losthunter (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
losthunter) wrote2018-08-16 07:31 pm
losthunter) wrote2018-08-16 07:31 pm
Entry tags:
a twisting path through the roses
He is dreaming. It is one of those surreal dreams, where he knows he is dreaming. It started out as a nice dream -- him and Jim walking hand-in-hand on the beach. And then a storm comes up. And they are running for shelter. But instead of it taking a rom-com turn, where they end up kissing under the boardwalk -- the storm just gets worse and worse.
And then the darkness of the storm rips Jim away from Hunter. He is almost awake with a scream at his throat.
But there is something that keeps him asleep. A presence. The familiar sensation of Kendra's magic that keeps him in the dream.
"Find me. Find me." Her voice is so faint. And Hunter feels himself climb out of bed, half-asleep, but aware enough to walk. To try to follow the voice.
It is cold outside. He can feel the cold, since he is walking the streets in his pajamas. Luckily it is New York, and no one is going to be bothered by the sight of someone outside in just their PJs. Most will assume he is doing a midnight grocery run.
He keeps to the sidewalks, as he walks in a desperate effort to find the voice. He knows that he is heading the right direction, as that voice calling out "Find me. Find me." is getting slowly and slowly louder. And in his half-asleep awareness, Hunter knows he is now heading into the poorer sections of town. The places where it is common to see the homeless seeking shelter in the alleyways.
With every step he takes, the dream gets weaker and weaker, the voice gets stronger, and Hunter becomes more and more aware of his surroundings. He knows that to the homeless, right now it is Hunter who is out of place. Especially with his expensive silk pajamas.
He wishes more than anything to have his tattoos back. At least those made him look intimidating.
Soon, he overhears an argument between one girl and three guys. And the girl sounds a lot like Kendra. It is at that point that he now longer hears Kendra's voice asking him to 'Find Me'. It seems that this is where she was leading him. To her sister. Who has sought out a safe place to sleep on the streets and has run into trouble with a couple of young men.
"Don't touch me!" The girl screams, as one of the men grabs her arm.
Hunter knows that if he doesn't act now, that something bad will happen. So he hurries around the corner, wide awake now, to face the three young men. "You heard her. Let her go."
He might not be intimating, without his tattoos and piercings, but the young men are momentarily so surprised that they do let go of the girl. She moves behind Hunter, clinging to his arm in fear. Then the young men realize that they still have an advantage. Especially when one reveals the fact that he was carrying a knife.
"Be careful Hunter." The girl whispers.
He will have to ask her how she knows his name later. Right now, he is more worried about protecting her. "Stay behind me."
The first two young men, the ones without weapons, are not an issue for Hunter. He has years of endurance and physical training behind him. He has years of living on the streets as an advantage. He has one knocked out and is in the midst of fighting the second, when the third -- the one with the weapon -- takes advantage of an opening to stab Hunter deep in the gut. With the adrenaline of the fight, Hunter is able to ignore it.
He quickly knocks out the second man, turning to face the one with the knife. The youth rushes in, stabbing Hunter again. Hunter feels an anger deep in his soul, as he pushes the man back against the wall. With the pain from the two bleeding wounds, Hunter is very tempted to take the knife from the man, and stab him back in return. Instead, Hunter decides to knock out the third man, and not give into his own anger.
The adrenaline wears off, and Hunter kneels to the ground, holding his stomach. The girl touches his shoulder. "Thank you Hunter."
"How do you know me?" He asks. Looking up at her.
"She told me."
"Kendra?"
"Yes." He suddenly feels a warmth surrounding his gut, and less pain from his wounds. He then realizes that his rose tattoo is back on his wrist. And that the girl is using her magic -- their magic -- to heal him.
"Who are you?" He asks, desperate for information.
"Karlene." He feels a surge of her magic, and in a painful moment his tattooed appearance is completely back. And he can see that she is struggling to maintain control.
"No. Don't force it." He pushes her hands off him. Her connection to him stops and he goes back to his non-magicked appearance. His wounds are mostly healed at this point. "You are hurting yourself."
Karlene takes a step back. Not sure why he cares so much about his welfare. Not when she has the magic that her sister had gifted him. She feels the tears in her eyes. "I can't control it."
"I know." Hunter manages to get to his feet. His shirt is bloody.
"I can help you Karlene." He holds out a hand to her. "You can stay at my place. I know a few magic users who can help you learn how to control it."
"I can't..." She backs up slightly. Scared.
"Please don't run from me." Hunter knows there is no way he would have the energy to go after her.
