| Ardent Angels |
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| Delilah (mother) Winter Hearts Micajah (Cage) – Repentance Chamfers (Secret Hearts) Zipporah (Zip) - Sebastian Spade (Forbidden Hearts) Elisheba (Ellie) Lamentation (Tate)- (Wounded Hearts) Shadrach (Rack) Kenaniah Jericho (uncle) |
The big raccoon scurried along a dim trail through the dark woods. Dawn was coming soon
and he needed to be home before then.
Quill? Where are you, boy?
The raccoon snorted. In the woods along Stonycreek Road. I’m coming! Bustling along, he
ignored the intriguing scents and small rustling noises around him. He came to the crossing
and paused long enough to check for cars. That would be a sad way to go.
Quill! Momma says you better get your butt in gear! If it gets much later, old Amos Ingersoll
will get you with his shotgun for sure.
Not if he morphs into a bull like last time, his sister Ellie suggested slyly.
Quill huffed in disgust. Not likely. I had to spend the whole day in the field staring at his cows
while he tried to figure out where a strange bull came from. I don’t have time for that today. I’
m supposed to take Momma Christmas shopping this afternoon. And then tonight is the
party to decorate the tree. He scuttled across the road and dived into the woods on the other
side as a car sped around the bend and slammed to a stop on the narrow dirt shoulder.
Curious, he peeked out through the dead foliage and watched as two men alighted, opened
the trunk and removed a large bundle wrapped in black plastic. His nose twitched at the
unmistakable stink of death.
The men hurriedly carried it into the suddenly silent woods on the other side of the road.
While they were gone, the back door of the car eased open. A woman crawled out on to the
road, holding onto the car for balance for a moment. Then still hunched over, she staggered
drunkenly into the woods yards away from the clump of bushes where Quill was hidden.
A crash in the brush across the road was followed by a shout. The woman started up and
stumbled headlong into the trees, with the men in hot pursuit. In silent fluid motion, Quill
morphed into a large black jaguar and slinked after them with deadly purpose.
Quill, where are you? Pentecost Jericho demanded with authority. Quill couldn’t ignore a
query from his Pa but his reply was hurried and brief. Following a couple of strangers through
the south woods on Stonycreek Road. They’re chasing a woman. I think she’s hurt. She
escaped from their car while they dumped a body in the north woods. If I can, I’m going to
see if I can’t get her away from them.
What are you goin’ to do? Change and pop up under her nose, stark naked? Pentecost
demanded impatiently.
If I have to. Quill caught up with the men and silently leaped on the one straggling along in the
rear. Smoothly shifting into human form, he took him down with a vicious chop to the back of
the head, allowing the body to crash to the leaf littered ground. Instantly, he reverted to his
feline shape and set off in pursuit of the other man.
I called Marcus Sadler. He and the boys will be out there pretty soon. Clearly, Pentecost was
irritated. He hated calling the sheriff almost as much as the sheriff hated hearing from him.
Thanks, Pa. One of them is down in the south woods about half a mile in from the road. The
way they were crashing around, the deputies shouldn’t have any trouble finding him. Quill
caught up with the second man and circled around him until he was between the woman and
her pursuer. Morphing into human form again, he snatched up a hefty broken branch and
waited behind a tree. Seconds later when the guy crashed past him, Quill brought it down on
his unsuspecting head. The man collapsed in slow motion to the ground and Quill set off to
catch up with the woman.
She was standing motionless in a tiny clearing, concentrating with all her might on the night
noises in the woods. She stiffened when a slight brush of sound proved to be not quite
enough warning. A big sturdy body seemed to surround her. One strong arm wrapped her
securely against a rock hard chest while a huge hand clamped over her mouth cutting off her
cry.
“Hush!” a deep male voice growled. “Do you want them to catch you?”
Frantically, she shook her head.
“Then be very, very quiet.”
and he needed to be home before then.
Quill? Where are you, boy?
The raccoon snorted. In the woods along Stonycreek Road. I’m coming! Bustling along, he
ignored the intriguing scents and small rustling noises around him. He came to the crossing
and paused long enough to check for cars. That would be a sad way to go.
Quill! Momma says you better get your butt in gear! If it gets much later, old Amos Ingersoll
will get you with his shotgun for sure.
Not if he morphs into a bull like last time, his sister Ellie suggested slyly.
Quill huffed in disgust. Not likely. I had to spend the whole day in the field staring at his cows
while he tried to figure out where a strange bull came from. I don’t have time for that today. I’
m supposed to take Momma Christmas shopping this afternoon. And then tonight is the
party to decorate the tree. He scuttled across the road and dived into the woods on the other
side as a car sped around the bend and slammed to a stop on the narrow dirt shoulder.
Curious, he peeked out through the dead foliage and watched as two men alighted, opened
the trunk and removed a large bundle wrapped in black plastic. His nose twitched at the
unmistakable stink of death.
The men hurriedly carried it into the suddenly silent woods on the other side of the road.
While they were gone, the back door of the car eased open. A woman crawled out on to the
road, holding onto the car for balance for a moment. Then still hunched over, she staggered
drunkenly into the woods yards away from the clump of bushes where Quill was hidden.
A crash in the brush across the road was followed by a shout. The woman started up and
stumbled headlong into the trees, with the men in hot pursuit. In silent fluid motion, Quill
morphed into a large black jaguar and slinked after them with deadly purpose.
Quill, where are you? Pentecost Jericho demanded with authority. Quill couldn’t ignore a
query from his Pa but his reply was hurried and brief. Following a couple of strangers through
the south woods on Stonycreek Road. They’re chasing a woman. I think she’s hurt. She
escaped from their car while they dumped a body in the north woods. If I can, I’m going to
see if I can’t get her away from them.
What are you goin’ to do? Change and pop up under her nose, stark naked? Pentecost
demanded impatiently.
If I have to. Quill caught up with the men and silently leaped on the one straggling along in the
rear. Smoothly shifting into human form, he took him down with a vicious chop to the back of
the head, allowing the body to crash to the leaf littered ground. Instantly, he reverted to his
feline shape and set off in pursuit of the other man.
I called Marcus Sadler. He and the boys will be out there pretty soon. Clearly, Pentecost was
irritated. He hated calling the sheriff almost as much as the sheriff hated hearing from him.
Thanks, Pa. One of them is down in the south woods about half a mile in from the road. The
way they were crashing around, the deputies shouldn’t have any trouble finding him. Quill
caught up with the second man and circled around him until he was between the woman and
her pursuer. Morphing into human form again, he snatched up a hefty broken branch and
waited behind a tree. Seconds later when the guy crashed past him, Quill brought it down on
his unsuspecting head. The man collapsed in slow motion to the ground and Quill set off to
catch up with the woman.
She was standing motionless in a tiny clearing, concentrating with all her might on the night
noises in the woods. She stiffened when a slight brush of sound proved to be not quite
enough warning. A big sturdy body seemed to surround her. One strong arm wrapped her
securely against a rock hard chest while a huge hand clamped over her mouth cutting off her
cry.
“Hush!” a deep male voice growled. “Do you want them to catch you?”
Frantically, she shook her head.
“Then be very, very quiet.”