Chapter 10
The morning air was crisp and Gabriel walked alongside Kaiden thankful that he was able to see him again. He trusted Kaiden and couldn’t think of anyone else he would want by his side, especially after everything he had been through. The fact that Kaiden didn't judge him or question the truth in his story, only strengthened his trust and now he couldn't imagine his life without his brother.
As they made their way north, Kaiden continued to walk the path they had taken when they had headed south months ago, while Gabriel ran around hunting and working on his abilities. They were both surprised by what Gabriel could now do and each day they discovered more, making the both wonder what he couldn't do.
By the time they neared the village, Gabriel had collected so much food that, he had to run it to a small waterfall near the village, keeping it not only hidden but cool as well. They both knew that what they already had was enough to keep the village going well passed the winter.
It took Kaiden four days to reach the village but before they showed their faces, they quickly made a cart to carry the food into the village. Neither of them wanting anyone to question how they carried the food around. In fact neither of them really wanted to face the villagers or worse, their parents, they just wanted to say what they needed to and go.
They walked into the village in desperate need of a bath and fresh clothing but that didn’t stop their mother from running over and wrapping her arms around both them. They weren’t expecting such a warm welcome from anyone, especially her.
“I didn’t think you two were coming back” their mother breathed, as she let them go and stood back to look at them.
“We have news for the village elders” Kaiden said, smiling at her. “We also did some hunting.”
“Oh my goodness, look at all that food” she gasped, looking at the cart. “We’re going to have to prepare that for storage.”
“Well it's all yours” Kaiden said, stepping away from the cart. “I think it's time I took a bath and found some clean clothes.”
Without a word, Gabriel smiled at his mother and followed Kaiden as he headed to the river. He could smell everything, including the blood running through her veins and it was making his head hazy.
“Are you alright?” Kaiden asked, as the slipped into the cool, refreshing water of the river that ran by the village.
“I don’t know” Gabriel breathed, noticing Kaiden’s scents as the water washed the dirt from his warm body. “Over the last couple of days, I’ve been feeling more and more hungry but noting I eat seems to satisfy my hunger.”
“Maybe your body's working to hard and using everything you eat too quickly” Kaiden suggested, as he washed every inch of his body. “Perhaps you should eat more, it's not like you can’t catch enough.”
“Perhaps you're right” Gabriel said, hoping he could get through the next couple of days without eating everything in the village, especially when what Kaiden had said made complete sense. “Are you still thinking of leaving?”
“Absolutely, it just doesn’t feel like home anymore” Kaiden answered, glancing up into the trees that lead to the village. “What about you?”
“Even if I wanted to, I couldn’t stay” Gabriel sighed, not sure if he could control himself around others yet. He still needed more time to explore his abilities and couldn't trust he could keep his secrets from the many eyes of the village. “There’s still nothing for me here.”
“Then we are men of the south now” Kaiden announced proudly, as he dropped backwards into the water.
Laughing, Gabriel relaxed in the water and vowed to always keep Kaiden by his side no matter what.
As Gabriel and Kaiden walked up toward the village, Gabriel noticed a rustling in a nearby bush and quickly made his way there. He then reached in and pulled Iris and Lena out.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Gabriel roared at his sister, knowing that if she was spying on them, he was going to loose his temper with her.
“Mum said you were back, we wanted to know if it was true” Iris answered defensively, as Gabriel dragged them over to Kaiden.
“We're your brothers, watching us bathe is sick” Gabriel yelled, furious at her but telling himself to ease off since he still didn't know his own strength. “Next time we bathe, I’m going to chain you both to a tree on the other side of the village.”
“But we didn’t see anything” Iris whined, as she pouted at Gabriel.
“Why the hell would you do such a thing?” Kaiden asked, looking at his sister with disgusted.
"It's my fault" Lena admitted meekly. “You shouldn’t be mad at Iris.”
“Please enlighten us as to why Iris is innocent?” Kaiden growled, narrowing his eyes at her.
Dropping her head, Lena started playing with the material of her dress, too embarrassed to look at either of them. “I have a crush on Gabriel” she admitted, her voice barely audible.
“Fuck this” Gabriel hissed and quickly walked away before anyone could say anything else. He didn't want to hear that Lena had a crush on him, it was the last thing he needed, especially when she belonged to someone else.
Not sure where else to go, Gabriel quickly made his way to his hut, ignoring the stares from the villagers as he went. He didn’t want Lena’s attention, he had no idea how to deal with it, Tiria and Kaiden were the ones who caught the attention of the girls, not him.
“Well you handled that well” Kaiden said, as he walked into Gabriel's hut, to find him madly pacing the hut.
“What was I suppose to do, tell her I feel the same when I don’t” Gabriel growled, running his hand through his wet hair. “She is going to be paired with Sam.”