"Sorry. I can't..." And with that, she runs. Disappearing into the darkness.
Hunter sighs. A hand at his gut, where the healed wounds are still fresh enough to hurt, he walks back home. At least he knows her name now. At least she knows he wants to help.
And then the darkness of the storm rips Jim away from Hunter. He is almost awake with a scream at his throat.
But there is something that keeps him asleep. A presence. The familiar sensation of Kendra's magic that keeps him in the dream.
"Find me. Find me." Her voice is so faint. And Hunter feels himself climb out of bed, half-asleep, but aware enough to walk. To try to follow the voice.
It is cold outside. He can feel the cold, since he is walking the streets in his pajamas. Luckily it is New York, and no one is going to be bothered by the sight of someone outside in just their PJs. Most will assume he is doing a midnight grocery run.
He keeps to the sidewalks, as he walks in a desperate effort to find the voice. He knows that he is heading the right direction, as that voice calling out "Find me. Find me." is getting slowly and slowly louder. And in his half-asleep awareness, Hunter knows he is now heading into the poorer sections of town. The places where it is common to see the homeless seeking shelter in the alleyways.
With every step he takes, the dream gets weaker and weaker, the voice gets stronger, and Hunter becomes more and more aware of his surroundings. He knows that to the homeless, right now it is Hunter who is out of place. Especially with his expensive silk pajamas.
He wishes more than anything to have his tattoos back. At least those made him look intimidating.
Soon, he overhears an argument between one girl and three guys. And the girl sounds a lot like Kendra. It is at that point that he now longer hears Kendra's voice asking him to 'Find Me'. It seems that this is where she was leading him. To her sister. Who has sought out a safe place to sleep on the streets and has run into trouble with a couple of young men.
"Don't touch me!" The girl screams, as one of the men grabs her arm.
Hunter knows that if he doesn't act now, that something bad will happen. So he hurries around the corner, wide awake now, to face the three young men. "You heard her. Let her go."
He might not be intimating, without his tattoos and piercings, but the young men are momentarily so surprised that they do let go of the girl. She moves behind Hunter, clinging to his arm in fear. Then the young men realize that they still have an advantage. Especially when one reveals the fact that he was carrying a knife.
"Be careful Hunter." The girl whispers.
He will have to ask her how she knows his name later. Right now, he is more worried about protecting her. "Stay behind me."
The first two young men, the ones without weapons, are not an issue for Hunter. He has years of endurance and physical training behind him. He has years of living on the streets as an advantage. He has one knocked out and is in the midst of fighting the second, when the third -- the one with the weapon -- takes advantage of an opening to stab Hunter deep in the gut. With the adrenaline of the fight, Hunter is able to ignore it.
He quickly knocks out the second man, turning to face the one with the knife. The youth rushes in, stabbing Hunter again. Hunter feels an anger deep in his soul, as he pushes the man back against the wall. With the pain from the two bleeding wounds, Hunter is very tempted to take the knife from the man, and stab him back in return. Instead, Hunter decides to knock out the third man, and not give into his own anger.
The adrenaline wears off, and Hunter kneels to the ground, holding his stomach. The girl touches his shoulder. "Thank you Hunter."
"How do you know me?" He asks. Looking up at her.
"She told me."
"Kendra?"
"Yes." He suddenly feels a warmth surrounding his gut, and less pain from his wounds. He then realizes that his rose tattoo is back on his wrist. And that the girl is using her magic -- their magic -- to heal him.
"Who are you?" He asks, desperate for information.
"Karlene." He feels a surge of her magic, and in a painful moment his tattooed appearance is completely back. And he can see that she is struggling to maintain control.
"No. Don't force it." He pushes her hands off him. Her connection to him stops and he goes back to his non-magicked appearance. His wounds are mostly healed at this point. "You are hurting yourself."
Karlene takes a step back. Not sure why he cares so much about his welfare. Not when she has the magic that her sister had gifted him. She feels the tears in her eyes. "I can't control it."
"I know." Hunter manages to get to his feet. His shirt is bloody.
"I can help you Karlene." He holds out a hand to her. "You can stay at my place. I know a few magic users who can help you learn how to control it."
"I can't..." She backs up slightly. Scared.
"Please don't run from me." Hunter knows there is no way he would have the energy to go after her.
"Sorry. I can't..." And with that, she runs. Disappearing into the darkness.
Hunter sighs. A hand at his gut, where the healed wounds are still fresh enough to hurt, he walks back home. At least he knows her name now. At least she knows he wants to help.