Angels and Demons
Abilities
After Beth’s meltdown about Ruby being a dog, and Danny letting a few things slip from him mouth, the couple soon got used to having children with abilities.
At age 6, Ruby got lessons from Shane about how use her abilities and discovering her limits. At age 7, Ruby got the hang of it. She could become any animal in the animal kingdom that existed on earth. No extinct animals or fantasy creatures. However Ruby avoided bugs like the plague. She didn’t want to know what it was like to be a bug. Ruby changed when she felt threatened but was able to control her changes whenever she liked but she still changed out of defense and couldn’t control that.
By the time Ruby was 9 years old, she had mastered most of her abilities. However when she changed, she was still a baby in whatever animal she chose. It was only because she hadn’t reached maturity. Shane figured that when she turned 2, her forms would be more adult looking.
Shane was able to hunt with Danny now, but unfortunately was his father’s only partner. Danny took on Louie’s position since the good man was killed by a gator. So Shane was the one that wrestled the alligators and his father delivered the shot.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Gun fire echoed through the swamp, followed by a whoop.
“We got it!” Shane shouted.
“Good, job, son” Daniel said. “You sure you don’t got super strength.”
“Only wings, Pa” Shane smiled. “You taught me well”
“Well I must have.” Danny boasted. “You know how to hold em still”
“Yeah but, not keeping lines” Shane sighed.
The team had been losing their tags thanks to sabotage. Someone was cutting their lines during the night and claiming their catch. Danny was sure of it.
So that night, they went undercover to find the thief. They were also going to go craw-fishing as a cover-up. Beth fussed over the fact that even looking for the thief was stupid and dangerous.
“We’ll be fine, Cherie” Danny assured her. As they left with Duke, Ruby asked her mom why she couldn’t go.
“Hun, I don’t even what the boys to go. It’s dangerous and they might get hurt. I know their lines are their life but they are mine. I ain’t losing you to, so you ain’t going”
“Yes, ma’am” Ruby sighed and went upstairs. She envied her dog, Duke that got to go with her family. Then the little girl got a good idea. She focused hard and became a dog. It was at random, most of her forms were. She thought cat, she could be any, dog could be any, horse could be any. So this time, when she thought dog, she became an Australian Cattle Dog.
Looking back, she sighed; how her mom would be disappointed. Oh well. Ruby broke out her window and dashed after her father and brother.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Shh, shh, shh, shh, shh there he is."
"He's really stealing our catch!"
"Quiet boy, he'll hear us"
"Yes sir"
Danny anchored the boat and leaped onto the shore. Although he was ankle deep in water he moved as silent as a snake.
Shane, followed as quietly as possible and Duke, being a dog, made a splash. The trespasser turned and saw the men.
"AFTER HIM!" Danny yelled. He cursed Duke and raced forward after the hunter. A shadow passed quickly, making Duke, howl. Both the shadow and the bloodhound chased the hunter through the bayou. They were on his heels. Duke actually growled at the shadow, realizing it was Ruby. She came so close, as to bring the hunter down by sinking her teeth into his leg.
Duke bayed and someone came. The hunter was too close to home and Ruby paid the price.
The hunter's partners came out of the woods and a gun fired off. Ruby fell to the ground and Duke leaped up to defend. The other one fired and Duke fell before his bite. However the dog got up and sank his teeth into the leg of the one that hit Ruby. His teeth hit bone and the man screamed in pain as the dog held on, until his last breath.
Shane and his father raced up to find 2 men down and the other missing. One man was still crying with Duke's jaws, firmly locked even though the dog was dead.
Shane saw another dog and went over while Danny went to tend to the hunters. He delivered a swift fist to their face and knocked them out but he was still going to send them into town. He might be more than angry but he wasn't going to leave them to die.
"PA!" Shane called. "It's Ruby!"
"What?!" Danny yelled he ran over to the dog and looked at Shane. "How can you tell?"
""Trust me," Shane pleaded. "It's my little sister"
Danny picked up the head and the dog whined. "She's ok. Lookie here"
the shot that the hunters fired only got her ear. A perfect circular hole. Although bloody, it would heal quickly.
Danny cursed and picked her up, as well as one of the men. Shane took the other and turned to his father. "Let me take the one you have. I'll fly. It'll be faster."
"Forget it" Danny said. "I'm not lettin’ you get caught."
"I ain't letting these guys die." Shane said. He set the man down and took off his shirt. His black wings shown in the moonlight. "You take care of my little sister. I'll get these guy to town." He laughed. "Hey, at least they'll think twice ‘bout stealin’ our catch."
Danny sighed, he didn't like it but the man agreed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Ruby, why?" Shane asked.
The little girl whined and coughed. "Duke is gone ain't he?"
Shane frowned and nodded. "Yeah, yeah he is. He was protecting you."
Ruby sniffed and coughed again. "I'm sorry"
"What were you thinking?" Shane scolded. "You could have died"
"Shane I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get hurt"
"You shouldn't of done it in the first place."
