Feathers (20 page)

             
“Renegade huh?” I said, looking over at Sean.

             
Sean just shrugged though.  “It’s been my nick name with him for a while now.  He claims I cause as much trouble as my father did.” He said.

             
“Really?  You certainly don’t act like you could do that.” I commented.

             
“He hasn’t for quite a while now.  But I’d say that’s more thanks to you little lady.  You’re the best thing that could’ve happened to him.” Manake said.

             
I felt myself blush slightly at that one.  So I’d at least won another fox’s approval.  Obviously, Manake was the one who kept an eye on Sean since his father was gone.  It sounded like they really had been friends for a long time.  It made me wonder what he must have thought when Sage first decided to love a human woman.

             
“Manake, don’t embarrass her.  I told you that you had to be nice if you wanted to stay.” Sara told him.

             
“I am being nice.  I just told the truth.” Manake retorted.  But at that time, he also looked back at Sean again.  “Also, there is something I wanted to speak with you about.  It seems there’s another in our mists now.”

             
I saw Sean sit up a little.  “Another?  Here in Madison?” he said.

             
“It’s part of the reason I also came back.  I wanted to see if the rumors were true.  If so, it seems he did come here after all.” Manake said.

             
“Who?” I asked, feeling lost now.  Obviously, they were talking about someone they must have known well.

             
But unfortunately, I wasn’t really heard.  “So he did hear about it, didn’t he?  You realize that this could be bad now Manake.  And not just with us.” Sara said softly.  I saw her stop what she was doing and look down.  It was almost like she was afraid.

             
“Wait a minute.  You’re not talking about
that
fox, are you?” Sean said.

             
“Afraid so.  He’s finally decided it’s time to find you.” Manake answered.

             
So they were talking about another fox after all.  I was suspecting as much, though I didn’t like the reactions I was seeing now.  Obviously, this one wasn’t going to be as friendly.

             
“My apologies for dropping this on you when you were just hoping to have a nice evening with your love interest, but you probably should be wary now.  You know what his reputation is like.  And more then likely, he’s going to try the roundabout approach first with those you’re considered close to here.” Manake continued.

             
“But he must realize that the Renaldis are here as well.  He wouldn’t be stupid enough to try something with them.” Sean reasoned.

             
“Does my dad or uncle know about this?  If there is another fox around here that’s going to cause trouble, they’ll probably handle them.” I finally added.  I knew that Sean was right about things with my family.  We wouldn’t let anything happen if we could prevent it.

             
“Not really.  But I did inform Raphael Renaldi of it.  I figured it might be better to go through him first, even if Michael is the head of the clan.  Raphael has apparently been the one who handles trouble first.” Manake admitted.

             
I knew that one to be true.  Raphael was more of the enforcer in our family.  Michael admitted that one himself to me.  He usually left these things up to Raphael because Raphael tended to be so good at resolving them.  He didn’t always eliminate threats, but he made sure that things stayed safe enough for us and those around us.

             
“Have you seen any sign of him lately?” Sara asked.

             
Sean shook his head.  “No.  There hasn’t been a sign of another fox around this area recently.” He replied.

             
All at once, I remembered my strange feeling with the new guy in our class.  Sean hadn’t been there, and we hadn’t seen Flint before we’d left.  Still, he’d claimed he was in the class before with Raziel.  Wouldn’t Raziel have said something to it if he suspected there was another fox?  Surely he would’ve noticed the difference too.

             
“Don’t let your guard down just because you haven’t sensed him yet Sean.  Sage and I have taught you that much.  Foxes are all tricky, but the older generations are even more so.  And this one may not be a nine tail, but he’s been around for a few thousand years now.  He knows the tricks, and he knows how to lure those around him into a false sense of security.  So use your caution.” Manake warned him.

             
“Understood.”  Sean agreed.

             
Sara sighed.  “All right.  Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, why don’t we just leave it for now?  I really don’t want to make this a bad day.” She suggested.

