(MxM) Tales of a Shifter (P4)- The Blood

Chapter 18 - Dreams & Gloves

*Is this kindness or cruelty in your opinion?

Chapter 18

Suddenly....Nora and Brandon were standing in yet another White hallway, but this Hallway was different from all the others, because there was a giant rectangular sheet of clear glass set into the wall and on the other side of the glass, was a odd square room.

The room on the other side of the window was painted pale white much like everything else in Brandon's home, but on these walls, there were long lush plants creeping up towards the unseen ceiling above.

Beautiful bursts of colorful flower buds seemed to be spilling from the lush green vines choking the White walls. Flower that Brandon had never read about sat fat with arm length petals and gorgeous bud dusted with droplets of water.

While streaked across the middle of the room was a small path made of smooth white stones surrounded by a small grassy knoll, interrupted far to the left by a deep rippling basin of water, pouring out of a pipe in the wall, that deposited the water in a rapid splashing torrent into a small pool beneath.

With a heart nearly bursting in glee Brandon dropped Nora's hand and pressed his face into the glass, staring into the room before him.

Suddenly Nora was pressing buttons on the wall....and the glass slid back.

The sharp and refreshing smell of water and flowers dashed Brandon in the face as the glass slid back soundlessly to allow him and Nora to walk into the room beyond.

"Brandon wait..." Nora suddenly called. Brandon turned around and witnessed an amazing sight. Nora had her hands clasped in front of herself and they were glowing black. Strange awkward symbols floating and flashing around her knuckles and across the backs of her hands.

Suddenly Nora opened her hands....and as if they had appeared from thin air, a large pair of black gloves were now sitting in her black hands.

With s small look of satisfaction and exhaustion. Nora picked up the black gloves and stared at them as the black light encasing her fingers quickly faded. "As an Acolyte this is the extent of my Alchemy. Making gloves. Hovel can make water into gold...and I create gloves." Nora seemed to mummer to herself bitterly, then she chuckled and dropped her eyes.

Glancing up suddenly a moment later, Nora lifted the gloves stepped up to Brandon and gestured at him. "Here put these on your hands Lil One..." She instructed. "I put some Alchemy in the leather....So that when you touch the flowers...you won't make them wilt." Nora softly told him, before she took his hands, and slowly and gently began to press the cold unfamiliar gloves over his hands.

IT was only at this point that Brandon realized that his hands had started to glow bright white. The Flame was hungry. The Flame sensed all of the energy in the Plants in front of him.

AS the cold tight material settled over his hands Brandon felt the Flame retreat slightly from his mind. The hunger remained. The awareness of the Plants remained.....but it was somehow muffled. As if the gloves were muffling the power.

But Brandon was far too preoccupied with examining his first real plants to think about the complexity of that moment.

Instead Brandon simply dashed into the room, walked and looked up and down in pure wonder.

Nora let him explore the room for a few moments in utter silence.

He touched the walls, drank the fresh water out of the pond and, caressed plant after plant, but because of the gloves he didn't feel much of anything as he did these things.

A small part of Brandon became irritated with the black leather gloves Nora had gifted him with....but somehow sensing that the gloves were no to be removed Brandon simply kept exploring. And he enjoyed every moment even with the leather gloves on his hands.

Soon enough Nora's soft voice was calling to him.

"This is our garden." She softly explained from where she was sitting cross legged on the grass. With a wide gesture of her arm Nora said. "Many of us come here to soak in the natural energy of the earth and sky. This place is like bathing in energies." She softly explained taking a deep cleansing breath and closing her eyes.

Brandon didn't understand a word of what she was saying. He was actually wishing that she would stop talking and let him get back to exploring,

Suddenly Nora opened her eyes and captured his gaze. "Brandon!" She called. "Brandon look up and you'll see it for yourself. The Sky." Nora instructed softly pointing upwards and smiling in encouragement.

Excited Brandon did as she instructed. His head dropped back....and far far above him. Much too far to climb there was a giant hole in the White celling above him.

It was a square cut into the white above. The walls were too high and solid to see much beyond what was dead up above him....and yet what he did see stole Brandon's breath away.

A blue ocean met his inquisitive gaze. The Sky....looked like water....deep, endless. Looking at it an obscene ach began in Brandon's chest, but not an ache of hunger....an ache of longing.

He had to see more. There had to be more. He had to....touch it. But the second Brandon out his hand up. He knew that it was impossible. Somehow it was too far away.

Once the ache faded Brandon melted to his knees and just sat, beneath the square in the roof.

Nora and Brandon spent the rest of their night in that room. They didn't speak much, but Brandon eventually found his way over into Nora's embrace. And collapsed into her lap in excited bliss. Soon enough Brandon fell to sleep resting on her lar, with Noras graceful fingers dancing through his dirty blond bangs and her soft muumering voice speaking to the being in the sky that she called GOD.

***

And yet after such a beautiful experience.....that night would mark the first night that Brandon began to dream about a strange Man. A man named Kail.

He dreamed of swords.

He dreamed about a tall rocky and light capped mountain along an endless valley.

Brandon dreamed of death. And sadness.

None of it made sense. And yet Brandon couldn't escape it.

Brandon soon woke up screaming alone for the first time in his life.

But unfortunately for him....Brandon would dream this dream a million more times... and he would never understand why.