Shadow of the Hunter Complete

"Drink," Qiang said.

Chad managed to drink some of the water, then looked around his apartment. Seasonal greens were hung from the walls, pine, ivy, holly, and a few other greens Chad couldn't recognize. A small, tastefully decorated tree graced his sitting area, and twinkle lights were strung amongst the greens. A few candles were also set around, some lit.

Chad tried to speak, but couldn't quite find his voice. He cleared his throat and took another drink of water. Once he was able to, he asked, "When did Christmas explode in here?"

Qiang took a casual look around. "It was Ambrose's doing. He thought it looked a little dreary in here. He did it while you were out."

"How long was I out?"

"Not quite a day. What do you remember?"

"Not a lot, really. I went into the blizzard because I knew something was off about it. I was trying to make my way to your place and..." he paused, straining at half remembered images, then shook his head. "That's all I remember. What happened?"

"You were called to the hunt. Do you know what that is?"

Chad shook his head and took another drink of water.

"It's a very old phenomenon, and very rare. It's a spectral assemblage lead by a deity form of a Huntsman. They usually track down evil and destroy it, though some will tell you it's the opposite. They are evil and hunt indiscriminately."

"Which is correct?"

"I suppose both could be, given the right circumstances. But what came through here on the solstice was definitely the former."

"And I was drawn to it?"

Qiang nodded.

"Then what happened?"

He shook his head. "I don't know. You are a hunter. That you would be drawn to the hunt is not surprising. That you were drawn back by Ambrose is. But I have to think it was to someone's plan."

"Whose?"

Qiang shrugged. "Some things are beyond even me."

Over that day, Chad regained his strength. Qiang had brought food and insisted Chad eat. At first, even though the food smelled good, he didn't have much of an appetite. But as he ate, his appetite returned. Qiang made sure he had plenty of provisions stocked up. Chad was surprised to find home baked Christmas cookies and eggnog among the provisions. He looked to Qiang.

"They're from Mingzhu," he explained with a shrug.

Try as he might, Chad couldn't remember being with the hunt and it was maddening to him. It was Ambrose who advised him.

"What is, is. When you are ready and the time is right, I'm sure things will come to you. Until then, we can only live in the now."

By the next day, Chad was on his own with strict instructions to call if he needed assistance. He insisted he would be fine and that he disliked being fussed over, particularly by Ambrose. Privately, he was glad for the attention, though he didn't know why.

He was still very tired and a little sore and tended to stare off for periods. This worried Ambrose, but Qiang thought it was normal given the nature of Chad's experience. It would take time to adjust.

It was the middle of the afternoon and Chad was sitting on the bed staring off. He heard a faint tap at the window and looked over. A goblin stood on the fire escape with his rifle, pointed away, which had a white cloth prominently tied around it. When the goblin saw he had Chad's attention, he tapped the window again with the rifle, pointed to the white cloth and made a "come here" gesture. Cautiously, Chad rose and went to the window.

The goblin did nothing while Chad approached and took a step back when Chad opened the window. It was cold out, but not as biting cold as it has been. He regarded the goblin with open suspicion.

"Yes?"

The goblin untied the white cloth and held it up. "Truce," he said in his iron-grating voice.

Chad was far from convinced. "Why?"

"Well, at this exact moment, we, my companion and I," he gestured to another goblin sitting on the fire escape behind him, "just want to talk."

"I remember you two. Outside the restaurant. You weren't interested in talking then."

"True. But things change. I have a proposition for you, hunter. My pack is gone. It's just me and Nargle here," he again gestured behind him, "left. I've got no love for the packs left behind and you can do whatever you want to them. You or the dragon. I'm just asking we be left alone. In exchange, we won't bother you. We won't hunt among the forgotten peoples, not homeless, junkie, whore, or runaway, and will do our utmost to stay out of your affairs." He placed the gun on the open window sill. "As proof of my good intentions."

Chad regarded the gun. It appeared to still be loaded. A thought crept its duplicitous way into his mind.You could just take the gun and waste these two. No one would notice. Or care.

Chad shuddered and shut down the line of thinking. Someone would notice, he knew. The stag would. He picked up the gun.

"Fine, deal. But if I so much as catch wind of you two doing anything even remotely hinky, there won't be enough left of either of you to put into a garbage bag. Capisce?"