             
“Of course.  You don’t mind still if I stay, do you?” Manake asked her.

             
“No.” Sara said, smiling at him.  “You know I always look forward to your company.”

             
The rest of our evening would pass pretty quietly after that.  Sara fixed a nice dinner for us, and everyone seemed to be trying to forget about the whole other fox thing.  Still, I couldn’t help but wonder in the back of my mind about it.  If I was right, then Flint may have been that other fox.  But if he was that old, why in the world did he enter the high school?  Was it because he was really looking for Sean?

             
I decided against telling Sean anything about it though.  Instead, I acted like I knew nothing.  But after Sean dropped me off at home, I did feel like it was better if I mentioned all of this to Michael.  If Raphael knew, then surely Michael would know by now.  And maybe he could tell me if I was really right about Flint.

             
I found Michael in the den, quietly looking over some things on his lap top.  He smiled when he noticed me come in.  “Hey, how did things go?” he asked as I sat down near him.

             
“Fine.  But it wasn’t just us.  Manake came back.” I admitted.

             
“I’m not too surprised.  He’s probably keeping an eye on Sara now.” Michael said.

             
“So I guess Raphael told you about that other fox he was talking about.” I said.

             
“He did.” Michael replied.  “I can’t say I’m that surprised, though we really haven’t had many of them through here before.”

             
“Are you worried about it?  You don’t sound too happy.” I noted.

             
Michael sighed.  “No, I’m not.  This one isn’t like Sean and Manake.  And given what Raphael’s already heard, I have a bad feeling now.” He admitted.

             
“Heard what?” I dared ask.

             
For a moment, Michael was quiet.  But then, he seemed to relent on telling me.  “I may as well tell you.  I’m sure Raphael is already warning Raziel too.  While we had trouble with Sean, it’s nothing compared to a full blood fox like this.  This is one of them that enjoys hunting.  Basically, he came to Madison because there’s something he’s after.  And I think that something might be Sean himself.” He explained.

             
“But why?  Sean’s not a full fox.  It seems a little silly.” I said.

             
“One would think so.  But I think there might be more to this also that Manake doesn’t want to tell us.  Given Sean’s father’s reputation, there could be.  But right now, I think we should focus more on our first challenge of finding it. No doubt it’s hiding somewhere in plain sight.  They usually do.” Michael said.

             
I thought about it for a moment.  “Hey Dad, do you think if Raziel and I saw someone who was like that that we’d know?” I asked.

             
“More then likely.  You both have all your senses.  And usually all it takes is one look to know that something is off somewhere with one that isn’t human.  But I’m taking it with that question that you think you might have seen something.” Michael said.

             
“I don’t know.” I admitted.  “It was strange today, and Raziel didn’t say anything about it.  But in my last class, there was a new guy that walked in right after it started.  There was something really weird about him, but I don’t know exactly what.  Something just didn’t feel right.  He told Anna that he had the class before with Raziel, but he never said anything about him.”

             
Michael seemed to think it over for a moment.  “It’s possible he could’ve lied about it.  But normally instinct with us isn’t wrong either.  But if he’s the fox, then why show up there?  He can’t challenge Sean there.” He muttered.

             
“Manake said that he’s tricky.  Maybe he’s planning something.” I suggested.

             
Michael shook his head.  “I don’t know.  I don’t like this though.  I know this bad feeling I have, and I know to heed it by now.  If this is our fox, we’re going to have to be very careful.  More then likely, he’ll try to lure others in with such a ruse.  It could prove very bad for us in the end.” He said.

             
“Dad, you don’t think he’d really do something to Sean, do you?” I asked, though I feared I already knew the answer.

             
“I don’t know.  The truth is that foxes can be very vicious in the end.  When Sean tried to attack you back in January, he did hold back a lot.  This fox probably won’t if he goes on the attack.  I hate to tell you darling, but you might have to deal with seeing something terrible in the end.” Michael said softly.

