A Gift

I looked down as the peaceful slumber of a perfectly formed head of red hair. The dawning sunlight shone on her like a golden pot from those fairy tales at the end of a rainbow as my heart felt warm and full. Wait, that’s…that’s me. I suddenly realized what I was seeing was a reflection of Angel’s thoughts. He was looking at me. I smiled and stirred, rolling over to glance up at him. 

“Morning, my love. Been up long?” I stretched and let out a little noise from my throat.

Angel shivered and pulled me closer, snuggling up against me. “Long enough that I have watched the sun come past the horizon.”

A frown crossed my face. “You should have woken me. We could have watched it together.”

“Next time, I shall. But you needed your sleep, Fen. We have a rough day ahead of us.” Leaning over, he kissed my forehead.

“Oh, right, training.” My forehead creased at the prospect. “I’m ready when you are.” I flung the covers back and set my feed on the floor.

“As much as I enjoy the sight of you in your pyjamas, my love, perhaps you should dress a little more appropriately.” He chuckled as he got out of bed and pulled on a loose shirt along with loose fitting pants.

I laughed, shaking my head, “True, but if I’m going to be thrown around today, I want to at least be comfortable.” I walked over to my bureau and slipped into a tshirt and jeans. “Better?”

“You look beautiful in everything you wear, my dear. But yes, apart from the jeans. They will constrict you a little.” He pulled me into an embrace and kissed me softly.

Smiling into the kiss I muttered, “Then what do you suggest, my love?”

A small grin played at the corners of his lips as a glint of mischief twinkled in his eyes, as he reached past me and pulled out a pair of pants similar to his. “These will do. They are loose enough.”

Nodding, I took the pants and changed quickly into them. “Okay, ready. Where do we begin?”

Giving me a quick squeeze, he led the way into the gardens, hand in hand, until we were in the middle of one of the fields. “This is far enough. I think the first thing to do… punch me.”

“Punch you? Angel, I don’t want to hurt you.” I shook my head, crossing my arms in defiance.

“Fen, it is unlikely you will hurt me. And I am asking you to hit me. I need to know whether you need to learn to throw a punch properly, so do as I ask and hit me as hard as you can.”

I sighed, dropped my arms and shook them out, glaring at him. Drawing my arm back, I threw a wide right hook, thumb tucked and made contact with his chest, sending him a few steps back.

“That wasn’t bad. Don’t draw your arm back that far, but it was a solid blow. We will be fine as far as that goes. Now, if you are okay, I think learning to throw someone will be a good idea.”

My eyes sparkled, “Now that sounds like fun.” I chuckled.

He laughed, giving me a mischievous glance. “Do you need to be shown, or do you have an idea on how to do this?”

“It’s about getting under them and using their own momentum, right? I’ve seen it in movies.”

“Basically, yes. Anyone can be taken off of their feet, provided you get enough leverage to bring them over. You are faster and stronger, so you will encounter few people who can actively counter you if you move quick enough. But do you know how to actually do so?”

I shook my head and looked at him, “Not really. Just the concept from the tellie.”

“Very well.” he nodded.

Stepping closer, he took a hold of my wrist, and walked me through the process of throwing an adversary. It seemed to be a simple thing, getting in close and using their own weight to bring them up and over my back.

He didn’t actually throw me, but stepped back. “Understand?”

I inclined my head thoughtfully, taking in the instructions. “I assume you want me to try now?”

“Yes. Or do I need to walk you through it again first?” He asked kindly.

“Maybe one more time?”

He nodded politely and once again walked me through it, this time bringing me off of my feet a little. A small squeal of shock escaped me and he recoiled.

“Is that okay?”

I nodded, “Yeah, I mean, you could have actually thrown me. You know I’m not fragile, right?”

An uneasy look crossed his face, but nodded in agreement. “Why would I throw you? This is about teaching you to throw people, not about getting thrown.”

“Yeah, okay. I just didn’t want you to think you had to treat me like fine china or something. I’ve been thrown around my entire life. I can take it.” I shrugged nonchalantly.

Without saying a word, he stepped forward, and quickly threw me. I landed with a thump on my back as the air was knocked out of me. Yoru and Eechee leapt between us, growling as they knocked him to the forest floor to defend me.

“What the-? What is the matter with you two?” He sputtered, caught off guard by the dog’s reaction. They stayed put, staring him down with their ears pinned back. “Fen, are you okay?”

Brushing myself off, I stood, laughing at the dogs as I watched them. “Guess we know who they love and want to protect.” I walked over to him and extended my hand, shooing the pups back as I approached.

The dogs padded off, but stayed a few feet away, still gazing at Angel warily. “I think we do, and I am glad of it. That makes three of us.”

Smiling back at him, my hand still gripping his wrist from where I helped him to his feet. I smirked, slipped a foot between his and yanked him over my shoulder in one move. The dogs jumped again and growled at Angel. 

Chuckling,he scratched their chins. “She is not in danger, you daft furballs. Fen, will you tell them you are okay?”

Kneeling in front of them I grinned and ruffled their fur. “I’m fine you silly things. I can handle myself. Now go play, you goofs.”

As they wandered off, chasing each other into the forest, Angel pulled himself to his feet and smiled. “That was a good throw. I wasn’t actually expecting it.” He brushed himself off, and stretched. I beamed that I pulled one over on him which made a look of pure pride cross his face as he pulled me into a deep kiss. “Well done.”

“I know you weren’t expecting it. That’s why it worked.” I smirked. “Now when they are expecting it in a fight, I may not be as lucky.”

