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The Gift

Edward's Storyline, Chapter 1.2

copyright comidacomida 2018

I spent that night alone in my room, gazing at the ceiling as I tried to make sense of everything that had happened that day. My mom had died; I was sure of that. The Ancient One had somehow taken an interest in me and two Guardian spirits showed up to protect me from the same fate as my mom-- which the Ancient One assured me was not his objective. Treboada made an appearance and claimed to have known my dad and to be familiar with the Ancient One. The entirety of everything that had been laid out before me complicated my life in ways I hadn't even considered possible when I woke up that morning.

The only way I was going to have any chance of making sense of everything was to take it in bite-size pieces, so, before I went to bed I decided that I would get to know each 'complication' individually. The following morning I elected to spend the day with Treboada to get as much info as I could about my dad and his family. I sat down with everyone over breakfast (basically I had breakfast and they just lingered around the table) to explain my plan. "I'm gonna go out with Treboada today."

I didn't think the plan would sit well with everyone but I hadn't realized just how badly they'd all take it. The immediate objection came from The Ancient One. The fuzzy red Dragon's coils 'flowed through the air as he curled upon himself, laying his muzzle upon his own back like a dog resting its head on a table. "This is not wise, Edward. You have far more to learn before you--"

I stopped his argument before he could voice it. "It isn't up for discussion. I want answers and I'm starting with Treboada."

Medved picked up right where The Ancient One left off, but in a different direction. "Edward, this Wolf is not a Guardian Spirit. He cares nothing for you and has no Duty to--"

Treboada interjected for me, though not exactly how I would have chosen to. "Haud yer wheesht. Eddie's chosen an' yeh can do yer dinger all yeh want, but--"

I didn't need him fighting my battles for me so I talked right over him. "He would have tried something already if he was gonna, Medved. I'll be fine."

Tom also didn't much care for the idea. "He may be waiting to get you alone, Edward. Yes, he may be harmless, but he may also NOT be."

The green Dragon that was The Ancient One snorted and it caught my attention because a tint wisp of flame came out. He gnashed his teeth as he spoke. "We gave him The Gift so we should be the ones to--"

The Wolf rejected the statement again. "An' 'e didn't ask fer it neither, Ancient One. If 'e's gonna trust yeh then yeh gotta let 'im make his own decisions."

The Ancient Ones crossed his green arms over his mustard-colored chest. "So you say, but the fact that he chose to spend time with you is not lost on us."

I sighed, grabbing my car keys from a bowl I kept near the door. "Enough. Like I said, I made up my mind. You three wait here; Treboada, let's go."

The Wolf inclined his head, reaching up to like I had to grab my keys, only instead, a leather strap with some kind of axe hanging off of it appeared in a swirling mass of smoke. "Right after yeh, boy-o."

Although none of the other spirits offered up any objection, The Ancient One, having taken his rainbow-feathered serpent form called after me. "Edward... please be careful on your search for answers. While you do not yet know what you seek it is possible that some you discover may not be ones you will wish to hear."

I opened the door, looking back at the three spirits in my living room. I almost halted when I saw the disappointed look in Medved's eyes and the concerned one in Tom's, but was already dedicated to my course of action. "If you're so worried then come find me if we're not back by noon. I'm heading to the park off of Mission St."

Even as I closed the door I heard The Ancient One comforting Medved and Tom. "You have no cause to fear. Treboada will not harm Edward-- the Seer means far too much to him."

Putting the other three spirits out of my mind I walked out to my car and unlocked the driver's seat; it was an older car so I didn't have keyless entry. Treboada was already settled into the passenger's seat. When I glanced at him he offered a pleasant smile. "Thanks fer choosin' me, Eddie."

I started the car and put it into reverse. "I just want answers and I think out of everyone you're the one who's able to give them to me."

The Wolf's smile tempered a little and he looked out of the window. "Yeh really don't need t'know aboot yer da, boy-o. All 'e did fer yeh was t'put yeh in yer ma. Waste o'flesh, that one."

I pulled out onto the street and headed toward Mission St as I addressed his point. "What do you know about your own dad?"