             
I knew in my heart that my dad was right, though I really didn’t want him to be.  But before I could say anymore, Michael spoke again.  “Mia, I think it would be better if you and Raziel were very careful in this.  If this new one there is the fox, then something’s definitely being planned.  But also, this might give us some insight to it as well.  Keep your distance, but let me know what you happen to see or hear.” He added.

             
I nodded.  “Sure.  But I don’t think it’s going to be that hard either.  He certainly acted friendly enough.” I said.

             
“Even so, I think we’re going to take another step in this too.  Just give me a bit of time.  Also, I want you to not mention all of this to Sean yet.  He might take the offensive quicker if he finds that fox through you.” Michael said.

             
“I get it.  But what else are you planning now?  You must have something in mind.” I said.

             
“I do.” Michael said.  “But you’ll see soon enough.”

Seventeen

              When Michael plans something, he does it well.  That’s what I began to figure out within the next few passing days.  As for what he was up to, it did indeed involve me and Raziel.  I was beginning to think that perhaps my dad was a little more afraid of what this fox would do then he let on.  My first inkling of that came when I learned one morning that Raziel had been transferred into my classes.  Apparently, it was conveniently said that Raziel needed those classes to be completed.  As it turned out, Raziel had not seen the new guy that first day because he’d decided to skip.  Of course, once he was in my Algebra class that first day and saw Flint for himself, he immediately formed an opinion that he had to tell me about later that night over the phone.

             
“That’s definitely a fox.” Were his words to me.

             
No surprise there.  That was all I could think.  Still, Flint was laying low too.  He was friendly to us, but that was about it.  And he definitely wasn’t letting Sean see him at first.  Of course, that changed within the week too.  One lunchtime, Sean was able to catch his scent and noticed him.  The two stared at each other for a moment, then Flint walked away.  But I didn’t miss the look in Sean’s eyes.  He didn’t like the entire scenario one bit.

             
Sitting up in my room a few days later, I couldn’t help but reflect on it all.  Near me, Raziel was leaned back in the computer chair and tossing a pencil up and down.  “I don’t get it myself.  Why would a full blooded fox enroll in a high school?  If he wants Sean, he could just challenge him outside here.” He was saying.

             
“It doesn’t always work like that.  Foxes like Flint aren’t ones for straight approaches.” Sean said from where he was sitting back with me in the bean bag chair.

             
“Who is he anyways?  Why does he want you?” Raziel asked, looking straight at him.

             
Sean sighed, running his fingers through my hair again.  “You could say he’s partly family.” He admitted.

             
“Family?” I repeated.  This didn’t sound good.

             
“Unfortunately, yes.  I wasn’t the only one that came from my father in all the time he lived.  Flint was one of his full bloods.  But they weren’t close from what I remember hearing.  And there’s always been the sentiment that he’s never liked me.” Sean explained.

             
“Damn.  Must suck to be in a fox family if that stuff’s going to happen.” Raziel commented.

             
“It’s not that unusual in the end for the ones like me.  But I’m not worried about it either.  If he wants a fight, I can give it to him.  But he’s not going to hurt the people I care about either.” Sean told him.

             
“Just be careful.  It’s bad enough that you’ve almost gotten yourself killed before because you didn’t think you were outmatched.” I said, looking up at him.

             
But Sean just smiled.  “Trust me, it takes a lot of outmatch me.” He promised.

             
Raziel huffed, looking at his phone again.  “Are you okay?” I asked him.  He’d been looking at his phone a lot in the last hour he’d been up there with us.

             
“Yeah.  I was just wondering where Anna is.  She told me she’d call whenever her dad left.” Raziel said, sounding a bit defeated now.

             
“You really should just tell the old man now.  You know it’s going to get caught eventually.  And you said yourself that you’re planning on staying with her.” Sean told him.

