{"sf1_id":808158,"sf2_id":null,"title":"The Leading Edge of the Storm Front","author":"StGeorgesHorse","words":2504,"posted_at":"2015-01-17T03:26:00.000Z","tags":["FAMILY","Human","Plot Development","Preparation","Story Progression","Werewolf","back story","gathering"],"url":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/808158-the-leading-edge-of-the-storm-front","original_url":"https://sofurry.com/view/808158","image_url":"https://www.sofurryfiles.com/std/thumb?page=808158\u0026ext=.jpg","description":"#87 of The Moonrise Chronicles","content":"                Maggie\nfound who she was looking for, and once she got a promise of at least of show\nof their presence and support, she made good their escape. As one they traveled\nsouth to the point she knew in her heart was going to be somewhere close to where\nthe two forces were going to meet. She only hoped that Billy had come through\nfor her.\n                It was\nby now nearly twenty four hours after she had left. She reverted to her human\nform, grabbed her cell phone and sent him a text.\n                He was\nsitting in the kitchen of her grandmother's house when it went off. He jumped a\nlittle and nearly cried out when he saw her number. He stood, acting as if it\nwere a call.\n                \"I've\ngotta take this outside.\"\n                He\nwalked around the house and punched in an answer to the text.\n                Got it all. Where will you be? \n                She replied immediately.\n                \"Not sure. Will give details when known.\n\n                He wasn't\ntoo happy with that. He had a feeling she was going to try and back up Edward\nall by herself. That might make her brave, but it also made her reckless. He\nneeded to get this stuff to her pronto and along with it, himself and the rest\nof the group. \nHe was just coming around the house\nwhen a strange car pulled up. It took him only a second to recognize his aunt\nand uncle. It was the next car to pull up right behind them that threw him\ntotally off. At the rate people seemed to be coming there wasn't going to be\nroom on the street to pass between them.\nThe couple introduced themselves,\nasking for Edward. \"Sir; ma'am, it's good to see you. I think you'd better come\ninside. It's getting a little crowded in the house, but we're all here for the\nsame reason, so I think that'll be excused.\"\nIndeed it was getting cramped\ninside. Introductions were made, though the two newest members were known to a\nfew already present. It didn't mean that their presence didn't cause a stir. Billy's\nand Verona's parents and the newcomers where familiar with each other, but\nuntil only a few minutes ago had assumed that both parties were previously deceased.\nThey were, after all, the\nPetersons.\nEdward's parents.\n\"Where is Edward?\"\n\"Gone, along with Maggie.\"\n\"Yes, who is this Maggie? We're a\nlittle confused by the story she told us.\"\n                Kathryn\ncoughed into her hand to get their attention. \"I'm afraid we don't have that\nmuch time right now. I'm still unclear on a lot of it for reasons that are too\ncomplex for me to state clearly to you, right here and now. But as far as I can\ncomprehend things, he adopted my daughter and they then fell in love.\"\n                There\nwas only stunned silence. \n                \"Then we\nmust assume that he has gone though the transformation despite the obstacle?\"\n                \"Obstacle?\"\n                The\nsilver coin had seemed irrelevant to any of their recent dialog, so Edward had\nskipped over that. Of course, a few people knew of it, but not all. A hurried\ndiscussion was held, but there was simply too much information and not enough time.\nThey had to rush into the present situation. Kathryn finished up with;\n                \"So our\npresent problem is that Maggie's real father wants her, and I have gone out of\nmy way to keep him from realizing that. It was just recently that matters have\ncome to a head.\"\n                \"I'm\nstill confused. Edward adopted a little girl and now intends on marrying her?\nThat doesn't sound like our son.\" It was at that moment that his mother noticed\nthe ring on Leo's hand. A quick glance showed others wearing similar ones.\n                \"Where did\nyou get those? We thought there to be only one, and it was lost!\"\n                Marcus smiled.\n\"Your son has been up to a lot more than I think you would ever believe. He was\nrooting around and found your parent's ring. It was buried under the rubble of\ntheir burned out house.\"\n                \"Edward?\nWe left him alone hoping he could live a normal life. We did our best to divert\nany attention away from him! How could this have happened?\" \n                Leo had\nnot yet been introduced or explained. Since they didn't have a ring, two were\nlent to them so that he might say a few words.