. I know what they do, and why. I trust them ta always be that. Behind every smile is a silver dagger, waitin. Lorne went to them.

So did tha Huntress, and look how THAT turned out. Severus came from them, even Captain Featherpants has done his time with them, and I trust them, don’t i?

I blinked and snapped back to Spirit Gal “Abi really DOES earn her name doesn’t she? "Tha Brat" they call her . . .She's Tha Little One ta me though. Spirit Gal looked thoughtful a moment “Well, to be truthful Grr, she looked a bit afraid when she realized she'd dumped it on me, too. Although I don't know why.” I like tha way she says my name. I see an openin, and I take it, grin wickedly and "examined" up her hips and waist "can't imagine why . . .must be somethin ta do with yer otherworldlyness, maybe she thought ya'd melt”. Spirit Gal lets out a "Hey!" laughed, twistin away a little from my pawin and batted me on the muzzle playful like. "Melt? I'm not sugar. I don't think a little water has ever hurt me.”

I had a bit of a chuckle and stood up, still shufflin on my pads, tha Dance was in me now, no denyin tha Dance. “i'd want ta know too, ya know, just in case, but no, you're more like salt, makes fire go pretty . . . she reached up for my ear bud ta have a listen, but she couldn’t quite reach it. "Salt . . . ." I just licked my lips and nodded to the fireplace, then looks back at her. Salt is far more important than sugar. I might roam hundreds of klicks ta find a salt-lick, and walk right past a fruit tree. Salt is life, sugar is kinda nice. I don’t think she quite understood, but that’s OK, she DID turn a nice blush-colour. Red I expect, I could se tha blush at least.

I leaned down, and offered my earpiece ta show it was silent "i'm not dancin ta music now, just ta life". I shuffled about on my foot-pads slightly, hips swaying, tail wagging, and paws keepin time on my thighs Spirit Gal got a funny look ta her at that, kinda a fond but puzzled expression "To life?" she folded her arms over her chest, studying me. "I don't think I'll understand the things you do, or dance the dance like you." She looks so alone, when she gets like this. She is alone, we’re all alone, and at tha same time, she’s Family, she’s Pack, she’s my friend, she’s never alone. “maybe, Spirit Gal, maybe, i can't say i'll ever understand half of what YOU do or why ya do it, but . . .. it sings, so i dance” All of a sudden, she wraped her arms around my waist and lays her head on my chest. "I don't understand what I do."

"life, Spirit Gal, in all its forms, tha livin, tha dead, those inbetween. sometimes tha Spirits call ta me ta dance, so i dance. . . . . just be glad they aint askin me ta sing . . . hahahaha . . . full moon and all . . . .” Spirit Gal nods. "Full moon . . . and a few things come to light that haven't been seen before." Joah frowns thinking of somethin. I got still, held her, and stroked your hair, shoulders and back. Shuffling about so she have the softest and warmest place to press her head on me. “we all are, what we are, and, what things? ya can talk ta me, i got big ears and broad shoulders”

Spirit Gal buries herself in my arms. I got big arms, good fer holdin small people, or rolling cars over. "Rago was here. He wasn't well. But Abi was . . . too bright, too happy, too strong. We talked about . . . how you can't magick things without paying the price. You know, there has to be an equal exchange, Grr. Things don't come into being from nothingness. And Lorne has warned her about this.” Seems Tha Little One has been stretchin herself thin, and drawin on her lover ta feed tha fires. “ahh, there's trouble with them, Rago is fully down about tha Little One. Tha Other. Its a place, and nothin's free, there or here.

Spirit Gal nodded and went on, its her story. “No . . . nothing's free. I examined him. And Rago? It was more than sadness. And I . . I asked Abi too . . . I saw something, Grr.” I had a feelin I saw where this was goin “like yer Healin . . .right? YOU pay . .he's waistin, aint he?” She nodded, I was spot on. “He is. But she was angry and suspicious of Star and Oreta and left. There's a parasite . . . .” She started tracin tha pattern on my sleeve with her fingertips. I just shrugged, putting tha pieces tagether from what I knew "child of Demon and human woman, who was Raised as a Angel . . . . not too many options there . . . ther's a name fer it too, dunno if its tha right one.” Spirit Gal looked thoughtful “What name would you call it?”

“succubus, fits some of tha profile at least. That'd piss Sev off chronic, that that what ya meant?” She agreed with me. “It would. But you're right. She's drawing payment . . . for the magicks, somehow. I don't know that she even realizes it. And she was talking to someone. I thought her Father, at first. Someone who wasn't there. Now . . . I'm not so certain. I wish the Lady were here..” She wraped her arms tightly around me. “lots of kinds of predators out there, and parasite types too. we all gotta eat . . . "
She goes on “Abi doesn't need this . . . to live, Grr. I'm really not sure she knows she's doing it.” Guess I wasn’t on tha right track
“no, i undertand tha difference she's usin others ta fuel her powers? thats whats buggin ya, right?”

Spirit Gal looked up at me, I could see tha trouble behind her eyes “Please don't say anything to anyone, until I've made certain. Grr, Rago's waisting. His hair lightened, like it was turning gray It's like a slow rape of his body, his spirit.” I suggested we could hold a display, get a bunch if tha Will Workers tagether, and do a few tricks each, and have a look ta see where Abi's power COMES from but she thought it was too soon ta tell, she wanted ta research more, fair enough too, if Rago lasted that long. “Feshies aint built ta cope with magic. It's like radiation, little bits here and there dont make no difference . . .too much, too close, or even a little all tha time. . . does stuff . . .”

Spirit Gal got all stiff in my arms. "What do you mean 'does stuff?' I'm flesh, aren't I?" touched a real raw nerve there I think. “UM
well, like tha greyin of his hair, that’s a classic sign and yes, Spirit Gal, ya are flesh, warm ,nice, solid flesh, but that aint tha kinda Fleshie, i meant. i meant tha Homo sapiens sapiens variety, and that, i can fairly surly say, yer not”. Spirit Gal pressed in close again. "I don't know what I am, Grr. I dream of fire and iron." Joah goes quiet, resting in my arms. I’m real glad she finds comfort with me near, it was real hurful when she was all afeared of me after talking about . . .food. Took a long time fer us ta get back that trust. Like I say, trust is about knowin what a thing is, what it does, and when. I’m glad she trusts me again.

“fire and iron are magic in themselves, Spirit Gal most Fleshies think themselves too advanced ta remember that, but us closer to tha ground remember, and know. i dont know what ya are either Spirit Gal, i got a strong feelin, but i dont know, and it dont bother me at tha slightest. , not tha slightest. Ya know i dont Name false. i'm a crafty bugger, but what comes out of my mouth is tha way i see it.” Spirit Gal looked up at me again after liftin her face feom my belly fur "You Name true," she smiled. "And I'm far too serious tonight." I don’t care how serious she gets, as long as there is ease in her heart from my company, I’m doin awright. “it . . . erm . . . its not like most Fleshies would be keen ta lay down beside A shifter, neither, once they knew, , that also kinda makes its own point. yer not cowed but tha Beast. Its in their instincts ta fear tha claw and tooth and fur. I dont know whatcha are, but im walkin beside ya on tha Path”

Tha Goddess would be proud, and I bet Coyote got a chuckle too.