A Ghoul in the Making by Ryder Frost

Chapter 13: A Fight Between Two Ghouls

notes: Hey, all sorry I haven't posted in a while been busy with my job, I hope you like this one. 

Storm growled when he saw Orpheus standing by his bedroom door. "What do you want now Orpheus? I'm not in the mood for your shit today." Storm glared at him swaying his tail in annoyance waiting for the other Ghoul to speak.

"I uh wanted to apologize for the night of the Hunt, we shouldn't have done that to someone as new as you, but you proved that I wasn't the strongest Ghoul here anymore." He looked at Storm with a bit of a sheepish look on his face and bared his fangs in a half smile. Storm looked at Orpheus with disdain, his annoyance growing. He could smell the lie and snorted with derision.

"I don't give a damn about your apologies, you are all a bunch of animals, not sophisticated like Papa's Ghouls are." Orpheus snarled at Storm and hissed a warning, but Storm had had enough and shoved past the Ghoul and into his room, but Orpheus was behind him angrier than a hive full of hornets. "How dare you!" Orpheus hissed drawing himself up to his full height, even at his full height Storm was taller and just shook his head. "Yeah, I dare now please either hit me or get out of my room, it's been a long day and I'm tired." With that Orpheus clapped Storm's jaw with a mean right hook and it was on, Storm snarled launching himself at the Earth Ghoul and hit him left and right, one to the chin, the other to his nose blood sprayed as the crunch of bone resounded through the room and an inhuman howl split the quiet hallway. Ghouls and Siblings came running from their rooms and watched as the newest Quintessence Ghoul and Imperator's Earth Ghoul fought. Each battling for supremacy, Storm was clearly winning judging by how fast his fists and claws were going. Orpheus screeched as Storm's claws connected with his chest tearing a slash across the pectoral. Orpheus screeched and Storm howled as Orpheus's claws slashed over his arm his bicep bloodied. Suddenly, a loud booming voice echoed through the hallways.

"ENOUGH THE BOTH OF YOU!!" It was Papa and both ghouls stopped fighting, the connection of power washing over them, they both stood panting heavily and dripping blood, Orpheus's nose bleeding profusely from being broken. Papa looked at him disgusted. "Orpheus get your ass to the infirmary and see to that nose; Sister is going to have your hide for this!" Papa glared at him as he nodded and muttered "Yes, Papa, sorry Papa" and left the hallway toward the infirmary, his tail tucked between his legs like a chastised puppy. Papa shook his head and sighed in exasperation. "Who started it this time Storm?" Storm looked at his Papa and wiped blood from his swollen lip and eye.

"I suppose I did; he came to apologize but I could tell it was a lie by his scent and called him an animal and told him to either hit me or leave, he chose to hit me and well you saw the results." Storm gestured at his face and arm and yelped as the motion sent needles of pain arcing through his arm. Papa looked at him, his gaze softening.

"Come on let's get you seen to, we can skip the infirmary these look easy enough to fix just with bandages and stitches, both of which I can do myself." Storm nodded and walked back into his room sitting on the bathroom counter. Papa looked out into the hallway. "All of you back to your rooms, nothing else to see here now to bed." Each Ghoul and Sibling retreated into their rooms whispering about what had occurred moments ago. Storm is sitting on his bathroom counter, the blood stained his blue marbled sink and he mused, lost in his thoughts as Papa patched him up. "Ouch!" He yelped as Papa wiped at his swollen lip and eyebrow with a cotton ball full of rubbing alcohol. The sting of it brought him back to the present.

"Sorry, my boy but it's a nasty cut and it needs cleansed, or it'll get infected then I'll be without my Rhythm Guitarist." Papa chuckled at his own joke; Storm found himself laughing a bit as well. "Yeah, I suppose that's true." I'm sorry Papa, for the fight." Storm said feeling guilty that he'd caused this much trouble.

"Think nothing of it Storm, Orpheus has always been a bit of a hot head and likes to throw his weight around, he's Imperator's favorite and he lets everyone know it, these power plays of his are getting old however, and she'll have him picking apples in the orchard for weeks for this latest outburst, don't you worry." "Let me look at that arm of yours, it looks like it may need a few stitches, luckily, your lip and eye will heal easily enough with just cleaning and butterfly bandages." Storm nodded and sat as Papa looked over his arm and gave a low whistle. "Definitely, needs stitches it's pretty deep, this is going to hurt Storm so brace yourself." Storm nodded and hissed as Papa cleaned the jagged scratches with the alcohol.

"Ouch damn, that stings!" Storm hollered and tried to swat Papa's hand away, but Papa just gave him a look and Storm shut up letting him work. Once Papa started to do the stiches tears flew to Storm's eyes as the needle penetrated the skin and the threads were pulled taught to seal the jagged wounds. About twenty minutes later it was done and sweat beaded Storm's brow and he was panting heavily close to passing out from the pain. "Satanas, that was miserable." Storm said as he flexed his bicep wincing as the stitches pulled a bit but held. He looked at his Papa and smiled. "Thanks."

"You're welcome, Storm." Papa stood and stretched running his hand down his face smearing his grease paints and Storm noticed he looked older and tired.

"Want me to help you get that stuff off your face Papa?" Storm asked him shyly. Papa nodded and Storm gestured at him to sit down on the counter, and he turned the hot water on before lathering up a soft cloth with soap beginning to wipe the Papal paints from Copia's face. He smiled a bit wondering why suddenly, he felt such affection towards Copia. A few moments later, Copia's face, now clean of paint smiled back at him. "There we go, you're Copia again, not Papa, feel better?" Copia nodded.

"Being Papa can be tiresome sometimes Storm." Storm sat the cloth down and let Copia leave the bathroom, following closely behind him. They sat on the couch and were silent for a few moments, neither of them knowing what to say. Finally, Storm spoke up. "Copia, if it's so tiresome then why do you do it?" Copia looked at him and gave him a small shrug.

"I suppose because it is expected of me, being the last of the Emeritus line, when I was just a Cardinal, it was fun but now, it's a chore one that I wish I could be done with." His shoulders sagged sadly, and he put his face in his hands. "It's a lot of pressure being the leader of such a powerful Clergy, Imperator doesn't help always ordering me about either, sometimes I want to just tell her to shut the fuck up and let me do my work." He chuckled as he said that, and Storm lifted his lip in a half smile in agreement.

"She's definitely a pain for sure, but I think she has your best interests at heart Copia, even if she can be a bit of a bitch." Storm said softly, wincing as he wrapped his arm around Copia's shoulders in a reassuring gesture his injured bicep whining in protest at the movement. "Come on let's go and join the others I'm sure they're buzzing to find out what happened between Orpheus and I." Copia chuckled and stood and together, they walked from the room to the large Hall for dinner.