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Chapter 25

With an excited bark the large hound pounces on me again trying to lick the scales off my face once again. With a chuckle I catch the large animal and spin with his momentum pinning him to the ground this time causing him to let out a loud huff of air as he impacts the dirt looking up at me with clear excitement in his eyes.

Looking away from him and back towards my grandmother I see her smiling happily at the two of us, "Ranger has been waiting for you to come home for a very very long time Ebony. He has missed you greatly even if you didn't remember him before now."

Standing back to my full height I ask, "But why has he, I barely remember him as it is, we couldn't have spent much time together did we?"

She shakes her head, "On the contrary dear, you two were nearly inseparable when you were pups. After the day you two met and forged your bond we rarely found one of you without the other. I think the only reason that he has stayed here for so long is because you told him to wait for you on the morning of your awakening, and seeing as you asked him to wait no one would be able to make him do anything else, you know how loyal they are to their chosen partner."

I look down at Ranger, who is still laying on his back all four feet up in the air grinning up at me, then back at Celeste, "But why did I not remember him? If we were that inseparable surely I wouldn't have forgot him like that."

With a sad smile she says, "It was likely because of the trauma you endured during your awakening, that was such a painful experience for you that I wouldn't be surprised if your mind blocked out as much as it could, both good and bad. You still remember factual stuff from before then of course, but can you tell me what your favorite breakfast was that I cooked for you every Saturday till you were a teenager? Or the melody of your mothers favorite song?"

I open my mouth to answer but freeze as nothing is able to come out. It has been so long since I even thought of my childhood in a positive light that when I try now I come up empty. Letting out a sigh I feel my ears flatten down against my head as my shoulders and wings slump as I say, "I can't remember that much...... I remember are how hard things were at times, how mean some of my cousins were.... but I hardly remember anything positive except you and mom and she....."

Before I can say anything else Celeste has stepped forward and put her paws on either side of my muzzle and points her face at me with a smile in her eyes, "Ebony, I won't pretend that you didn't have a hard childhood at times, only made much much worse by what happened that day. But you had many good times as well. I would imagine you forgot those times in order to protect yourself for all these years when you were alone. I can't begin to imagine what it must have been for you all alone and running for your life like that. But hopefully, now that you know you're safe and free to return here anytime you want, those good memories will return. Starting with Ranger here."

She turns her gaze to look down at the big hound who is now rubbing his back against the dirt, wiggling around like an upside down snake. Laughing she says, "He hasn't been this playful in years."

Smiling down at the goofy animal I tilt my head slightly before asking, "Why does he look so different from the rest of your hounds?"

She smirks up at me before asking, "Well currently he is rolling around in the dirt, normal hounds like to keep their coats clean and debris free."

Rolling my eyes I let out a snort, "I meant the color, scales, and horns. Not something you see on hounds around here very often."

Reaching down she scratches Ranger on the chest before looking back up at me before saying, "Well that's your fault really."

My eyes go wide but before I can answer Chase speaks up, "What do you mean it's Ebony's fault? Don't hell hounds come in all shapes and sizes? That's what you said wasn't it?"

Celeste turns back to Chase and with a small laugh says, "I'm glad you were paying attention, yes they do, but typically my bloodlines all have black fur and no horns. Ranger here is unique. He and Eb share a blood bond which was forged on they day they met."

I feel a wet sloppy lick hit the back of my right paw. I look down and see where Ranger is now laying beside me licking my paw. As soon as he notices me looking at him he lifts his head and his own right paw as if he is trying to tell me something.

For a moment I stare at him as I recall the memory that just returned to me, "The day he and I met, he was limping on his right paw, but when I went to go help him his mother bit me."

My grandmother nods saying, "That's right, she barely grazed the skin thankfully, just gave a warning nip for you to stay away. But Ranger here seemed to understand you were only wanting to help him. So when you were hurt he tried to make you feel better in return. In the process he ended up swallowing some of your blood, which had some rather.... unique effects on him."

