The Turn of a Feather

Epilogue

Antonio stepped out of his cabin, taking a deep breath of the crisp evening air. He stretched widely and grinned in satisfaction as his back popped loudly. Suddenly a voice spoke behind him.

"Ugh that's so nasty. Why do you do that?"

Antonio smiled warmly at the grumbling Italian that stepped out of the house behind him. He simply laughed and took his hand as they walked to the car, and was soon rewarded with a smirk thrown his way.

"Come on, Lovi, I know you lovi-me. Get it?" Antonio chuckled at the unimpressed look on his boyfriend's adorable face as he opened the driver's side door.

"Can I drive?" He asked with a hopeful look. Lovino had recently gotten his learner's permit and was taking every opportunity to hone his (loosely put) skills.

Antonio checked his watch and shrugged. "Eh, we're early anyway. But I'm driving on the way back, I don't trust you on the roads at night." The Italian put on an innocent face. "What, because of one time? I already said I was sorry. And besides, that garbage can had it coming; those old asshats always left it out in the middle of the road."

"Yeah, but may I remind you--" Antonio broke off with an exasperated sigh. He looked up into Lovino's amused features and shook his head with a smile, tossing him the car keys. As they drove, he let his eyes wander over his lover's face, memorizing all the details. He seemed so different from the argumentative hothead he had met in the woods.

It had been almost two years since then, and their lives had finally calmed down. The couple had moved closer to the angel territory, and  every holiday (human or angel; they had a few that both celebrated, but some that were new to either group) they all gathered at the Vargas household. That night was one such occasion.

After the final battle in the shed, the poachers were effectively arrested and almost immediately convicted. It turned out that they were part of an infamous poaching ring. They had been hunting down endangered species for decades, had numerous bounties on their heads, and were banned from eight different countries, including the United States.

The lead poacher was the head of the entire organization, with several life sentences. The story that they had come up with was that, off duty, a group of police officers were taking a hike and saw a shady looking lodge. They decided to investigate on account of  the thick black smoke coming out of the smokehouse, and found it to be the home of one of the most wanted men on the planet. Fortunately, they were able to capture the leader and a few of his henchmen, with others in his gang mysteriously turning up at different police stations in the area after being captured that same night.

It was put down as the work of good samaritans. After all, there was no way, no matter how good the officers were, that they could have arrested the twenty-odd thugs on their own.

The large feathers that littered the floor after the battle always remained somewhat a mystery. Though there were a couple wild theories, it was assumed that some rare bird was being plucked when the officers arrived, and the feathers scattered all over. It was never discovered what that bird might have been, or where it went.

Antonio chuckled at that. Lovino glanced over at him from the driver's seat with a raised eyebrow. "What's so funny? You talkin' to yourself, old man?" Antonio laughed again, staring out the window at the fall leaves as they were whisked out of the car's path and sent fluttering into the wind.

"I was just thinking about something."

Lovino snorted but let it go. Studying him, Antonio's mind washed back to a less pleasant memory.

He was tasked with helping to remove the many poached items from the mansion, a job he was more than willing to undertake. Seeing those in that place made him sick.