The Patriarch

Part Two

"We were meant to meet," he says, his voice strong and sure. "How else could it be that I would choose to patrol in this very place, that I try to avoid due to the humans, and find both you and your home?" Your mind spins; he'd never told you this. "I very rarely come here, but somehow my patrol led me directly through your back yard, where I saw your costume." He shakes his head in a disbelieving way. "If I hadn't seen it, I wouldn't have returned the following day and subsequently come into contact with you."

You blink as the meaning behind his words hits you. Somehow, in some strange way, events had lined up just right for the two of you to meet. He strokes your shoulder lightly, and his head tilts a bit.

"You see it too, my small one?" Xan says quietly, and you nod. He chuckles lightly and leans back, satisfied. "Even if you had not come to this place, I would have found you somehow. I do visit my distant kin sometimes, perhaps we would have met like that." He stoops down and pecks your mask lightly in a kiss. "But I am certain that we would have found each other."

You look up at his violet eyes, your heart hammering in you chest. You'd never truly believed in Fate, but the way Xan explained it, you began to wonder. He looks down at you and gently taps the top of your mask.

"That's enough of that, small one. You will hurt yourself thinking that hard," he says with a gruff chuckle, and you feel your face burn.

"I can think just fine, thank you!" you say in mock outrage, and he laughs, drawing the attention of trick-or-treaters nearby.

"Of course, small one, I know this to be very true. But you also over-think, do you not?" Xan says pointedly, and your face grows hotter. He gives you a knowing look and waves his taloned hands in the air. "Peace, my love; I mean no offense. But you need rest assured that we were going to meet in any timeline."

As you turn together and begin walking down the road, he abruptly scoops you up into his arms. You go to protest, but he quietly removes your mask and licks the side of your face with his long, purple tongue. You blink rapidly, not sure what just happened.

"Now, now, small one; no need to put up a fuss," he growls, slipping your mask back onto your head. You look up at his violet eyes as he lays a hand on his feathered ruff. "I shall carry you so you have the best view of the festivities." You smile, and nod your agreement. He rumbles happily in his throat as he pulls you close and you rest your head on his chest.

A good bit later, after much fun "terrorizing" the neighborhood kids and teens, night falls and the streets slowly empty of people. Porch lights flicker off, and a silence descends over previously bustling spaces.

"Well, I suppose that's it; time to head home, I guess," you sigh slightly as you look around. "I know it's a kind of short holiday, but I still wish it lasted longer." Xan chuckles, and you glance up at him.

"Well, my love, it need not be over just yet," he says slyly, "I have a small idea on how to extend our evening if you would care to join me?" 

You got the distinct feeling that he was being cryptic on purpose.

You stare up at him for a long moment. He'd been nothing but the perfect gentleman (well, not 'man') since you first met, but in the year you've been with him, he's never been quite this...secretive about any plans of his. Your mind whirls with ideas, but your trust in him quietly snuffs out your spinning thoughts. You nod.

Abruptly, he pulls you tight against his chest and breaks into a long loping run, using his legs and free hand to run like an animal. The speed snatches your breath away, and you find yourself clinging to him for dear life. Buildings pass in a blur, and you hear nothing but the wind in your ears and the heavy, thudding footfalls of Xan as he barrels headlong through yards and alleys.