Chase looks from Ranger to me then to Celeste before asking, "Unique how?"

She gives Chase a half smile before saying, "Well blood bonds amongst wolves like you and me are typically little more than a symbolic gesture of trust, loyalty, or love. Among demons there can be a wide range of effects depending on the situation and if there was ceremony involved. To my knowledge no demon has ever before or since held a blood bond with a hell hound before. But from what Ive seen of Ranger growing up over the years some of the effects it had were giving him his scales on his muzzle, the horns, the rather unique if stunning coat pattern."

She turns to Ranger and says, "Which is a very handsome coat when you keep it clean."

He gives a huff and rolls his eyes in a manner very reminiscent of a teenager being a brat. Laughing Celeste continues, "Aside from the obvious changes it has also made him much more expressive in his emotions, much stronger and faster than any of his siblings, even though they are a lot bigger still. As for any other changes, it's hard to say to be honest. When you were younger though you two did seem to mirror each other's emotional state almost perfectly. Though that could easily be explained by the fact you two were so close."

As I ponder the implications of what my grandmother has said a loud yelp followed by a soft growl catches my attention. I turn in time to see Chase backing up from Ranger who is actively stalking towards him sniffing the air hard. Chase catches my eye and says, "Would you mind calling him off, he just snuck up behind me and shoved his nose under my tail while doing that invisible thing they do. Liked to have pissed myself."

Celeste gives Ranger a look and says, "Ranger, honey, please be nice to Chase he's a friend of Ebony."

Ranger glances quickly in my grandmothers direction but returns his attention back to Chase and continues advancing giving off his low growl. Now Celeste gets a slightly worried look on her face, "Chase, try and edge your way over by us. I've never seen him behave like this before."

Following her instructions Chase moves to make a step toward us. As his foot shifts however Ranger reacts first and quickly snaps at the foot paw Chase was moving causing him to yelp and pull back a step in the wrong direction.

Acting on instinct to protect my friend I spread my wings as I jump up, flapping them down hard giving myself an extra boost to get up and over Rangers large bulk. Twisting in mid air I drop down hard between Chase and Ranger facing the hound. Baring my fangs at the hell hound a growl rumbles deep within my chest causing a reverberation through the air.

My sudden action against him causes Ranger to stop his aggressive movements toward Chase and lock gazes with me. In his eyes I see confusion at my actions. Reaching behind me I grab hold of Chases arm and pulls him up by my side, lifting my wing over him as I do.

Without breaking my gaze with Ranger I say, "Chase is my friend. He is under my protection. If you hurt him you hurt me."

Ranger looks from me to Chase and back again several moments before leaning forward and sniffing Chase again then sniffs me and looks back into my eyes with a fierce intensity. That's when something in my mind clicks and I relax my stance and continue speaking to Ranger, "Yes my smell is on him I know. But he is no threat to you or me. I promise."

He looks between us again and leans toward Chase a third time pressing his nose hard into Chase's neck sniffing deep at the place where I had bit his neck during our last round of sex. Chase stands stiff as a board trapped as he is between my body and the large hound. After several more deep sniffs Ranger lets out a loud huff then promptly licks the left side of Chase's face leaving another slobbery trail to match the one Shade had left on the other side.

Only this time Ranger doesn't stop with just one lick.

Before I can react he pushes hard on Chases front knocking him out of my grasp and backwards onto his back where he proceeds to lick every square inch of his now sputtering and gasping face.

Standing there in a stunned silence I can't figure out what is going on until a soft laugh comes from Celeste. Turning towards her I give a puzzled look before asking, "What's wrong with him?"

She holds up a paw as she works to get her fit of giggles under control, "He thought Chase was a threat when he first caught your scent on him. Ranger hasn't seen you in so long that at first he didn't even acknowledge Chase was here. Once things calmed down a bit he took stock of the new stranger in his territory. I didn't even notice when he hid himself from view to be honest."