“That is the thing, no one ever expects to be thrown in a fight. Humans tend to focus on being hit with strikes, or striking their opponent. So a throw can get them off balance more than you think. Aim to catch a punch they throw, you will be fast enough, and use that momentum to catch them off guard.”

“Gotcha, that makes sense.” My head spin suddenly and I felt weak as I stumbled and nearly fell over, feeling faint. “Whoa…”

Flashing forward, Angel caught me before I hit the ground. Holding hme steady, he gazed at me. “You didn’t eat before we came out, did you?”

I shook my head, looking up at him, “Not for a while, that I recall.”

Nodding, he slowly helped me up, he held me steady and pulled his shirt aside to expose his neck. “Eat. Now.” He said calmly and quietly.

Running my fingers gently into his hair, I exposed my fangs and bit gently into his neck, feeding in deep, slow pulls. A small moan escaped my lips as I fed, my skin returning to its normal color.

Leaning back,he studied my face. “Better?”

I licked my lips and nodded. “Much.”

“Good.”

“How do you do that?”

“Do what?”

“Walk so fast. The way you got here and caught me.”

“Ah, that… okay. Truth be told, each of us is turned with a unique gift, one of three. We can learn the other two, but it takes years. I know two, not three, but it took me a few decades to learn the second.”

“A gift?” I frowned.

“An ability that we possess that few others can. I am going to show you right now which is yours.”

“Is mine seeing through your bull shit?” I quipped, raising my eyebrows with a chuckle.

“No.” He returned the laughter, “that is just love.” He added as he kissed my forehead. “I already used one just now.”

“Oh, yeah. The fast moving thing?”

“Yes. That is the one I taught myself. I have a different inherent gift, but hopefully I won’t have to use it around you.”

“Oh?”

“Yes. I have the ability to compel people. But in any case, are you ready to find out which one you have? I am curious, I admit.”

I nodded and muttered, “Mhmm.”

Taking a few steps back, he took a deep breath. “Right. Come and stand here, facing the house.”

I followed, standing where he instructed.

“Right. Head for the house, but focus all of your energy on that first step, eyes on where you want to go. Don’t think about trying to move that fast, just let instinct propel you forward.”

“Sort of like the teleporting? Think about where I want to be?”

“Yes. But keep your eyes on your target, as this is more a short distance thing. Like this…” He  flashed forwards and stared at me from the back patio of the house.

I cocked my head to the side, looking at him from the garden as he winked. I looked down at my feet reluctantly, then back up at him. .

I took a step to move quickly but tripped after only a few steps, falling forward. Flashing back to me, Angel caught me in his arms before I hit the ground.

Infuriated, there was one more thing I couldn’t do, I grumbled out a, “Thanks.”

“Anytime.” He nodded, helping me stand as he seemed to linger in our embrace. “Your gift is not that one then.”

His warm smile and concern melted away my frustration as I smiled back at him sheepishly, “Guess not.”

“Not to worry.” He kissed my forehead as he stood me back up and released me, “Now we will try the fun one.”

A look of mischievousness flashes across my face, “That could have been fun,” I laughed, “But if you say so, let’s do it.”

“This one is a very rare but a very fun one. It is the one I don’t have. The ability to connect with lower forms.”

“Lower forms?”

“Animals. Go and wait on the patio for me, please.” He left me in the field to search in the forest. I wandered back to the  house and sat at a patio table.

He returned and placed his hand on the table, but didn’t let go of what was in it. “Ready?”

“To do what?”

Opening his hand a little, revealing the face of the mouse that was gently trapped in my grip. “Can you see the eyes?” I nodded.

“Focus on them. Keep telling the mouse that you are a friend. That you mean no harm to it at all. Try and build a connection.”

“He’s a mouse…how can he even understand me?”

“If it has a brain, you can connect with it. Like the telepathy between us.”

“So thoughts, yes? That’s what I was going to say.” I looked back at the mouse, leaning forward, and sent it images of peace and warmth.

I caught Angel as he looked at me with a slight grin, “Are you ready?” My eyes were still on the mouse as I nodded.

With the slightest hesitation, he opened his hand and released the mouse, leaving it standing calmly and bravely in the middle of the table. “Call it to you, if you can.”

I rested my hand down at the edge of the table, palm up and stared at it. The mouse wiggled his nose and whiskers a little then ran into my hand. Angel smiled widely, watching proudly as the tiny rodent made itself at home.

I sat up with the mouse on her hand, and pet it as it settled down in my palm, closing his eyes

“You have the rare one, Fen. This is amazing. Just wait until we try with bigger animals.”

I glanced at him sheepishly, “I think I already have. When you first introduced me to Yoru and Eechee, I think they told me their names, Angel.”

“You think they told you? Did you hear anything when you were with them? Like an echo in your mind, or what felt like someone whispering to you?”

“Sort of, but it was much clearer. Like when you and I speak telepathically.”

“That was the gift, yes. You can do it with any animal, provided you can keep eye contact with it for long enough.” He grinned and pulled me into a tight hug.

Tilting my head, I looked up at him, returning the smile. “But Angel, I don’t have to be looking at the pups to hear them…”

“That is because they trust you, they know you mean no harm. They aren’t suspicious of you so they don’t hide their thoughts. Animals are smarter than humans think.” He shrugged, watching the two dogs come thundering up the fields to us.

I knelt down and snuggled each of them after they approached. I heard Angel’s phone buzz and he retrieved it from his pocket. He snarled a little, as he put it away.

 “Fen, my dear?” He asked. I looked up, puzzled at the anger in his voice. “How would you like an early lunch?”