My First Saturday Scene

This is my first #saturdayscenes post. It's from my novel Red that I am hoping to have published in fall. 

Felan, second in command of the Guard (a group of dead heroes whose job is to keep peace on Earth between humans and the other things that go bump in the night and can shift into wolves, i.e. werewolves), is on "vacation" visiting his great (more than great since Felan is centuries old) grandson. He's gone a run after dinner and has found a scent that is troubling him.

I hope you enjoy! :)

***

I sprinted back into the house, shifting back to human in mid-air while flying through the open glass door, completely disregarding getting dressed. I was too shocked, confused and on the edge of losing all composure. Why would my home be surrounded in that scent? I'd dreamed about it in other circumstances but knew it could only be a dream. A sudden notion occurred to me, and I could hold my silence no more.

"ALISTAR!" I yelled.

Waiting only a few moments I ran up the stairs, taking them two and three at a time. Alistair sat on his bed, reading, a look of indifference carefully shown on his face. He looked up only briefly before returning to his book. I knew he saw only the agitated wolf instead of the naked, but agitated, man standing before him. He continued to ignore me, my patience with him growly rapidly thin, so I folded my arms and stood to my full height. 

"I will not deal with the wolf, Felan Conall Aegnus! We've talked about this. Come back when your humanity is present and the animal is at bay."

Everyone had their own opinions about what we were, since there wasn't exactly a handbook or a guide to explain everything. The Fates held their secrets tight. When I died I was told this was my duty, that I had always been a wolf in a man's skin. It was only fitting that I become what I was always destined to be. Fenrir spoke in riddles but I assumed it to mean my animal and me were one in the same. Alistair, on the other hand, had come to think they were two separate beings-the man, and the beast. He thought it was something I could fight, something I chose to be. I knew better than to be that naive. 

I stood there waiting, wanting to rip the room to shreds, hoping he would come to his better senses and talk to me now. The way his eyes stayed firmly planted in his book made it clear he wasn't going to. I growled as I stormed back down the stairs, slamming my ass into the living room couch. A thick snap of it's wood echoed in the room followed by my brutal cursing.

Becoming a Guard never changed who I was. The wolf was not a separate mind, rather just an extension of my own. I gained the senses and the form of a wolf when I died but I had always been the same person. I could be possessive and at times too aggressive. I always tried to be fair and do the honorable thing regardless of consequence. The only exception to my honorable role was when it came to what I considered mine. I would kill or die to protect my own. The fact that the only two enemies I had left in the world had come to my home, around my family, would have driven even my human self to act this way. He was the only family I had left and regardless of how he wanted to perceive what I had become he couldn't deny my reaction as just.
 
Why hadn't Alistair just asked me for help? He had no need to offer anyone a job. I was home now. I wrestled with the need to talk to that foolish son of mine. I took deep calming breaths until I was sure the glow in my eyes had died and my grip on the couch had lessened. I grabbed my clothes that were strewn on the steps and pulled them on, walking back up to where I knew he would still be. He would be waiting for me to calm down, silently reading his book to pass the time. He had known I would find the scent sooner or later. I stood in his doorway until he looked up.

“Ah, there you are Felan. Now, what is all the trouble about?” 
　　　　
His words were slow and calculated, talking with a tone I had used on him so many times as a boy. I hated the way he had begun to treat me, at times, like the child when I was far older than he would ever be. He was my descendant for Heaven’s sake, not the other way around.

“You know, son, they are both me. I am no different than the wolf as the man. We are the same in skin and in fur. You waste time waiting for something that is not real. It would be best for you to remember these things and forget what you hope to believe.” 

He grunted in disapproval.

“My beliefs will stand probably long after I’m gone. I hardly doubt that’s what you came stomping in here to talk about, hmm?”
　　　　
He waited for me to continue, the book still held upright in his hands.
　　　　
“Please tell me you did not hire a Vila as your new apprentice?” He just smiled as he earmarked his book. "The Presence of God", shone bright gold on the title page.

“No that is unacceptable.” I threw my hands up. “Do you understand the danger you are putting yourself in? Not only is she a danger in and of herself but she has a Tracker following her." I sighed out, disgusted. "Why? Why would you bring this here? I didn't teach you to feel their presence so you could invite them in!”

He finally put the book down, the cover page facing up in mockery, before looking me square in the eye, challenging my outrage.
　　　　
“Like I told you earlier, she is the only one who showed. She responded to a job posting and I need the help. Besides, she is young, Nothing I could fall in love with. She’s full of bitterness and has a sharper tongue than even you. There was no happiness in her eyes. She didn't flirt or giggle and provided no lust or lure. She barely even spoke to me. It will be fine, you need to trust me. I am no longer a child for you to boss around as you please.” He glared at me for a moment before his eyes softened. “It’s only temporary and besides you yourself have said they are not evil, only undecided. They have yet to choose a path and what if I can help her chose the right one? Would you have me deny someone the chance to become something better? To damn someone to the Pits of the Earth simply because you are uncomfortable?”

I wanted to scream ‘YES, leave her to her fate’, but I knew that I couldn’t. He was right. Vila’s were chosen because of their inability to fulfill any purpose in life, mostly driven by their selfishness. But being selfish didn't necessarily make you evil, making the Kingdom and the Pit come to an agreement.They would put the undecideds in the Halfway, so they may chose their own fate. They would have to decide to give up and fall to the Pit or to seek redemption and be granted access into the Kingdom. I had seen that one single moment can change a person’s entire course and that was what Alistair was trying to accomplish. I didn't have the heart to try and explain that this one couldn't be saved. That I had already tried. I sighed in resignation.
　　　　
“Fine. But I am staying here until it’s over. If anything happens I will kill her. That is the risk you are taking.”

“I understand, but it won't come to that. Take it on faith.”