Glancing over at Ranger who seems to be trying to drown a squirming Chase I let out a sharp whistle on reflex. The instant the sound leaves my lips Ranger stops dead in his tracks and whips his head in my direction. Then without prompting quickly gets off of Chase and comes to my side where he sits before rubbing his head against my shoulder.

Chase for his part just remains stationary on the ground trying to catch his breath, his fur spiked and matted in all directions wet with hound slobber. Looking back at my grandmother I ask, "But why did he get aggressive like that?"

She gives me a soft smile then says, "I think he was jealous and thought Chase was a rival for his position as your best friend. But now he understands that Chase holds a different position in your life and no longer feels threatened."

A low bark comes from beside me as Ranger nods his head once before he sniffs at my neck only to draw his head back with a puzzled look on his face before looking back at Chase then at me.

Before I can try and figure out what he is trying to say Celeste speaks up saying, "Ranger, they will answer your questions in time but right now they still have things to work on before they know the answers themselves."

With an obvious huff of annoyance Ranger stands up and walks over to Chase and lays down beside him before nosing at his side trying to get him to sit up. In response Chase just says, "First he tries to attack me, then he tries to drown me, now he wants to poke me..... why can't he just make up his mind on what he wants."

As Ranger keeps nosing at Chase working to get him sitting up I turn to my grandmother and ask, "What do you mean they have things to work on?"

She just shrugs before saying, "Well it just seems like you and Chase have a rather..... complicated relationship going on is all and Ranger seems to think it should be rather simple is all. But we both know matters of the heart rarely are simple."

I go to make a retort about there not being any matters of the heart to figure out when Chase mutters, "Alright alright you big mutt I'm up."

Looking over I see Chase standing up with Ranger pushing his head up under Chase's right arm so that it looks like he is helping Chase to stand up. Smiling slightly at the pair I turn back to my grandmother about to say something when she cuts me off, "I think Ranger will take a strong liking to him now and I know he will protect him just as he would protect you. Hope you have enough room and food for him. He can eat a lot when he's in the mood."

I find myself nodding along with her words up until the moment her words register in my brain causing me to stop mid nod, "Wait what? What do you mean room and food?"

Celeste smiles up at me, "Well you can't honestly expect him to be happy staying here any more can you? He has been waiting for this day for nearly eight hundred years. Sure he would stay if you told him to, but that would probably break his heart all over again. Besides the last thing I need to take care off is a heart broken hell hound."

I turn to my grandmother with wide eyes, "But we really don't have anywhere for him to stay, Chase's pack has no idea about my demonic heritage, let alone that demons and hellhounds actually exist. They just think I have some kind of blood disease or something."

With that she gives a halfhearted sigh and says, "Well if you must hide it just tell them he is a feral wolf who took a liking to the two of you until you tell them the truth."

Looking over at Chase who is reaching up to scratch at Ranger's ear causing the hounds back leg to start kicking so hard the ground is shaking I ask, "And just who in their right mind would think that something bigger than a draft horse is a normal wolf?"

As though in answer to my question Ranger looks at me and stops his leg kicks before standing on all fours and closing his eyes. If I hadn't been watching it happened I would have sworn it couldn't. In a matter of seconds Rangers vast bulk begins to shrink down rapidly as his horns recede back into his skull. His tail transforms into that of a normal wolf, the scales on his face vanish beneath spreading hair, and his coat changes from the black with shifting flames to a a rusty red overcoat with a black undercoat.

Where a moment before a mountain of an animal towered over Chase now stands a large, normal looking, feral wolf coming up to Chases waist. The one thing that didn't change about Ranger was his eyes. While they don't seem to be burning rings of fire like before they do retain a reddish amber color along with the deep piercing intelligence of before.

Turning back to my grandmother I say, "You knew all along he could do that didn't you."

She shrugs, "Its not an uncommon ability for hellhounds, though his is much better than most."