“I’m not sure if she even likes Sam” Kaiden sighed, as he dropped onto the bed.
“Then why the hell did the seer pair her with him?” Gabriel questioned, angry with the idea that the seer would do such a thing. “I’m beginning to think the seer has no place in pairing us, we should choose for ourselves.”
“Would you pick her?” Kaiden asked.
“No but that doesn’t change the fact that she’s going to be pair with someone she doesn’t like” Gabriel pointed out.
"I agree" Kaiden said, watching his brother furiously pace. “But I still think there is someone out there for me and I plan on finding her.”
“How will we know when meet them?” Gabriel asked, sounding calmer.
“I don’t know, I think the seer might be right in the fact that we will know but I also think that when I do find the one for me, she should also have a choice in the matter as well” Kaiden explained, thinking about what he would want if he had been paired with someone he didn't like. “I don’t think Lena would agree to being paired with Sam if she had the choice.”
“I guess this is something we just can’t change” Gabriel sighed, pausing to look at his shaky hands. “The elders make those decisions.”
“True but you know we have to meet with the elders at some point, it’s the only reason we came back” Kaiden pointed out, knowing Gabriel wasn’t in the mood for talking to others.
"Damn it, why did you have to remind me?” Gabriel groaned, rolling his eyes like a child. “I guess we should get it over with.”
“Can’t you do it, I’m too comfortable to move” Kaiden whined, running his fingers through the fur.
“No way, dad will be there and I don’t think he’s going to listen to much I say, especially since I took you with me, without his blessing” Gabriel pointed out, as he pulled Kaiden to his feet. “He’s probably still pissed off about it.”
“Fine” Kaiden groaned, as Gabriel started heading for the door. “But if he’s still pissed off, we’re leaving tomorrow.”
“Deal” Gabriel laughed, as the stepped outside.
While the sun was low in the sky, it was still bright enough for them to see the curious looks of the villagers faces, not that Gabriel needed the light to see anymore. Some of them looked at them with pity in their eyes, m
ost likely a result of their mothers displeasure in the seers lack of a pairing for them and her inability to keep the news quiet.
The fact that most of the villagers were helping with dinner preparations, was a relief since their path didn't take them passed the food hut and they didn't see as many people as they would have. Although there was no relief in the fact that their father would be with the elders, as chief it was his duty to sit on the council and they always met before dinner to discuss the matters of the day.
As they approached the meeting hut, both brothers could hear the elders talking but only Gabriel could hear what they were saying. They were discussing what to do with the food the two brothers had brought and Gabriel hoped that this would help ease their father's anger.
Tentatively, both brothers entered the meeting hut but Kaiden seemed to be less brave than Gabriel and most just followed his brothers lead. Every elder sitting around the usual small fire looked up at them, most with warm, welcoming smiles but their father did not look amused or welcoming.
Looking over his shoulder at Kaiden, Gabriel made sure that his brother knew he was watching him. He knew Kaiden probably wanted to run, he had never been good with confrontation, especially when it was with their father. Although, Gabriel could see that Kaiden had grown over the months they had spent together in the south and could see a strength in him that he hadn’t seen before.
“Kaiden, Gabriel, it’s so nice to see you both again” an elderly woman said, as the brothers stood side by side in front of the group.
“It is nice to see you all as well” Kaiden said, as the elderly woman was gesturing for them to take a seat. The fact that Kaiden spoke first surprised Gabriel but he was proud of him. “We have news for you.”
“You have also brought back enough food to last the winter” their father said, as they both sat down. “I do wish you would have come to me before you left though.”
“As I’m sure you are all aware, the news the seer gave us did not sit well with either of us and clouded our minds, so we felt that we needed the time to clear them” Gabriel said, looking his father in the eyes in an attempt to show him his strength. “We did found a suitable place to spend the winter just beyond the mountains, although there is much work to be done and I think this is something that you will need to take into consideration for next year. If this is in fact that path you choose to take. There was plenty of food and fresh water which will easily get everyone through the winter.”
“And how long would it take to get there?” their father asked, holding Gabriel's stare.
“It took about a week but I’m sure if you doubled that, everyone would get there safely” Gabriel answered. “We also bought the food because I don’t believe that it will be viable for this coming winter and I truly hope that everyone will get through the coming winter safely.”
“You say that as if you’re not staying” their father pointed out, frowning at him.
“That is a decision yet to be made” Gabriel lied, knowing it would be easier for them that way. “The seer has not paired either of us and I’m not prepared to stay and watch the families around me grow, while I grow old.”
“You don’t need the seers permission to take a woman” their father said, his voice hard and commanding. “This matter was discussed while you were gone and we came to the decision that you could choose an unpaired woman.”
“I’m sorry father but you’re suggesting I take a widow and I’m not prepared to do that” Gabriel said, annoyed that they would think he would be happy with that. “I guess if that’s all you have to offer me, then there really is nothing left for me here.”