             
“My situation’s a little different from yours Fox.  Besides, you’re lucky that Michael is Mia’s father.  He’s the more laid back one in our family.  If it had been my dad, he probably would’ve killed you for what you tried before.” Raziel informed him.

             
“It wasn’t like Michael hadn’t been ready to.” Sean admitted.

             
“He was pretty mad that day.  If I hadn’t been able to stop Sean, Michael probably would have done it.” I agreed.

             
“Whatever possessed you to try and attack a Nephilim anyways?  Even if she didn’t have her wings, you knew who her dad was.” Raziel said.

             
Sean just shrugged.  “Bad instincts in the end.  I know Raphael has told you all about that with foxes and creatures like ourselves.  The younger tend to run on their instincts, and allow them to take over.  It’s usually a losing battle for us.  I’m rather thankful I got the help I did, even if it wasn’t intended.” He said.

             
“Well, at least something worked out there.” Raziel said, standing up.  I saw him frown at his phone again.

             
“What are you doing?” I asked him.

             
“I’m just gonna check on something.  You are staying here, right?” Raziel said, looking back at Sean.

             
“Of course.  It was Michael’s request that Mom and me do so.  I think Manake’s been worried about this too, considering he’s spoken to Michael about it with her.” Sean replied.

             
This was true.  In the last few days, Michael had indeed gotten to meet with Manake.  The request the fox had made was pretty simple in the end.  He wanted us to keep an eye on Sara when he could not. As Sage’s old friend, he’d always felt it his duty to protect Sara and Sean.  And needless to say, it bothered him to think that another fox was running around who might cause Sara harm.  Beings Sean was old enough to run on his own, he wasn’t as worried about him.  But Sara was also completely human, and easy for a fox to manipulate and harm.  For this, Michael agreed to Manake’s request of shelter for them.  I had to admit, it felt a bit weird still to think we were now basically living under the same roof.  I couldn’t complain, but it still felt odd.

             
“Raziel, be careful.  You know what Michael told us.” I warned him.

             
“I know.  But I’m not going after that fox.  I just want to check on something.  So I’ll see you later.” Raziel replied.

             
I honestly couldn’t help but have a bad feeling about that as he left.  But there was nothing I could do either.  Raziel was stubborn when it came down to it.  He got it honest too.  I’d seen where Raphael was just as bad. 

             
Beside me, Sean sat up a little and seemed to be listening.  “What is it?” I asked.  I’d come to know this by now.  Whenever Sean sensed something, he’d do this.  And his senses of smell and hearing were very good.

             
“Something’s come out there.” Sean said, getting up and moving to the window.

             
I quickly followed to look for myself.  For a moment, I felt nothing.  But then, that same feeling of being watched returned.  Following where it came from, I could see a pair of eyes from the nearby woods.  They were golden, and seemed very calm.  Sean sighed, shaking his head.  “Just what is he thinking?  He knows this is inviting the angel clan after him.” He muttered.

             
“Is that… Flint?” I asked.  I could barely believe what I was feeling.  This was much more powerful and menacing then Sean’s aura had been back when he was stalking me.

             
At that, Sean turned and headed out of the room.  I quickly followed him downstairs, unsure of what to do.  Obviously, he was going to confront Flint for coming there.  As I followed him outside though, I was surprised to feel someone pull me back to watch.  I looked up to see my dad there.  Sara was standing a little behind him.  She looked pretty tense.  I really couldn’t believe I hadn’t felt Michael there before.  I must have been too preoccupied with what was going on.

             
Sean took a few steps forward and stood his ground.  As we watched, Flint came out of the woods, standing a few feet away to face him as well.  He was very similar to Sean in how he looked as a fox, though his fur was dark grey in color, just like his hair in a human form.  I also noticed that he had four tails.  Michael had told me once that tails on a fox like this showed their age.  One for every thousand years of life.  So Flint was four thousand years old.  My mind boggled a little at realizing that.  But then again, I felt the same way with Manake.  These foxes had been around a very long time.

