Wolf Heart, Panther Soul
by AngstPuppy
Fandom: A Sentinel AU
Pairing: JIm/Blair
Rating:
Summary:
Wolf Heart, Panther Soul
by AngstPuppy
James, Son of El, looked down into the eyes of the bandit he had just dealt a killing blow. Despite his reputation as a stone hearted killer, James did not kill in cold blood, nor did he take pleasure in unneeded slaughter. The bandit had attacked him though, and in defending himself, James had gutted the man. The bandit was obviously not from these parts, for anyone for miles around knew the reputation of the Panther’s Child. The bandit had only seen a lone traveler, easy pickings for the taking. He would die for that mistake.
The man dying in front of his eyes began to speak. James need not bend his head to catch the whispered words. His hearing was exceptional and he could have heard the dying whisper from a mile away.
"…child, hidden in the cave behind….take care…" a rattling cough exploded from the man.
James patted the man awkwardly, nodding as he spoke. "I will take care of your child, I swear."
The cough turned into a hideous laugh. "…not my….oh, you need…death, the child is d…." The man’s words abruptly stopped and he fell back, eyes already beginning to glaze over as his last breath wheezed from his lungs.
James stood, cleaning the blood and gore from his knife on the pants of the dead man as he did so. The evil laughter in the man’s last words had unnerved him, but he simply shook it off as the ravings of a dying man. Looking around to see that the sun was beginning to set he set off to find this bandit’s child.
(2)
It didn't take James long to find the cave the dying bandit had spoke of. He hoped for the child's sake that the cave had not been occupied by any large predators before the bandit had left the child here. It wasn't a very large cave, but the sun had set while James searched casting even the front of the cave in dark shadows.
In the far back of the cave he could see a small fire that had been lit. Not large enough to smoke the child out of the cave, but enough to give some light and the illusion of warmth and safety.
He headed toward the flames, looking for the child as he went. As he neared the small fire,
he noticed a figure crouching in the shadows beyond fire. The figure lifted its' head and for a moment James thought he saw a flash of gold where the figure's eyes should be, but it was gone before he could even be sure he saw it. The firelight and the fact that the figure was huddled back in the shadows made it difficult for even James' eyes to see. He could make out that the person was small, certainly small enough to be a child, but that was it. He approached slowly, trying not to frighten, speaking softly as he went.
"It's all right little one, I won't harm you. Come out from there."
Instead of hearing the voice of a child, James heard a decidedly low grunt and saw the figure attempt to squeeze itself further back against the cave wall. He stepped around the fire and stood for a moment, letting his eyes adjust to the difference in light and shadow, then hunkered down and reached out to pull the unknown child from the shadows. The figure struggled and James saw that he? she? was bound and gagged. What sort of parent bound and left their child while they went out thieving? Of course, he thought, this is a bandit we're talking of.
The figure still squirmed in his hands, suprisingly strong for a child. He finally grabbed it by the shoulders and shook it a bit, letting out a frustrated growl.
"Hold still, damnit, I am not going to hurt you, here." and he reached up and grabbed the gag out of it's mouth. The first words out of the mouth in, front of him, low and obviously masculine, had him sitting back on his haunches in surprise.
"Who the hell are you?"
END PART 2