Quarrel beamed his most ingratiating smile. It had the effect of creeping Chad out. "Understood and agreed to, hunter."

With a nod, Chad began to close this window.

Quarrel cocked his head, considering, then said, "One last piece of advice, hunter."

Chad stopped and looked at him.

"The rat, well, any rat really, is hell on a reputation. They're gutter dwelling vermin, and while I'll grant you the one you're running with can be useful, his presence will hurt you in the long run. Lose the rat."

Chad saw Nargle roll his eyes and shake his head. "You don't agree?" he asked.

Nargle looked up, surprised to be addressed. He paused for a moment, considering. Then responded, "No. I don't." He looked Chad in the eyes. "It wasn't rats that burned out our pack. And say what you want about them, they never turn on their own, whether they're gentry or feral. Keep the rat. A strong reputation is no replacement for being able to sleep with both eyes closed."

Quarrel looked back at Nargle, then over to Chad. "I guess that's a point too. So, what're you going to do?"

Chad regarded the two goblins. "Ambrose is free, white, and twenty-one. Whether he stays or goes is entirely up to him. But yeah, as long as he wants to stay around, he's welcome." With that, Chad closed the window and returned the gun to the closet.

Later that day there was another tap at the window.

Doesn't anybody know what the door is for? Chad wondered as he turned toward the sound.

Standing on the fire escape was the Snow Miser holding some kind of large furry form that nearly filled his arms. Once he saw he had Chad's attention he shifted his burden so he could wave. The form shifted and squirmed, indicating something alive. Chad crossed the room with some trepidation. When he reached the window, he opened it.

"Nice to see you up and about," Snow Miser said as he bent nearly in half to enter the room, then walked blithely past Chad.

"Why yes, please do come in," Chad muttered as he closed the window.

The Snow Miser, either not hearing Chad or ignoring him, moved partially into the room and turned to face him. He shifted his bundle giving Chad a better view of it. The creature stopped fidgeting and regarded him.

Large, eager brown eyes looked into Chad's from above a snub, puppy-like snout. The very beginnings of teeth were beginning to show from around the snout. The fur looked soft and downy, in patches of gray and white, the legs were long and scrawny, ending in enormous paws. The puppy began to squirm again, this time reaching with his paws in Chad's direction.

Smiling broadly, Snow Miser dumped his burden into Chad's arms. What nearly filled Snow Miser's arms took all of Chad's grip to hold. His knees dipped as he juggled his sudden encumbrance. He managed to arrange the squirming bundle even as it slathered his face with licks from a warm, wet tongue.

"Oh look, he likes you," Snow Miser observed, still smiling.

"Great. What is it?"

"He's a vargr." He looked around, appreciating the decor. "So when did you decorate?"

"I didn't, Ambrose did. And what's a vargr?"

The Snow Miser seated himself in the chair next to the small Christmas tree. "It's the wolf creatures that the goblins ride."

"What?!" In his surprise, Chad nearly dropped the vargr pup. He managed to shift him back around in his arms. But the pup suddenly decided down was actually where he wanted to go, so he squirmed until he worked its way out of Chad's arms in a half-controlled tumble. Then the pup began bounding around the apartment.

"Not to worry, no one will notice. There was some nastiness among the packs and this little fella was orphaned. Poor little guy needs a new home. Just the thing for a new hunter, don't you think? Consider him a early Christmas present."

Chad stood in complete disbelief. "Are you stoned?"

Snow Miser cocked his head, considering. "No," he announced with a nod, "I'm not." He perked up. "So, what are you going to name him?"

Chad rubbed his temples with his hand. "I don't know. How about I name him 'Big Pain In My Ass' after you?"

"That's very nice of you. I'm touched."

"I suspected as much. But seriously, look around. Tiny little apartment, great big, or soon to be great big, vargr. And I don't even think this place has a pets policy past 'no'."

The Snow Miser sat back in his chair and dismissed the entire argument with a casual wave. "I'm sure you'll figure out something. You're clever that way."

************

"So, he told you that you were clever enough to figure something out. Why am I here?" Qiang asked, a bemused expression on his face as he watched Chad's Christmas present work through a slab of meat.

"I was clever enough to figure out I had no fucking idea what to do, so I called you."

"Oh yes, the impressively clever use of speed dial."

