Dormant

24

Completely unedited but I don't think anyone really cares because of how late it is....

Time has come as we all, oh,
Go down.
Yeah, but for the fall, oh, my
Do you dare to look him right in the eyes?
Cause they will run you down,
Down til the dark.
Yes, and they will run you down,
Down 'til you fall,
And they will run you down,
Down 'til you go,
Yeah, so you can't crawl no more.

-Kaleo, Way Down We Go

24

The Red Horseman glared at the man that was sitting in the back of the cart Ruin was pulling, wrapped pathetically in fabric that had been given to him as he dozed, Fury and the other two from their group resting nearby. His sister's concern over the man had not slipped by him and War was unsure how he should react.

If he was Strife, he could approach Fury as an equal; as twins, the two had a close bond and War was pretty positive that Fury would at least consider Strife's opinion. If he was Death, he could approach Fury as a role model; even when he was little, War had always known that Fury looked up to their older brother in just about every way that she possibly could. However, he was War; as the youngest, there wasn't much he could say. He either 'wouldn't understand' or be laughed at because the baby of the family was trying to hitch up the big-man pants and parade about to suggest his experienced advice upon the world. Even as an adult and a Horsemen, he was still the youngest.

He had been formally introduced to the small group after the wolf episode. While he found Anin slightly obnoxious, the dark haired man had a bright smile and could start a conversation from nothing. Carina he respected as a fellow warrior; her blue eyes contained a knowledge of fighting and, when they were introduced, she had laughed, jokingly commenting on the metal arm. Fury liked each one and War tried to give them the benefit of the doubt.

Except Zakee.

Truthfully, there was nothing wrong about the man. He was polite and respectful to everyone, including Harry who no one seemed to like. Everything about the man had an air of respect to him, something that War hadn't seen in a long time, especially when taking into consideration that Zakee was human -or was. Even with his transformation, a cross necklace somehow managed to hang from his neck; a religious man or perhaps a gift War was assuming. When speaking with Fury, his gaze never faltered from hers and he always listened to her opinion. When he conversed with War for the few minutes that they had, he had never stuttered or said anything that had caused War to raise a red flag. He laughed, smiled, and did everything that was like a normal, healthy Kingdom of Man.

However, the Red Horseman couldn't get over the fact that the man never realized that he was a damn werewolf. War had been told by Fury that he should give Zakee a break; while the man had already presented the scars across his chest that he thought had been where the wound from the attacking werewolf had came from, War couldn't understand how the man never took in the warning signs. Unlike Fury, who had occasionally crossed paths with human werewolves, War had had the pleasure of meeting quite a few. They weren't like most shifters. Most had almost hidden scents of their other half, but werewolves paraded about as a walking dog with a heavy reek of wet fur and normally a storm of raging fleas that caused them to itch constantly. As dogs, they were hardly picky with their food and would eat anything except for most vegetables. War had even seen one who carried a bone in his hand and acted like some humans did with chewing tobacco. Also, and probably the most important, werewolves could not shift on their own. By all theories possible, Zakee should not have shifted without the assistance of the full moon, let alone during the day. The man had denied the rules even if he didn't know it. And that made War nervous. It could mean several things. Perhaps Zakee was a demon and a good actor. Or perhaps the werewolf that had attacked him had been strong enough to deny any existing rules that War was aware of.