\n                \"I\nfirmly believe he is achieving what he was seemingly meant for. He has been\nthrough thick and thin these past few months, and I must commend him on the job\nhe has done. Very few of the Kind can die and come back, but with my help he\ndid just that.\"\n                \"And\nwho exactly are you?\"\n                He\nstood and bowed. \"Leonardo da Vinci at your service.\"\n                The\ncouple looked at each and stared back at the master. \"Is this some sort of\njoke?\"\n                For an\nanswer, the master did a mild transformation before going back to his white bearded\nself. \"I assure you this is no joke. I created the rings and so much more over\nfive centuries ago. I created my own; what did he call it? Oh yes, a cryo-chamber.\nI used the technology of the metal to freeze my body. I had no idea it would\nwork so well or for so long, but here I am. And I must say, this is a\nremarkable world you have got here.\"\n                Edward's\nmother looked pale. \"Our son has done these things for real?\"\n                \"You\nhave no idea the things he has been doing. But this present situation may be\nthe culmination of it. What happens within the next few days may make or break\nhim.\"\n                \"But he's\nin love with a little girl?\"\n                Kathryn\nnodded. \"Yes, but not so little. While I see your point, and as her mother I also\ndo not approve, I also know better than to interfere. She has a touch of her\nfather in her. She is old enough; she is simply not developed enough yet. You\nof all people should be aware of the developmental differences not only from\nthe Kind to humans, but among the Kind themselves. \"\n                Verona turned\nred. \"For example, I'm a lot older than I look.\"\n                \"Yes,\nwhat about you? Edward mentioned something about you carrying his child?\"\n                \"Yes, I'm\nafraid so. It was a matter of biology. He had what I needed when I desperately\nneeded it.\"\n                She\nlooked at her husband. \"I don't think we did him any favors.\"\n                \"Now dear,\nyou're talking like your own mother. If you wish to chastise him, then the\nfirst thing we need to do is to make sure he survives. After that, I have a\nfeeling he'll be so glad to see you that he won't hear a single word you're\nsaying!\"\n                \"Yes, if\nwe may ask, why did you leave him?\" This was Anna asking.\n                \"He was\nan adult, in human terms. If he had not gone through the transformation, he\nwould have lived a normal life and died without ever knowing the truth.\"\n                \"But\nyou didn't answer my question. Why did you not tell him the truth? For that\nmatter, what truth are you speaking of?\"\n                \"We\nwere hunted. My parents settled in that remote spot they called Wolf Creek in\nan attempt to avoid being detected. We were hunted because of that ring.\"\n                \"Yes,\nwe are all aware of that. Your son has killed one blot on our reputation in New\nYork, and another in France; the one they called Cardinal Medici.\"\n                \"Edward\nkilled the cardinal?!\"\n                \"So you\nknow of him? Actually, the cardinal killed him, and I and the twins had to\ncarry on. In the end, he was utterly destroyed.\" \n                \"So you're\nsaying that Edward is a hero?\"\n                \"Far above\nthat madam, \"replied the master. \"He is far above anything I have ever seen or\nheard of when it comes to the kind, bar one.\"\n                \"And\nwho exactly would that be?\"\n                \"What rather\nthan who madam. Maggie's father for one. If he has those of his kind about him,\nthen they will prove to be a formidable force to contend with.\"\n                \"But aren't\nthey werewolves like us?\" It was the first that she admitted to being one.\n                \"Werewolves\nyes, but not like us. Maggie mentioned a legend while I was hovering over the\nocean on my way here. I took the liberty of looking it up on that com-pu-ter\ndevice. It has only increased my fears. They had sparked far greater legends\nthan the simple stories I read on the glass screen.\"\n                \"But -what-are-they?\"\nshe asked in measured tones.\n\"They are the malum animarum, the lupus\nalatum, the filii diabolic, the profana progeniem!\"\n\"All are words and phrases from the\nTaburnum. We assumed they were mere lies, or nothing more than children's\nbedtime stories.\" Her colored lessened even more.\nLeo shivered. \"I have never met\none, though they say they are like us in the human form and unlike us in their\ntransformation. It seems that some herald of their kind came to this continent\na long time ago, though whether as a passenger or a stowaway I cannot say. This\nform of the Kind is considered an abomination by many, and yet by some to be\nthe higher calling of our being.