"Yeah, whatever works. Besides, you're not on speed dial. I actually input the number. Now what about puppy-zilla here?"

Qiang regarded the pup. He would bound excitedly around from thing to thing. He would chew on the meat, then jump around on the sparse furnishings, then come sidling up to Qiang before apparently thinking better of it and bounding back to the meat. Through it all, he would go back to Chad between each action, as if seeking permission or just confirming he was still there.

"He certainly seems attached to you," Qiang commented as the pup bounced over to touch base with Chad again.

"I know." Chad bent down and play wrestled with the vargr. The pup happily licked Chad's face before going off again. "But that doesn't change what he's going to become or that I can't keep him in this apartment."

"What do you mean by 'what he's going to become'?"

"You've seen them full grown. They're huge. And vicious. One of them nearly chewed my face off."

"These are two separate issues, one more pertinent than the other. They can be vicious. But that's as much a function of the handler as their basic nature. They're predators, yes, and can be aggressive. They are also, however, loyal and trainable. If you do not train him to be vicious, there is every reason to believe he won't be."

The pup came back over to Chad and bumped his head against Chad's leg. At first, Chad crouched down to play wrestle. But then the pup gave a tremendous yawn and tried to scramble onto Chad's lap as he was crouched. The pup was large and heavy enough to knock Chad onto the ground. Chad pulled himself to the wall of the room and leaned against it. The pup happily ambled over and flopped down into his lap. Chad rubbed the soft ears as the vargr drifted off to sleep.

"Qiang, I have never trained an animal to be anything. I've never even had a gerbil. I'm still thinking the Snow Miser was stoned."

Qiang gave Chad a considering look as he took a seat in a chair. "I don't agree. Since he gave you this creature, he did so believing, if not knowing, you could handle it. And if a spirit of that stature gives you a gift, it is best to accept it."

"The Snow Miser?" Chad's disbelief was clear in his voice.

Qiang sighed. "Chad, you saw exactly what he wanted you to see and never bothered to try to see more. I assure you there was much more there than met your eye."

"Well, if he was all that and a bag of chips, why bother with the games?"

Qiang considered his response. "You're too accustomed to power being aggressive or violent. Not every being of power is going to look like you're preconceived notions."

"I've never seen you play the fool."

"I'm not the Snow Miser and I don't have the same interactions with you as he did."

"So what was his thing?"

"My guess, to get in under your radar. If he came on as something powerful, you most likely would have pulled away. Come across as something passingly foolish and not much of a threat and he could get quite close to you. But let me assure you, he wasn't a fool and he knew exactly what he was doing. Then and now."

Chad shook his head in surrender. "All right, I missed the enchilada on that one. What's the second issue?"

Qiang gestured around the apartment. "This is a tiny apartment with a 'no pets' policy."

"And that is the more pertinent issue?"

"Yes."

Chad shifted against the wall. "So, what do you suggest?"

"I'm not sure yet. Keeping him hidden won't be as difficult as you may think. However, as he grows, he will be hampered by this room. So it would seem the next move would be to get you in another place. Unfortunately, I'm a little short on other places at the moment."

"Can't you keep him at your place?"

"I suspect that if you're not there, I will be dealing with a whining, crying puppy until you are. As I said, he's rather attached to you."

"Okay, but, what am I supposed to do with him? Is he even house broken?"

"As I said, his presence can be disguised. As for house breaking, might I suggest you start with paper training?"

Qiang left and returned with several rolls of heavy butcher paper and a dog collar. The vargr was bright, and grasped the concept quickly. Chad suspected there would still be accidents, but it would work for the time being. Qiang gave the collar to Chad and instructed him to put it on the puppy. Chad could feel the power in the collar.

Chad called the little vargr over and he accepted the collar with no complaint. Then he was off again, bounding about the room.

Qiang watched the process with satisfaction. "That will keep him hidden. Give me a few days to arrange something further."

*************

Later that night after the restaurant closed, Qiang poured over apartment listings. He was hoping to find something that would allow pets. Keeping the pup completely hidden wasn't impossible, but it would be easier to merely tone down his appearance. As he perused the listings, he turned over the significance of the events of the past few days in his mind. Forces appeared to be working in Chad's life.

He heard a knock on his office door. He glanced up and was almost surprised by who was visiting him. Almost, but not quite.