Ruby sniffed again and looked at her feet. "My ear hurts"
"Serves you right" Shane shook his head. "Next time, warn me first so I can look after you"
"Ok." Ruby said. "Hey maybe you can help me chose my changes. Make em less random"
"Good Idea. We'll work on that"
At age 6, Ruby got lessons from Shane about how use her abilities and discovering her limits. At age 7, Ruby got the hang of it. She could become any animal in the animal kingdom that existed on earth. No extinct animals or fantasy creatures. However Ruby avoided bugs like the plague. She didn’t want to know what it was like to be a bug. Ruby changed when she felt threatened but was able to control her changes whenever she liked but she still changed out of defense and couldn’t control that.
By the time Ruby was 9 years old, she had mastered most of her abilities. However when she changed, she was still a baby in whatever animal she chose. It was only because she hadn’t reached maturity. Shane figured that when she turned 2, her forms would be more adult looking.
Shane was able to hunt with Danny now, but unfortunately was his father’s only partner. Danny took on Louie’s position since the good man was killed by a gator. So Shane was the one that wrestled the alligators and his father delivered the shot.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Gun fire echoed through the swamp, followed by a whoop.
“We got it!” Shane shouted.
“Good, job, son” Daniel said. “You sure you don’t got super strength.”
“Only wings, Pa” Shane smiled. “You taught me well”
“Well I must have.” Danny boasted. “You know how to hold em still”
“Yeah but, not keeping lines” Shane sighed.
The team had been losing their tags thanks to sabotage. Someone was cutting their lines during the night and claiming their catch. Danny was sure of it.
So that night, they went undercover to find the thief. They were also going to go craw-fishing as a cover-up. Beth fussed over the fact that even looking for the thief was stupid and dangerous.
“We’ll be fine, Cherie” Danny assured her. As they left with Duke, Ruby asked her mom why she couldn’t go.
“Hun, I don’t even what the boys to go. It’s dangerous and they might get hurt. I know their lines are their life but they are mine. I ain’t losing you to, so you ain’t going”
“Yes, ma’am” Ruby sighed and went upstairs. She envied her dog, Duke that got to go with her family. Then the little girl got a good idea. She focused hard and became a dog. It was at random, most of her forms were. She thought cat, she could be any, dog could be any, horse could be any. So this time, when she thought dog, she became an Australian Cattle Dog.
Looking back, she sighed; how her mom would be disappointed. Oh well. Ruby broke out her window and dashed after her father and brother.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Shh, shh, shh, shh, shh there he is."
"He's really stealing our catch!"
"Quiet boy, he'll hear us"
"Yes sir"
Danny anchored the boat and leaped onto the shore. Although he was ankle deep in water he moved as silent as a snake.
Shane, followed as quietly as possible and Duke, being a dog, made a splash. The trespasser turned and saw the men.
"AFTER HIM!" Danny yelled. He cursed Duke and raced forward after the hunter. A shadow passed quickly, making Duke, howl. Both the shadow and the bloodhound chased the hunter through the bayou. They were on his heels. Duke actually growled at the shadow, realizing it was Ruby. She came so close, as to bring the hunter down by sinking her teeth into his leg.
Duke bayed and someone came. The hunter was too close to home and Ruby paid the price.
The hunter's partners came out of the woods and a gun fired off. Ruby fell to the ground and Duke leaped up to defend. The other one fired and Duke fell before his bite. However the dog got up and sank his teeth into the leg of the one that hit Ruby. His teeth hit bone and the man screamed in pain as the dog held on, until his last breath.
Shane and his father raced up to find 2 men down and the other missing. One man was still crying with Duke's jaws, firmly locked even though the dog was dead.
Shane saw another dog and went over while Danny went to tend to the hunters. He delivered a swift fist to their face and knocked them out but he was still going to send them into town. He might be more than angry but he wasn't going to leave them to die.
"PA!" Shane called. "It's Ruby!"
"What?!" Danny yelled he ran over to the dog and looked at Shane. "How can you tell?"
""Trust me," Shane pleaded. "It's my little sister"
Danny picked up the head and the dog whined. "She's ok. Lookie here"
the shot that the hunters fired only got her ear. A perfect circular hole. Although bloody, it would heal quickly.
Danny cursed and picked her up, as well as one of the men. Shane took the other and turned to his father. "Let me take the one you have. I'll fly. It'll be faster."
"Forget it" Danny said. "I'm not lettin’ you get caught."
"I ain't letting these guys die." Shane said. He set the man down and took off his shirt. His black wings shown in the moonlight. "You take care of my little sister. I'll get these guy to town." He laughed. "Hey, at least they'll think twice ‘bout stealin’ our catch."
Danny sighed, he didn't like it but the man agreed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Ruby, why?" Shane asked.
The little girl whined and coughed. "Duke is gone ain't he?"
Shane frowned and nodded. "Yeah, yeah he is. He was protecting you."
Ruby sniffed and coughed again. "I'm sorry"
"What were you thinking?" Shane scolded. "You could have died"
"Shane I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get hurt"
"You shouldn't of done it in the first place."
Ruby sniffed again and looked at her feet. "My ear hurts"
"Serves you right" Shane shook his head. "Next time, warn me first so I can look after you"
"Ok." Ruby said. "Hey maybe you can help me chose my changes. Make em less random"
"Good Idea. We'll work on that"