             
“Just stay back with us.  Let him handle it.” I heard Michael tell me.  Telepathy was another talent used in our family, and often in something like this.

             
For a moment, Sean was quiet.  But I had the feeling he was accessing the situation.  Sean was very intelligent.  In fact, I think he was even more so then we’d been giving him credit for.  Even Raphael had commented on it once in the past month.  Sean was almost unreadable when he wanted to be.  It was something that tended to bother them at times.

             
Finally, Flint decided to speak.  “It seems you’ve landed yourself a cushy position among half angels.” He commented for all to hear.

             
“I wouldn’t really call it that.  I’ve simply been accepted.  But you’re pretty bold yourself.  You’d come onto Renaldi territory knowing that you’re trespassing?” Sean replied.

             
“I won’t cause harm here, so it is their discretion of whether or not to drive me away.  However, I couldn’t help but notice your scent here as well.  Allying yourself with Nephilims.  How interesting.” Flint noted.

             
“And what business do you have in such a small town, aside from finding me?  You’ve even enrolled yourself in the school.  You must have something deeper in mind here.” Sean said.

             
“And if I do?” Flint challenged.  He didn’t sound worried at all over what he was doing.

             
“The Renaldis have claimed Madison for themselves.  And on top of that, so have I when it comes to other foxes.  Are you this intent on challenging me now that you’d face down those with angel blood running through their veins?” Sean said.

             
For a moment, Flint was quiet.  But I had the distinct feeling he was smiling.  “I have no conflict with Nephilims.  However, you of all creatures know your place among the rest of us elite pure bloods.  You shouldn’t exist.  Your existence itself is an abomination.” He said, pacing a little and whipping his tails.

             
So this was the truth of it all.  Flint had no intentions of getting along with Sean, because he saw him as inferior.  There was no doubt in my mind that he’d come there to challenge Sean.  Perhaps he’d even come there looking to get rid of him.  If what Sean had told me before was true, then fox nature was truly a cut throat thing.

             
By then though, Michael was speaking up as well.  “You won’t challenge him here.  And you realize that if you try to cause harm to any of us or those around us, you’ll be looking for trouble.  We don’t take kindly to those with ill intentions.” He warned him.

             
“Point taken.” Flint replied.  “However, you may find that there are some things you will not prevent right now.  More to my point, I came here to offer my challenge to the half breed.  Either he faces me, or I will make sure this town suffers.  And that includes taking on those who believe they have more power just for lineage.”

             
With that, he took off back into the woods.  I looked up at Michael.  Those words gave me a very bad feeling.  Obviously, Flint had done something already.  And I had the distinct feeling it may have involve Anna.

             
Near us, Sara shivered slightly.  “This is bad.  Something’s already happening.” She said softly.

             
Sean looked up, sniffing the air.  It was almost like he was looking for something.  I just hoped he wasn’t getting ready to follow Flint.

             
“Sean, you’re not thinking of following that fox right now.  You’ll be lead into a trap if you do.” Michael warned him.

             
“No.  There’s something else he left behind.  He had a scent on him that was familiar.” Sean admitted, looking back at us.

             
“Who’s was it?” I dared ask.  I could already feel the pit forming in my stomach.

             
Sean looked back at Michael.  “Michael, I need to check on this.  If it’s what I think it is, Raziel might be walking into something more then he bargained for.” He said.

             
“You don’t think something happened to Anna, do you?” I asked.

             
“I don’t know.  That’s what I want to check on.” Sean admitted.

             
At that time, Michael’s phone rang.  “It’s Raphael.” He said, turning it on speaker.  “I’m taking it something’s up.”

             
“So you’ve seen something.  I’m heading down to the Smith farm now.  I just heard a report come over the scanner at the diner that the house is on fire.” Raphael said.