Priest

Arrival

When the Priest came out of the hotel the Challenger stood proudly once more in its space, glimmering in the early morning sun like nothing had ever changed.
"Morning," he gave Blu a half-hearted smile as she popped open the boot and indicated for him to put his bags in.
"Sleep well?"
"Just fine thanks," he slammed the back shut a little harder than was really necessary but, despite his best efforts, she opted not to react.
"Let's do it."

Silence engulfed them as they sped along the highway once more. Blu wanted nothing more than to blast the stereo, wind the windows down and just lean into the weird sideways skid that her life seemed to be hurling her into. Instead she found herself sitting rigid in the car, staring at the sign posts flying by as they settled into an uneasy quiet. By early afternoon the two were turning onto a tiny little back road that was only partially paved.
"Where, exactly, are we going?" Priest asked as the tyres kicked up gravel behind them. The smile on Blu's face said it all.
She was going to her sanctuary.
"You're going to meet some of the people who raised me."
"I thought you grew up in Australia?"
She shrugged a little, "I grew up everywhere. America, Australia, Japan, England, New Zealand."
"Should have been more specific," he sighed, "weren't you raised in Australia?"
"Yes," she rolled her eyes as she pulled the car to a stop out the front of one of the most beautiful old log cabins he had ever seen. "Just because I was raised there, doesn't mean everyone I know is from there."
Before he had a chance to say any more she was out of the car and all but running towards an older woman boasting the most quintessentially handmade wool jacket he had ever seen.
"Mia!"
"My little wanderer," Mia wrapped her arms around Blu and she felt her whole body sink into a familiar comfort. The smell of smoke and woodland engulfed her as Mia ran a hand through her auburn hair and stepped back slightly to look at her. "I've missed you so much."
"I've missed you too Mia."
Eighteen pairs of ears piqued at the sound of her voice.
"It's been far too long," old grey eyes fell on the Priest as he got out of the car, "and it appears you've brought some company."
"Mia," Blu waited for the preacher to stand beside her, "this is Priest."
"My that is an interesting name."
"My actual name is..."
"Of no importance," Blu interrupted casually, "Priest, this is Mia."
The two shook hands, and the howling starting.
"They've been waiting for you young lady."
The glimmer that had been in Blu's eyes at the Grand Canyon flickered back into life as she turned to face the gravel track beside the hut.
"Well then," she grinned, "I better not keep them waiting any longer."

Priest watched as the young woman took off down the path leaving him standing awkwardly with Mia. The sound of howling wolves sent a chill coursing through his bones. Something in the way the noise echoed through the woodland surrounding them made him uneasy.
"You'll get used to the noise," Mia said with a smile as she grabbed Blu's bag from the back of the car.
"I'm not so sure," he smiled, picking up his own bag and offering to help with the other.
She waved off his attempts of assistance, "if you spend enough time here, around them, then you will."
"With all due respect Mia, was it? I wasn't really expecting to spend any time around these animals."
Weathered features looked into his soul, "what you expect to do, and what you should actually do, are very different things young man. Expectation doesn't always mean it's the best thing for you."
The woman gave him a pointed look before traipsing off down the path with the bag. He stood for a moment, staring at the dust settling down the track and realised that the world breathed differently here. It moved different, sounded different, felt different.
Remember my child that difference does not always have to mean danger.
"You coming or not preacher?"
... Of course sometimes difference can mean drama.