\"\nKathryn spoke. \"William is very\nmuch a killer and yet the same can be said for us. I like to think the\ndifference is that we can still feel love. He had many emotions, but not a\nsingle one had any concept of the meaning of pity, or kindness, or gratitude.\nHe wants Maggie not from some need for family, but for the fact that her blood\nwill help to strengthen their dying line.\"\n\"Dying?\"\n\"Yes. Because they think that their's\nis the best blood on the planet, they have chosen not to commingle with others.\nThey suffer the effects of inbreeding.\" \n\"So you loved him, but he didn't\nlove you in return?\"\n\"I'd like to think he tried, but he\nwas too far gone in that respect. Once the fantasy faded, I saw him for what he\nwas. I won't ever say he is evil, but he has his own priorities. He has his own\nneeds. And woe to any who stand in his way, for he will sweep them aside like\ndry leaves.\"\n\"So Edward has gone to meet this\nperson, and this Maggie has gone after him? So where does that leave us?\"\nBilly guffawed. \"Sittin around\nlistening to tales instead of figuring out where this here battle is going to\ntake place.\"\n\"True,\" said Maria. \"We need to be\nwith them regardless of their wishes. I think that Edward has gotten it in his\nhead that he is the strongest, and therefore the one who must protect the rest.\nI am unclear why he has been acting so recklessly, but I have been given some\ninsight into that. He must be made to realize that at some point he would be\nbetter off with the help of his family and friends. I would have thought he\nwould have at least waited until you got here.\" She was referring to his\nparents.\n\"He only called us and told us that\nhe had found us, and that he loved us. It was this Maggie girl who actually\ncalled and told us where to find him. Only now they are both gone without a\ntrace.\"\nBilly stood. \"Look, if it's all the\nsame to you, I say we all shut our traps and head east. I have faith in Maggie.\nI'm sure she'll let us know where to find them, and when she does, I'd like to\nbe a lot closer to them than I am now.\"\n\"Now son...\"\n\"Shut up pop. I don't have my\nmotorcycle with me, or else I'd go by myself. So if I go, you all go. This is\nall or nothing. Edward has been trying to make things better for us, to the\npoint that he's willing to risk his life. Hell, the dumbass has only been a\nfull were for like a few months! What's wrong with all of you? We're all going\nto die some day. I'd rather it be a tad further down the road, but if my time\nis up tomorrow, and I can die knowing I've hopefully made life better for\nsomeone else, than I'm going to do it!\"\n\"He's right,\" said Maria.\n Alexei had been pretty quiet, not wishing to\nalarm or anger Verona. Now he spoke his mind.\n\"If it weren't for him, I would\nstill be stuck in a child's body; my sister would still be living in the wilds,\nand my other sister here would have remained out of sight and her daughter, my\nniece, would still be in a coma. He has brought this family back together after\nnearly a century. I give him all the support I can in his relationship with my\ngrand niece, because he is a good and honorable man. I would lay down my life\nso that she would have a chance at happiness.\"\nVerona stood. \"I don't disagree\nwith you, but I happen to be with child. I will protect Edward, but I will protect\nhis child with more fervor than I will him. He has his own mind and his own\npower. If he wishes to expend it as he sees fit, then I think it behooves me to\ndo the same. Does anyone have a problem with that?\"\n                No one\ndid.\n                Billy\nrose. \"Then I say we eat, hit the bathroom and grab whatever we think we'll need.\nI have a feeling we'll find out soon enough where this is going to go down and\nfrom there I guess it's a matter of making a show of force. Me, I'd sure think\ntwice before messing with this group, even if this Leeds fellow is a tough\nbastard.\"\n                \"So where\nare we supposed to go?\"\n                \"I don't\nknow, but I have faith that we'll know at the right time.\" He couldn't tell\nthem about the stuff he had bought. Heck, he couldn't even explain it if he had\nreason to tell them. It was packed in the back and under a tarp. So hopefully\nno one even noticed it. Nor could he tell them that he had heard from her. That\nparticular part was killing him. He knew they were worried and confused, but he\nhad made a promise. He was a man of his word.\n                Just\nthen his phone went off. He looked at the text.\n                \"Well\nfolks, I hate to spoil the suspense but it's time to roll.\""}