{"id":1319,"date":"2012-07-25T00:00:55","date_gmt":"2012-07-25T04:00:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/?p=1319"},"modified":"2012-07-24T18:52:39","modified_gmt":"2012-07-24T22:52:39","slug":"winter-chapter-17-02","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/?p=1319","title":{"rendered":"Winter – Chapter 17 – 02"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>There was snow on the ground, the paths between the rows of sheds dusted with wet, fluffy white.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>A warm snow, but snow just the same.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>It was still falling as we stepped out into the darkness before dawn, our breath steaming in the air as the snow hit our sweatshirts and jeans, our gloved hands and our hair, melting quickly against the warmth of our bodies.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Thom shook his head, dusting some of the damp white from his hair as we headed for the tent that still held our cookfire and piles of extra dorm furniture.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cSnow.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Barely November, and snow every night.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cIt\u2019s not going to get any better,\u201d I said as I leaned against him.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>He slid an arm around my waist.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cAt least not until March or April.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>It\u2019ll just get worse.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Michigan winter to the Nth degree.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>He sighed and shook his head again.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cI was holding out some hope, you know?<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>That maybe the snow and everything in October was just some kind of cold snap.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cI\u2019ve got news for you\u2014it wasn\u2019t.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I kissed his jaw lightly as we crossed into the tent.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Rory glanced up from his spot near the fire, brows knitting.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWhat the hell are you two doing up?<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Did someone forget to relieve me from the graveyard?\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cApparently so,\u201d I said.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cHow long has it been snowing?\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>He shrugged.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cMaybe an hour.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>You lose track of time, sitting here at night.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>He stretched and stood up, smothering a yawn.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cMust be around three-thirty or four.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Someone\u2019s usually relieving me by now, but I haven\u2019t seen anyone.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Mind if I go to bed?\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>I shook my head as I started to fill a kettle with water.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cI don\u2019t see a reason to make you stay up.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Do you, Thom?\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cSack out, Rory,\u201d Thom said, hefting a log and adding it to the smoldering cookfire.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cHas it been quiet tonight?\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cLike the grave,\u201d Rory answered around a yawn.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cHaven\u2019t seen or heard anything.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Things have been quiet since the pack of puppies showed up.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>I winced at the terminology and shook my head.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cDon\u2019t let them hear you call them that again.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>The little one about took your head off the first time.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Rory shot me a cheeky, if tired, grin and wandered off toward his bed.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I just sighed and shook my head again.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cHe\u2019s going to insult the wrong thing someday and get himself killed.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Thom chuckled, taking the kettle from me.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cMore than likely.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Let\u2019s hope that day is a long, long time in coming, though.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>We need all the hands we can get, and his ability to bitchslap the Greys is useful.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>I couldn\u2019t argue that point.<\/span>\u00a0 Hopefully he\u2019ll learn not to do it in a way that isn\u2019t a <\/em><\/span>hard<\/span> way.<\/em>\u00a0 <\/span>I barely stopped myself from shaking my head a third time as I got two heavy mugs from the shelves of clean dishes nearby.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Thom settled by the fire, letting me continue my preparations for two mugs of strong black tea to get us through our early morning watch.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>The vision tugged at me, something niggling in the back of my brain.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>There was something familiar about both of the figures\u2014the man more than the woman\u2014but I couldn\u2019t quite sort out what it was.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I don\u2019t understand why either of them would be that familiar.\u00a0 <\/span>I\u2019ve never seen either of them before in my\u2014<\/span><\/em><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Of course.<\/em><\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cThat\u2019s it,\u201d I murmured, feeling like I should smack myself upside the head.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I saw one\u2014or both of them\u2014in a vision at some point.\u00a0 <\/span>The question is, is it a vision I can remember, or is one I\u2019ve forgotten?<\/span><\/em><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWhat\u2019s it?\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Thom asked as I turned and came back to the fire and settled in next to him.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cThe dream,\u201d I said.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cThe two people I saw.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>They were familiar, but I know that I\u2019ve never actually met them.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Then I figured it out.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Thom studied me for a long moment, then said, \u201cYou\u2019ve seen them.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>You\u2019ve seen them before\u2014in a dream, in something.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cExactly,\u201d I said.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I stared off beyond the fire, into the darkness of the night.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cA seer, or a shaman?\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>I jumped two feet in the air at the sound of the barely-familiar voice, my heart starting to race at twice normal speed.