Gabal

Chapter 8

Getting to know the gentle, fun-loving Samuel had been a breath of fresh air. She had taken many jobs over the centuries and her exposure to people had been mostly limited to those specific interactions. During those "business meetings" she would rarely come across such personality. Many people, especially after she had secured herself a reputation, were stiff and overly formal. Those in power could be condescending, as though speaking down to her somehow assured themselves she was not their better. It was hard, during the early days, to recognize the bitter masks made by the hands of fear. The people struggling to hide weakness against those who actually owned a rotten heart.

As time progressed, she became better, both with her understanding of the mind, and with her reading of it. She was not quite telepathic, but as the master of living things, not much about a person could be concealed from her.

It was for that reason, that Samuel was such a joy. He was true in his enthusiasm, fervor, and positivity. Those qualities could often be found only in children, who had not been jaded by the world, who had not yet seen it in all of its depraved glory. Yet, here he stood, or rather sat, regaling her with an immensely amusing tale about Gabal when he was still a young Alpha. He spoke with wide, animated gestures, making the effort to change his voice from character to character and act out the thrilling battles. He made a wonderful storyteller, and through that she could tell some things about his role in the pack, as well as his feelings for her Given.

First and foremost, the way he spoke about Gabal held a deep reverence. Samuel greatly admired him and respected him. This was a good quality in a Beta. The leading pair would often work closely on matters of the pack and it was not hard for that kind of power to go to one's head. Power above all but one was a big responsibility. Just as Alpha and Beta went hand in hand, as did power and greed. Corruption was common, though not for all types of shifter. There were certain traits that could be found in most of the population, given the different breed. It by no means defined the individual, but the correlation of statistical evidence could not be ignored either.

The wolves were often protectors. Loyal and noble. They do their damndest to fight for what is just, focusing efforts on the weak and unfortunate. Most would agree that they make the best Alphas. Bears would be next on that list, having much of the same qualities, though preferring to be less social, sticking to a smaller inner circle. They often had more focus on defenses, keeping the members of the pack safe in one location and self sustained, letting them survive independently against outside interference.

The cat shifters varied little from kind to kind, they were not social, liking to stick to those they considered family. To those few people they were fiercely protective, especially of women and young. Though they were not often made Alphas, many would take up valuable positions as warriors for packs, having a strong sense of responsibility to those that kept them housed and fed.

The reptile shifters would often be found in the world of business, accounting, organized crime, lawyering, doctoring, and many other clinical occupations that required less emotional facets. Though not incapable of emotion, and often very passionate partners, reptilian shifters preferred to only show their Given or chosen mate, as well as offspring, those sides of them. In their culture, such things were more sacred and should be shared with someone special.

The fact that the Alpha and Beta of this pack were members of the shifter groups that had the highest success for pack leadership and the lowest risk for corruption was good on it's own, but adding to that the kinship the pair shared... Aoifa was beyond happy that, though it took so long to find one another, during her absence, Gabal was surrounded by those whom he could trust and love.

Before she knew it, it was late into the afternoon. They had settled on her porch, her table and chair once again moving on their own to scituate themselves in convenient spots for her guests. She and Gabal relaxed in her swing, Aiofa tucked into his side, nearly engulfed by the large limb wrapping down around her shoulders and across her stomach. He rubbed his thumb across her thigh in firm, lazy strokes. The presence of goosebumps across her skin was constant, not that she minded one bit. Her mind was mostly focused on her conversation with Samuel, though if she were being honest, he spoke enough for all three of them. The most she could contribute before he rushed on were short noises of acknowledgement.