The Eyes of Fate (Currently in Rewrite)

Not that Bad

Vyper

The Train Depot

Laine, Oklahoma

December 17, 2019

Vyper had to admit, Fang's family knew how to throw a party.

Since it was such a nice day out, sunny and pushing sixty-five in December, they were grilling out rather than staying in the depot to cook. The depot had garage doors that opened up to where the train tracks used to be, and a small patio had been built to keep nature from completely overtaking the back. The rest of the area was grass until it hit the road, almost half of a city block away.

Vyper was on the patio, grilling alongside Mr. Diamond and a couple of Fang's Uncles, Frank and Danny. They had been talking for a while, Vyper mostly listening to the other men discuss sports unless they asked him a specific question. Vyper found himself strangely at ease with the older men, and when he looked around, he saw that the others seemed to feel the same way.

Oracle was sitting with some of Fang's cousins, who were all talking rapidly and showing each other stuff on their phones. Vyper couldn't see it from here, but judging by her smile, he'd guess that they were all talking about pets. Oracle would jump at any chance to show people her snakes, and it looked like her new friends were just as eager to see as she was to show.

Chesyr was sat inside with some of the older women, and every once in a while Vyper would hear peals of laughter coming from them. He had no doubt that she was sharing embarrassing stories about Fang and the rest of them, and who knew what kind of dirt she was getting on Fang in return. Vyper couldn't wait to hear what stories she had heard about Fang's no doubt rambunctious childhood.

Ranger was sitting with Fang's brother-in-law, a relation that he didn't even know he had until his sister introduced them. His name was Henry, he had also been in the military, and was a gun nut just like Ranger was, so of course the two of them had spent the last hour or so discussing the finer points of firearms and military life. Ranger had even run back out to the truck to grab another pistol, and the two men were gesturing emphatically at it while they talked. Vyper took small joy in watching his brother smile as he talked to somebody who seemed to understand where he came from. He took himself so seriously all the time that it warmed Vyper's heart to see him geek out a little.

Finding Sentinel and Fang was the easiest. The two of them were running around in the grass, each with a crowd of kids chasing after them. The smaller children were chasing Sentinel around, climbing on him or trying to bat at him with their tiny fists. Sentinel would run around, then stop and knock some of them over, making them squeal with laughter before he took off again. The kid was smiling so brightly that it almost hurt Vyper's eyes.

Fang was also having a great time, but his looked much more violent. All of Fang's nephews, his niece, and several of the teenage cousins were running at him like they were trying to hurt him. Vyper figured that the captain had probably told them not to hold back, and the kids had taken it seriously. Fang was dodging and countering, using open-handed strikes and trips to knock them backwards without injuring them. His smile was fierce as he blocked a punch from the oldest boy, who was taller than his uncle and must have outweighed him by fifty pounds, before flipping him clean over his shoulder and onto his back. Fang straddled the boys chest, and suddenly all of the other kids were screaming "typewriter" as Fang poked his chest repeatedly. Vyper lost sight of him as Fang was mobbed by the rest of the group when they tried to save the oldest.

Vyper was happy that Fang had relaxed, for the most part. Once he had settled down and spent some time talking to his family, especially his cousins and his nephews and niece, he seemed closer to the normal Fang than the worrywart that he had been for the last several days. The only thing that Vyper had seen put him on edge was that all the adults kept calling him "boy". Vyper could remember Fang putting guys in the hospital for calling him that, and the fact that he flinched every time someone here said it spoke volumes. The captain seemed to be swallowing the instincts, however, and just answered to it.