When Two Worlds Collide

Chapter 24 (Fang)

The anticipation of waiting for Fang's father to open his door scared him more than the conversation itself. Venom was one of those guys you never mess around with, never disappoint, and never, under any circumstances, refuse his will. But he also just happened to be his father, so I guess he was unavoidable anyway.
  Rider stood next to him twirling his thumbs, trying to distract himself. A long, dreadful silence fell upon them, until Shaia, one of the other assassins, finally opened the door, and beckoned them in. Here we go Fang thought. The walls of the room were draped with tapestries and fine rugs, swords and historical monuments of their society. I guess you could say his appreciation for art was one of the only qualities Venom had that almost made him seem normal. But none the less, he was still a ruthless and evil person only in it for himself.
  When they approached him, he was talking to one of his appointed chief leaders. Once their conversation had ended, the chief left the room, leaving only the three of them. Venom didn't say a word, he didn't have to, the look on his face alone not only intimidated him, but gave him a lecture of it's own. It seemed to Fang, he was waiting for a report and explanation, but he was unsure what to say. To Fang's relief, the awkward moment passed when Venom decided to speak first. His voice was firm, and so deep, you could almost feel the vibration in your chest,"Where is she?"
  Sweat dripped down Rider's face, and his breathing began to stagger. Fang thought if the conversation didn't end soon, he might give himself a heat attack. But despite that, Rider tried to stay strong and say,"She...uh...well you see..." Fang rolled his eyes, and somehow managed to confidently interrupt,"She got away." Even he was surprised by his own self-possession. He was a little nervous before he walked into the room, but after having seen his father, he felt more assured in himself. The look Rider gave him was almost histerical, and had they not been in such a serious position, he would've laughed. He savored the moment his most annoying rival shaked in his boots at one of his responses. To compromise for himself, he allowed a small smirk to pleasantly reveal itself among his lips.
Venom must have noticed his composure, and threateningly approached him. The tiny chains on his metallic boots clanged against each other when he walked, landing roughly on the surface of the ground. If it weren't for the intricately decorated rugs below his feet, the contact would sound like a shield repeatedly being slammed against strong concrete flooring. When he stopped in his tracks, silence filled the room, echoing the thumping noise of his feet.
  Sweat dripped down Rider's face as Venom slowly looked toward him,"You coward, get out!" He yelled. Rider didn't hesitate, he turned to walk out, and never looked back. They waited patiently until the door slammed behind them, and his presence was no more. Venom looked furious, and yet, still much calmer than he usually was. To Fang's surprise, Venom didn't even look his way. He turned around and began shuffling through some old papers he'd left on the desk next to the window of the room. Fang stood there awkwardly, it was as if he didn't even know he existed,"Um...Venom?"
  The tall man answered,"Hm?"
  "You called me here..."
  "Yes."
  "Um...why?"
  "To waste your time."Venom's reply surprised Fang, that didn't sound like him at all. Surely he's kidding thought Fang. But the awkwardness continued. Fang just kept standing for about another ten minutes, and it occurred to him that perhaps his surpirior really wasn't kidding around. "Venom?"He asked. This time, the response sounded a little more serious,"I already told you why I called you here. I'm wasting your time."
  Fang thought about it for a moment,"Why?"
"Why?! Because that's what you do to me!" He turned to face him,"When I tell you to get something done, I mean it! You don't come back here without having what I asked you to retrieve! You ARE a waste of time Fang! So this is my payback!" Fang watched as Venom went back to flipping through his things, it was like he was searching for something. Wow, he must be in a really good mood today Fang thought. Usually Venom would punish him on the spot, but today, he seemed to be taking it easy on him.
  Fang slightly began to pace,"Would you mind telling me what you need her for? You've sent me on what feels like a wild goose chase, and I want to know why. Why her? Why not that friend of hers she tags along with? She seems far more dangerous than Silver."
"Because that girl isn't a threat to us! The little boy is!" The shock of his unexpected answer hit him like a rock to the head. "What little boy?" He asked. Venom began to walk around the room, his hands gently pressing against the beautiful tapestries that covered illuminated by the windows behind them. The material on these specific ones were just thin enough to bounce the colors all over against the walls, floor, and ceiling. "Do you know where I got these from boy?"
  Rider hesitated,"No sir."
  "I didn't get them from anyone, I made them." Fang was completely unsure what to say, or what was so significant however. Although, he was pleased to know his father had at least one hobbies that didn't involve anything rash.
  "Ever since I was a little boy, I've been told I have a gift for making beautiful designs in tapestries. But more than that, my gift has another gift in of itself that no one knows about. The designs I weave, will often tell me bits of the future. And this one,"He pulled out a tapestry Fang had never noticed before,"This one tells of my failure."
  Fang's curiosity overtook him, and he couldn't help but walk over to see in close rang the detail of Venom's work. The tapestry was beautiful, and very well put together. Every stitch had purpose, and amazed him at how such tiny things could come together and make something so extravagant. The pictures imprinted had a silver fox, a baby tiger, a wolf, horse, bat, and a dog.
  Fang assumed the fox must have represented Silver, the Tiger must have represented the little boy, the horse had to have been Rider, the dog Ally, and the bat Venom. "Is the wolf...me?"He asked. Venom didn't answer him, Fang had a really good hunch he was right. The tapestry revealed many events that had already come to pass, and a few more of the future.
  One of the most fascinating parts, was the before and after of Silver and Ally's reunion. It showed who they were, and where they came from before, but after they meet, something...changes. The fox and the dog trade paths, as if they made a deal of some sort with each other. And for the rest of their journey, they continue on those paths until they meet again the day the tiger kills the bat. Although, for some reason, only the tiger continues on his way after the encounter.
  But what truly peaked Fang's interest, was how all of this came to be in the first place. At the very top of the tapestry sat the wolf and the fox...together, as if they began as a pack. Fang carefully smoothed his fingers across the stitches of the beginning, thinking on about what it could mean. "What is this?" He asked.
  "That Fang, is your sister."
  The surprising revelation caused Fang to drop the piece. Had it been pottery, it would have shattered instantly on the cold floors. At first, his feelings were only a mix of shock and fear. But after a moments thought, those feeling began to shift into anger, and confusion. "No! She can't be my sister! That's imposi..."images of the girl he kept seeing began to flood in his mind. But this time, with the face of Silver...

***

  Later that day, Fang sat on top of a huge boulder outside of the base. His thoughts wandered off in pertinence to his sister. Of all people...why'd it have to be her? He thought. Not long after, Rider came walking towards him, and sat next to him on the rock. "Wow, I haven't seen you look THIS depressed since you lost your favorite knife two years ago."He stated.
  "Seriously, you are the last person I need to talk to right now." Fang warned.
  "Oh I'm not here to pep talk you, I'm just curious to know what old paps told you." Fang ignored him, and tried to continue his thought process. Then, something occurred to him, and he remembered the conversation they'd had two days before getting to base. "You knew..." Rider acted oblivious,"Knew what?"
  "Don't act innocent! That little hint you gave me in the forest, that smirk on your face! You knew who Silver was all a long!"
  "I'll admit, I had a little more than a hunch Silver was your sister."
  "You could've told me!"
  "Why? So you could run off looking for her? Does it really matter?" Fang stayed quiet for a moment to think of his answer. Would it be smart to tell him he planned to leave the villain society after he found his sister? Rider's eyes went wide," You can't be serious...no one leaves the villain society!" Fang quickly stood up from his seat,"Well, you might want to know something Rider! I just happen to be related to the only person who has! If you tell anyone about this, so help you!"