Looking at her through squinted eyes I ask, "Are there any other 'uncommon abilities' I should know about?"

She taps her chin as she looks upwards thinking for a moment before saying, "Not that I can think of right off hand, but I wouldn't be surprised if he doesn't have a hidden trick or two he hasn't shared with me yet."

Rolling my eyes I just mumble, "He will fit right in then, if even the hounds keep secrets...."

Celeste looks up at me with a raised eyebrow, "What was that Ebony?"

Shaking my head as I answer, "Nothing, just saying how he will fit right in with my life."

For another moment my grandmother studies me then shakes her head and turns to look at Chase and Ranger who have somehow found a fair sized stick and are now playing a bit of tug of war. Judging by the long skid marks trailing out from behind Chase he is woefully out matched in strength but the two of them are evenly matched in stubbornness.

As a small smile tries to lift the edges of my lips my grandmother says, "She would have liked him you know."

I look down at her with a questioning look, "Pardon?"

Celeste smiles as she continues to watch Chase and Ranger play, "Your mother, she would have liked Chase a great deal I think. Her greatest fear was that you would never find someone who would accept you as you are and make you happy."

With a grunt I cross my arms and fold my wings down over my shoulders, "Chase I are just friends grandma. Even if we wanted something more than that there is no way it would last. Not with me having to always be on the run. I've already stayed with his pack far to long."

She looks up at me with a sly grin, "But Ebony, the ones you were running from have already found you. Your grandfather knows where you are now, and you know that none of us were trying to hurt you. You have no reason to keep running now. Not even Agerex will cause you trouble now, once he realizes we know what he has been doing to you all these centuries. Your grandfather and I will never allow it."

As her words echo around inside my mind a realization hits me like a falling tree. For the first time in my adult life I am not being hunted by a horde of demons. Only one, fairly strong, demon. I'm no longer alone in the world and can actually choose to settle down somewhere if I wanted. My only concern now is when Agerex decides to show up, and it would seem that when he does I won't actually be alone now. I can, in theory, turn to my grandparents for help.

For several long moments I just stand stiffly as the ramifications of my new reality take shape in my mind. Eventually my grandmother reaches up a paw and places it gently on my arm before saying, "Ebony, I know it will take you some time to get used to the idea that you can actually trust your grandfather but please understand he really does care about you. Even if it's hard for a demon lord to admit it."

She pats my arm once before pulling away saying, "It's starting to get late, I would imagine the rest of Chase's pack may start getting suspicious at your absence for so long."

With a start I look around realizing just how long we had been here, "Your right we really should be getting back."

Nodding she says, "Your portal should still be open where you left it, but to save some time I would suggest you let Ranger take you through the shadows."

Raising an eyebrow I ask, "He can take passengers already?"

Smiling she says, "That he can, though only within this realm. Back on Earth I would imagine his ability to take others with him will be much more limited until he gains more experience."

Turning my gaze over to where Chase and Ranger are still playing I call out, "You two ready to go then?"

With a jerk of their heads they both turn and walk back over to where Celeste and I are standing. When he is back beside me Chase asks, "You're ready to leave? I was just starting to get used to being here."

Celeste smiles over at Chase and says, "Your welcome back here anytime. I would be happy to show you around more."

Chase looks first at me then back at my grandmother before saying, "Uhm... wouldn't that start to get a bit costly on Eb's hand to make that portal every time?"

My grandmother looks up at me with surprise, "You used a blood portal to get here? With your own blood?"

Blinking I look down at her and ask, "What else was I supposed to do? It's not like Grandad has doors all over the world, let alone one that leads to where we were."

She opens her mouth a moment then closes it before shaking her head, "When you and your grandfather talked about your power being sealed away I never thought that would include your ability to open portals to this realm."

Chase and I share a glance before I ask, "What do you mean?"

With a sigh she says, "Most upper level demons can open portals at will to their home realms. Certainly ones who have the level of power you demonstrated at your awakening could do it with ease. But I never thought you wouldn't be able to do so when ever you wanted."