“I’m sorry you feel that way” their father sighed and turned his attention to Kaiden. “What about you Kaiden?”
“I can’t leave Gabriel to live out the rest of his days alone” Kaiden answered, surprised by how well their father seemed to be taking their news thus far. “Besides I don’t want any of the women here, I know there is one for me out there and I intend on finding her.”
“You are both men now, I can’t tell you what to do with your lives but as your father, I forbid either of you from leaving” their father growled, finally displaying the anger both brothers knew he would. “The village needs both of you and you have an obligation to us, we are your family.”
“I’m not going to be your worker bee and I’m certainly not going to live the rest of my life blindly following you because you need someone to do the heavy lifting” Gabriel hissed, pushing himself up. “We have given you all enough food to survive the winter, it’s now up to you to do the rest. Your problems are no longer mine.”
“Sit down” their father roared, as Gabriel headed for the door.
"I love you dad but I will be leaving in the morning” Gabriel yelled angrily at his father before he stormed out.
Moments later, Gabriel heard Kaiden tell their father that he will be leaving with Gabriel in the morning and to enjoy the food they had provided. Kaiden then stormed out and stopped in front of Gabriel, who had been waiting for him outside and let out a deep laboured sigh.
“Well that went well” Kaiden said sarcastically, as they walked toward the food hut. “I’m pretty sure the rest of the elders had no idea what to say to any of that but I’m guessing they are probably now discussing it.”
“Well at least they know, so our job is done” Gabriel sighed, knowing exactly what was being said in the hut and it wasn’t something he wanted to share with Kaiden. “Now all I want to do is go and find Tiria to see if we have a niece or nephew.”
“True, we should at least meet Tiria’s child before we leave” Kaiden said, as they approached their mother.
“You two look much better” their mother said, as they sat down in front of her. “You must be hungry.”
“Where’s Tiria?” Kaiden asked, as he grabbed a piece of carrot and popped it in his mouth.
“I’m not sure but he should be here soon” she answered, taking a quick look around. “So Kaiden, are you going to make your own hut before the winter or are you intending on staying with Gabriel?”
“No, we’re not staying” Kaiden answered and braced himself for the worse.
“I knew it, she’s breaking up my family” she cried, as if it was the end of the world. “I’m seriously going to give that woman a piece of my mind next time I see her.”
“Mum, we’re happy, it’s not worth causing trouble over it” Gabriel told her, as her face turned red with anger while Gabriel's heart yearned for something he couldn’t have, not yet anyway. “You should be happy that we will one day find love.”
“No, that’s not good enough, I’m not happy” she growled, frowning at the carrots in front of her. “I’m loosing two of my son’s and she’s the cause of it.”
“Come on mum, can’t we just sweep that under the carpet and enjoy out last night here” Kaiden said and immediately regretted it.
“Tomorrow” she roared, slamming her knife on the table. “You have to stay longer.”
“Yes, tomorrow” Gabriel said as calmly as he could, grabbing her arm to try and calm her. “We need to head south before winter or we’re not going to get any time to set up.”
“I still don’t like it” she pouted, knowing he was right.
“We still love you, we just can’t stay when our partners are out there somewhere” Kaiden told her and somehow got a smile out of her. “And I have to find her.”
“You will both make wonderful fathers” she sighed, looking at them with sad eyes.
“Thanks mum” Kaiden said, smiling at her. “Perhaps one day we will return with wives.”
“Maybe even children” Gabriel added, knowing it would make her feel better, even though he was sure that was probably not going to happen in her life time.
“I'd love that” she breathed and watched as they both stood up and headed for the door.
“Well I’m going to find Tiria” Gabriel sighed, since his mother looked like she was on the verge of c
rying. “I love you mum.”
Gabriel took one last look at his mother before leaving. He didn’t like saying goodbye, especially when he was sure he wasn’t coming back. He also knew his mother wasn’t going to hold back her tears much longer and he wasn’t sure he could deal with it, not to mention the smells were driving him crazy. He needed some fresh air before his instincts kicked in and since he had no idea what he was capable of, he didn’t want that to happen.
The evening air was cool and Gabriel couldn’t help but pull in a deep breath. While the air cleared his mind, it didn’t take away the fact that he felt hungry and he knew he had to sought his hunger out sooner, rather than later.
As he leaned against the wall, Gabriel closed his eyes and tried to block out all the noise and smells that filled the air. He knew Kaiden was still talking to their mother and while he just wanted to find somewhere to be alone, he didn’t trust himself and figured he would be better off sticking with Kaiden.
“Mum wants us to stay for Iris’ pairing ceremony” Kaiden said, as he stepped out of the food hut to find Gabriel leaning against the wall, waiting for him.