"Come in."

A dignified Chinese man entered the room. He was of average height, his black hair was worn short, his manner was regal, but his golden eyes sparkled with gentle mirth. Though he carried himself with a stately mien, his gait was smooth and relaxed. He smiled at Qiang as the younger dragon rose to greet him.

"Chang," Qiang said as bowed to him. "It is a pleasure to see you."

"Thank you. It is a pleasure to see you also."

Qiang moved from behind his desk, walked over to the tapestry, and opened the gateway. Chang lowered his head in acknowledgement.

"You are very gracious to receive me at such a late hour."

"You are very considerate to come after the restaurant is closed. Can I get you some tea?"

Chang crossed the room to the tapestry. "Yes, I would like that."

"Cream and sugar?"

Chang nodded.

"I believe there are also some dumplings left from earlier."

Chang smiled. "That would also be lovely."

Qiang left to get their repast as Chang entered into Qiang's lair. He seated himself at the table and waited for Qiang's return. Soon, Qiang entered carrying a tray that he set down on the table and took the seat opposite. Chang prepared his tea.

"It has been a rather active few days," he said, taking a sip of the tea.

Qiang nodded. "Yes, it has."

"What has happened?"

Qiang recounted the events of the past days. Chang listened.

"I see. Chad certainly does seem to attract the strangest things to him. The rat, Ambrose, is he Nezumi?"

Qiang shook his head. "No, he is native. There are many groups of rats in this city. I believe they're manifestations of the city, but I'm not entirely sure."

"Either way, he sounds like a fine companion."

Qiang nodded. "He is."

"He went to great lengths to protect the new hunter."

"I think that was a secondary concern at best."

"Oh?"

"Ambrose strikes me as guide and protector of lost souls, and that description fits Chad better than even he understands."

Chang considered Qiang's assessment. "I can see that," he said with a nod.

"It worries me, somewhat."

Chang looked over with surprise. "That a warder of lost souls should look after Chad?"

"No. How much seems to be centering on him, and how much of it seems to be ordered to a plan." He shook his head, trying to put into words what he was thinking. "It was almost as if I could feel the pieces being moved." Qiang shook his head again, a sour look on his face. "No, I don't like it at all."

Chang had a dumpling and some more tea as he gathered his thoughts. It seemed to him he understood Qiang's discomfiture and that there was more to it than he was saying.

"I understand not wanting Chad to be more embroiled in the larger world than he is ready for, but he is initiating much of this himself. He hasn't yet developed the foresight to understand that, but that doesn't change anything." Chang paused for a moment, further choosing his words. "However, if you've grown unaccustomed to being a pawn of Heaven's plans, then perhaps you have been away from what it is to be a dragon for a bit too long."

*************

Late that night, Chad lay in bed with the vargr pup curled up tight against him, sleeping soundly. A faint tap at the window slowly brought him up from sleep. As he became conscious, he became more aware of the sound.

"Oh, brother. Now what?"

Chad looked over to the window. A small form was peering into the room, the animal cast to its face instantly recognized by Chad. It was the little shadow creature from earlier. He tapped again at the window. Chad carefully crawled out from under the covers so as not to wake the pup and went to the window. When the creature saw him coming, his face lit up brightly and he waved. Chad opened the window and he scrambled in, dragging what looked like a large pillow case behind him. Chad looked at the clock, almost four in the morning. Christmas Eve morning, he realized. He shook his head.

"So why didn't you just appear in the middle of my living room?" he asked as he went to the kitchenette.

The little creature cocked his head. "Do you mean shadow-walk? I can't do that."

"It's nice to know somebody other than me can't," Chad muttered as he pulled the eggnog out of the fridge. He poured it into a mug and loaded a plate with some of Mingzhu's cookies. He carried them into the other section of the apartment. His guest had made himself comfortable on one of the chairs. Chad set the eggnog and cookies on the table beside him. The bestial face lit up again.

"For me?" he asked, looking up at Chad.

"Sure, it's Christmas Eve. Or going to be at any rate.

The creature laid into the cookies and took an occasional chug of the eggnog. The vargr pup, informed by either the activity or the missing warmth that something was amiss, rose sleepily from the bed. He tumbled out onto the floor and capered over to Chad to investigate the new thing in his small territory. He placed his paw on the chair snuffled at their guest.