Shaking her head she continues, "I suppose there would be costs to pay for sealing so much of your power away. Well I will just have to talk to your grandfather about setting up a more convenient portal so you two can come back easier. But that's a worry for another day isn't it."

With that she pulls Chase into a sudden hug causing him to stiffen slightly before he returns the gesture. Before she pulls away though I see here whisper something in his ear causing him to look embarrassed before he nods sheepishly. Smiling she places a soft kiss on his cheek before letting him go and coming over to me and pulls me down for a hug as well.

Before I can ask what she told Chase she whispers in my ear, "Don't ask about what I asked of him. He will share it with you when the time is right."

Grumbling I pull away but not before she places a soft kiss on the tip of my nose causing my face to heat up a bit from the show of affection. Before pulling away again she runs a paw over my right upper horn as high as she can reach before smiling and saying, "You look a lot like your father when he was your age, but I can see a lot of your mother in you as well. I can tell that despite everything you have gone through you inherited her good heart."

With that I let out a snort and stand back up to my full height, "I highly doubt that. There are to many sins in my past to every be compared to her like that."

Celeste looks up at me with a sad look in here eyes, "My dear, even if you have done bad things you can still have a good heart. I don't believe for a moment that you ever took pleasure in any of the harm you caused and that will make all the difference."

Taking a step back she smiles and says, "But I've held you two boys up long enough, I'm sure you have important matters back home to take care of." Turning to Ranger she says, "You behave yourself and look after Ebony and his friends now ok?"

Ranger lets out a loud bark and wedges himself in between me and Chase looking up at the two of us expectantly. Acting on impulse I reach down and grab a paw full of his fur before nodding at Chase to do the same. Looking at me confused he follows my example.

As I wave goodbye to my grandmother a sudden cold envelops my entire body as the world around us goes blacker than a moonless night and the sensation of falling sideways grips my body.

Almost as soon as it begins however the heat and brimstone smell of the entrance my grandfathers realm hits me full force as the darkness gives way to the glow of a lava lake. From beside me comes a string of curses and yelling. Turning to look at Chase I realize I forgot one important detail.

With a half smile I say, "Oops."

His gaze turns on me filled with a mix of shock and anger, "OOPS?! What do you mean OOPS? What the hell was that?!"

Suppressing a smile I look down at Ranger who has a mischievous glint in his eyes while he is looking at Chase. Looking back at him I say, "Ranger just took us on a shadow walk."

As his right eye twitches slightly Chase glares at me asking, "What the hell is a shadow walk?"

Scratching my chin for a moment I look up at the ceiling of the cavern trying best to figure out how to describe it, "Basically he is able to step sideways beside reality in order to cover large distances in a very short time. It can be an uncomfortable way to travel if your not used to it."

Chase's eyes widen, "Uncomfortable? I felt like I was being crushed on all sides by blocks of ice!"

I shrug, "It's a fast form of travel, not a comfortable one. But don't get used to it, from what my grandmother just said Ranger probably won't be able to take passengers along again for sometime outside of this place. Not without more practice at any rate."

Chase looks at me with a dumbfounded look before he glances down at Ranger then back up, "No offense to Ranger but I do not EVER want to go through that again."

Ranger lets out a small whine before he nuzzles his nose up into Chases hand as a way of apologizing. For his part Chase just stands there staring at me before he starts to relax then looks down at the hound again before saying, "I'm not mad you big guy, I've just never gone through something like that before and really was not prepared for it..... or really anything that has been dumped on us today."

Chase's words send a spike of anger shooting through me as I raise an eyebrow asking, "You think your having a hard time processing things? My whole life has been revealed to be a lie, everything I have ever believed has now been brought into question."

Chase looks at me with a stung expression before saying, "I didn't mean...."

I just wave a hand through the air, "Let's just get home."

With that I move towards the portal leading back to the third floor lab and step through without so much as a glance backwards.