The question got him to look back at me, his green eyes glinting in the morning light. "Spirits don't 'ave family in th'way yeh mortals do, Eddie. Ah'm born o' legend an' story an' belief, not body an' soul."

I merged with traffic onto one of the busier streets in Cherry City, heading toward my park of preference; I'm not an outdoor-sy kind of guy but there are benefits to getting out of the house once in awhile... especially since most of the parks in Cherry City aren't busy during the weekdays and I wanted a place where I could talk with the wolf Spirit without people seeing me talking to 'myself'. The discussion in the car was only just starting. "So... you're saying you don't have a mom or a dad?"

He nodded, looking back out the window. "Aye... no ma, da, no family. Ah won't beget a baern an' th' closest ah'll t'any o' that are those'a'ya that mean somethin' t'me."

There was something about the statement that felt like it had a lot more severity to it than his casual statement gave it; maybe that was why he was looking at the scenery rather than at me. I didn't understand why he was being evasive but I didn't really like it. "So... the fact that you knew my dad--"

That got him to look back at me. "Ah don't have'ta LIKE mortals that mean somethin' t'me, Eddie, but bein' near those mortals an' helpin' em t'keep doin' their thing's what gets me what ah need t'live."

I pulled into the empty parking lot and turned off the engine. "The only thing my mom told me about my dad was that he was a friend of one of her high school teachers and that he raped her when she was sixteen."

Treboada got out of the car when I did; he looked at me as I closed the door and headed for the path leading into the park. "Eddie... yeh remembeh what th' Ancient One said when we left about certain answers yeh--"

I interrupted him, coming to a stop so I could look right at him. "Were you there when he raped my mom?"

The Wolf had struck me since our first meeting as a spirit of indomitable will; I got my answer when I saw him unable to meet my gaze. I managed to restrain my fury long enough to ask "And what about Medved and Tom? Weren't they supposed to protect her?"

Treboada nodded. "Aye, laddy-- but spirits can't do much t'mortals that don't see us."

That statement was enough to forestall my anger a moment longer and let my mind come to a more reasonable conclusion. "So... whether you wanted to stop it or not you couldn't?"

Something about the hesitance in his answer didn't sit well with me. "...nay, boy-o... couldn't stop it if ah'd wanted to."

I took several steps before I managed to find an even enough tone to ask "...and... did you want to?"

Although I couldn't hear the sound of his paws on the path beside me I still knew he was following. When he did speak it wasn't to answer my question. "If yeh ma wasn't raped yeh wouldn'ta been born, Eddie. Whadda yeh wanna 'ave me say?"

I had to change direction in my questioning to avoid coming to conclusions, but it was hard-- GOD was it hard. I came to a stop again, speaking through clenched teeth. "And where does The Ancient One fit into things?"

Treboada swallowed, eyes everywhere but facing me. "Ah knew Th' Ancient One from a long ways back, Eddie... ah also knew yer da wasn't gonna live ferever-- 'e did all kinds a bad stuff... drugs... crimes..."

My hands were in fists and they were trembling. My mom had just died less than twenty four hours prior and in that time I'd learned that there were spirits following everyone around, that my mom had somehow been involved in some kind of plan concocted by a Serpent with a major multiple personality disorder, and that the Wolf standing in front of me not only knew my dad, but was there when my dad raped my mom and, for whatever reason, probably wouldn't have stopped him even if he could. "Get to the point."

The Wolf fidgeted, seemingly at-odds with continuing to talk, but he did. "Ah don't give up easy, Eddie, even when life's 'ard. Back then ah was outta luck an' ah knew if yer da died then ah would nae have anywhere else t'go. Th' Ancient One gave me a fightin' chance."

It took a few seconds for that to settle in. It wasn't much of a leap of logic to realize what he was saying. "You and the Ancient One knew he was going to rape my mom?"

Treboada nodded after a moment. "Aye-- Th' Ancient One did know... an' 'e asked me if ah could 'elp 'im make it so."

The statement was a slap in the face. Staring at the Wolf, I--