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Thom jerked around and cursed, glaring at the shadows.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cGoddamn it, Daniel.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>The shifter melted out of the shadows behind us, looking only vaguely abashed for having startled us.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cSorry.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I thought you\u2019d heard me coming.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cFor a werewolf, you move like a cat,\u201d Thom said, waving for him to join us by the fire.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I got up to get another mug.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Daniel winced slightly.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWell, a hunter\u2019s only as good as his ability to remain undetected, isn\u2019t he?\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>He seated himself near the fire, his back to the interior of the tent.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cSorry to have startled you both.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>That wasn\u2019t my intention.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I\u2019m not intruding, am I?\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cNo,\u201d I said as I returned with the third mug.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cNeither of us could sleep.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>You, too?\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cAt the risk of heightening my resemblance to a cat?<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>No, I couldn\u2019t.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I\u2019m one for short bursts of sleeping.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Catnaps, if you will.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>He offered us a brief, rueful smile.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cAfter an hour of staring at the ceiling, I decided it would be best to at least come where it\u2019s warmer\u2014not that your hospitality is not heartily appreciated.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>He and the rest of his pack were sharing two of the spare sheds near the end of one of the rows.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>There were a few that were unoccupied that we\u2019d been planning on using for supplies until the need for them arose.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>The fact that we hadn\u2019t moved supplies into them yet turned out to be an unexpected boon.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cYou\u2019re welcome to it,\u201d Thom said.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>He hadn\u2019t warmed much to the five shifters in the week they\u2019d been here, but they hadn\u2019t crossed him, either.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Only Phelan seemed to regard them with more trepidation\u2014though I had a feeling that had something to do with them calling him <\/span>Wanderer<\/span><\/em> upon their arrival.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>I <\/span>still<\/span><\/em> wondered who Cara O\u2019Shea was, but I hadn\u2019t had a chance to ask.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cMy thanks,\u201d Daniel said, resting his hands on his knees as he sat cross-legged.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cSo which is it, if you don\u2019t mind my prying?\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cSeer,\u201d I said.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>There wasn\u2019t harm in telling him, I\u2019d decided.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>He was Drew\u2019s half brother, after all\u2014another story that hadn\u2019t quite been relayed to us.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Sometimes I wonder exactly how much I really know about all of these people around me.\u00a0 <\/span>Even Thom and I have secrets\u2014less now than we used to, but still.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>What other surprises are going to come out of the woodwork?<\/span><\/em>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cBeen seeing things for a long time and it\u2019s gotten worse since the world ended.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Thom winced slightly and put his arm around my shoulders.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>He kept his mouth shut.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 If he wants to keep his own ability a secret, that\u2019s fine by me.<\/em>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWhy do you ask?\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cCurious, largely because of what I overheard.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Daniel smiled faintly and shook his head.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cFrom what I understand, it\u2019s a rare gift\u2014the gift of <\/span>true<\/span><\/em> visions, of true prophecy.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>They come unaided?\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cUnaided and unrequested,\u201d I said with a rueful smile.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cRemarkable,\u201d the Welshman said, smiling faintly.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cA Cassandra.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cCassandra?\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Thom asked.<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 I don\u2019t like the sound of this.<\/em><\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cCassandra,\u201d Daniel said.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cFrom the <\/span>Illiad<\/span><\/em>.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>Daughter of Priam of Troy.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 What is he implying?<\/em><\/span>\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u201cGift of prophecy.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I stared at Daniel.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cBut no one believed her.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>I\u2019m not her.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>People believe <\/span>me<\/span><\/em>.\u201d<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cThen you are truly blessed,\u201d he said quietly, inclining his head.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cTruly blessed indeed.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 There was snow on the ground, the paths between the rows of sheds dusted with wet, fluffy white.\u00a0 A warm snow, but snow just the same.\u00a0 It was still falling as we stepped out into the darkness before dawn, … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[35,56,14,52,39],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1319","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-book-2","category-chapter-17","category-story","category-winter","category-year-one"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1EBlN-lh","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1319","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1319"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1319\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1321,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1319\/revisions\/1321"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1319"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1319"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1319"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}