“Who the hell is Iris paired with?” Gabriel asked, more defensively than he wanted but she was his sister after all and he still felt the need to protect her. He also found himself wondering how he hadn't heard them, had he been able to successfully block them out?
“Batair” Kaiden answered, rolling his eyes.
“Batair is an asshole” Gabriel spat, looking disgusted. “What the hell was the seer thinking?”
“That’s exactly what I said but mum told me to leave it alone” Kaiden agreed, as they started walking toward the evening fire, where most of the villagers were starting to gather. “I guess it’s good we’re leaving because I’d probably do something stupid.”
“Well if Iris is happy with it than who are we to do anything but I’m glad we’re not staying to watch that ridiculous pairing” Gabriel said, trying to envision what Iris and Batair would be like together but just couldn’t conjure up such a ridiculous image. “I’m now sure we got the better deal, could you imagine who we might have been paired with?”
“True” Kaiden agreed, thinking about all the options and not impressed with any of them.
They sat down and breathed the air in, the smell of cooked meat and freshly herbs filled the air, making Gabriel hope their meal would fill his stomach and ease his hazy mind. Since getting back from Callisto, neither Kaiden nor Gabriel had a reason to want for food. They had been able to collect enough food to feed ten grown men, making Gabriel wonder what was going on and what Sabiha had done to him.
By the time Tiria joined them, Gabriel and Kaiden had nearly finished their meal, although Gabriel wasn’t sure if the food he had eaten had done anything for him. Tiria looked at them both with a broad smile and patted Gabriel on the back as he sat down, making Gabriel glance at him.
“Wow, we didn't think we would have enough to last half the winter until you two came home” Tiria enthused, as he grabbed some food for his own plate. “How did you two get all that food?”
“There is plenty of food in the south” Gabriel answered, struggling to keep his head clear as everything around him seemed to be overwhelming and he couldn’t keep up with it all. “Has Arika had your baby yet?”
“Yes” Tiria beamed, oblivious to Gabriel’s struggles. “He was born in the early summer.”
“And what's his name?” Kaiden asked, looking over at Gabriel and noticing him struggling.
“Oren” Tiria answered proudly before looking over to see Gabriel holding his head in his hands. “You alright Gabriel?”
“Yeah, I’m just tired” Gabriel breathed and as he looked up he saw Arika kiss Tiria on the head and sit down beside him, her sweet scent pushing Gabriel closer to the edge of losing control.
“Kaiden, Gabriel, what a wonderful surprise” Arika said, as she shifted Oren in her arms. “You’re uncles now.”
“Well then let's see him” Kaiden said, signalling for Arika to hand over Oren.
As Arika passed Oren over to Kaiden, Gabriel took in a breath and could smell the sweetness of the child. His mind hazed over even more at the smell and Gabriel found himself staring blankly at Oren as his stomach turned over and over.
Oren looked much like Iris did when she was a baby, big grey eyes and a cute plump face but Gabriel was finding it more difficult to maintain control over himself. He felt like his body knew what it wanted but his mind didn’t and when Kaiden offered Oren to Gabriel, Gabriel jumped back, as if he was frightened of the child.
Gasping, Kaiden pulled Oren back against his chest and looked at Gabriel with concern. Gabriel was the last person Kaiden expected to react that way and his concern for Gabriel was growing.
“What’s wrong?” Tiria asked, frowning at Gabriel.
“I don’t feel so good, I think I should go and lay down” Gabriel answered, as he pushed himself to his feet. His head was getting to hazy and his vision was starting to blur, all he could concentrate on was the sound of Oren’s heart and this deeply concerned him. “I’m sorry.”
“What the hell Gabriel, he’s just a baby, look you’ve frightened him” Tiria growled, as Oren started to cry. “If this is over the fact that I’m with Arika, you really need to get over it.”
“Tiria, don’t” Kaiden hiss defensively. “Gabriel hasn’t been feeling well, he probably doesn’t want Oren to catch something.”
“I’m sorry Tiria” Gabriel mumbled, as he walked toward his hut.
As Gabriel walked away, he could hear Kaiden telling Tiria how Gabriel hadn’t been feeling well and Tiria seemed to buy it. While it was a relief that Kaiden had covered for him, Gabriel still wanted to know what was wrong with him. He was worried that with all his strength, he could seriously hurt someone if he couldn’t control of himself and he wasn’t sure if he could handle that.
Laying on his bed, Gabriel tried to clear his head but the more he tried, the worse he felt. He desperately wanted to know what was wrong with him but he had no idea where to start. Sabiha was gone, so he couldn’t ask her and he certainly wasn’t going to the seer for help, he just hoped he could work it out before he went crazy.
After laying in his bed feeling exhausted, Gabriel finally fell asleep. He needed the strength but not even sleep was going to give him what he needed.