The darkness (closed)

Benjamin gave a small chuckle when the hyena cubs ambushed Ember and shook his head, a hand pushing through his hair for a moment. She was lucky to have two fathers. Benjamin knew that he also had had two fathers at one point: the one who raised him and Lucien, the one who trained him and took him into the HQ there in Australia.

Austin kept his hands knotted in Vixen's fur, his eyes locked upon the young fox's dark ones. He was thinking while also listening to Ember and Benjamin. How would they fight Haemon if he came back? Surely Ember couldn't become Morrigan more than once? A shiver ran down his spine.

"You know that Morrigan will be here whenever she is needed. So far, she seems to be our only way of getting rid of Haemon" Ember said with a sigh. There were other things that they could try, but Ember refused to let her friends suffer as she had.

"What if..." Austin began, trailing off for a moment. He shivered, not wanting to think about what he was about to ask. "What if I'm on my own? What if Morrigan can't help? What if I....?" He left the last question hanging in the air and let Vixen press her face underneath his arm as though she was trying to comfort him. Benjamin, somehow, thought he knew the last question that Austin never finished: What if I kill someone?

"You're afraid that you'll kill someone, aren't you" Ember asked softly as she shifted in her seat. "It's not going to be like that, Austin. I won't allow it."

"How can you be so sure?" Austin asked, his voice wavering in strength. His eyes became wet and they cast down onto Vixen's russet red fur. "If I was on my own and if you weren't there....if someone was with me when Haemon took over....." A sob shook his body as his eyes closed tightly. Vixen gave a quiet cry and reached her head up, her nose lightly bumping Austin's cheek as she sought to make him feel better. He was scared.

"Because you are a strong man, with a good heart! You would not have survived Morrigan's screams if it were any other way. You didn't let Haemon have full control, so I know that you will be able to do the same once again." Ember caught a whiff of food, and smiled when Seth returned with burgers from Burger King.

The smell of food made Austin's stomach grumble, an argument that silenced his worried words of "maybe next time Haemon will win." Benjamin gave a sigh and rose to his feet before he plopped down onto a chair next to Ember. "Thank God! Some food!" He cried happily, clapping his hands together eagerly.

Seth distributed the food evenly among the group. Double whoppers all around, even for Vixen, and the cubs. Seth had filled one of the bags with fries, and set the sodas neatly in a row.

Vixen gave a happy sound as she dropped down to receive her food. Austin, however, merely stared at Seth as he arranged the food and crossed his arms over his own stomach while Benjamin had risen from where he sat to get his own food and Ember's.

"Austin, relax. We have won a battle. Besides, if your stomach were any louder, the cubs would probably mistake you for a lion" Ember said with a laugh before she dug into her food.

Austin couldn't help but smile at Ember's tease and rose from his chair to get his own food. He took some fries from the bag Seth had dumped them into and put them into a holder before he clamped his teeth into the cardboard and picked up a soda. With his meal in hand, Austin returned to his chair in the dark corner and sat down, setting his soda onto the floor at his feet before he began to eat a couple of the fries. He hadn't had Burger King in a long time and it showed on his face as he quickly unwrapped his burger and took quite a hefty bite out of it.

Laying in bed, Calum remembered something. The phone..., he thought, ...yes, it would be a good idea to call the others. Say the group is good.. Scrounging around, Calum found the phone he was given was near him, on the stand beside him. He grabbed at it, clutching it in his hands. He called their number, and said, "Hey... Everyone's doing fine, 'least I'm sure of it. Your pals got me the full treatment. All my limbs, bionic. I assume Ty's and Ollie's were replaced too. Mitch, and, I advise you not tell Austin this - escaped with barely a scratch. Also, tell 'im I said that the movie is actually called 'Star Wars - The Force Hits the Snooze Button'.".

Ember ate her burger neatly while the hyena cubs tore up their food until they got to the part that they wanted: the meat. After that, they were quiet. Ember was relieved to see that Austin had finally calmed down somewhat, and was behaving like a normal person.
"We have some work to do tomorrow, Austin."

Austin looked up from his burger, the bit he'd bitten off from the sandwich making the side of his cheek poke out like a chipmunk. "Work?" He questioned, swallowing what he'd been chewing and taking another bite from his burger before a hand reached for some fries. Benjamin remained quiet, biting through his burger and eating fries, his eyes darting between Ember and Austin.

"Well, we're going to make it almost impossible for Haemon to take control over you again. My training at Japan has given me some knowledge of what to do" Ember explained before she took a bite of her burger.

Austin popped the fries into his mouth as he thought on what she'd told him. Make it impossible for Haemon to take control? Austin didn't think that it was possible but didn't voice his concerns out loud and instead munched on his fries and burger. Vixen had finished hers and was crying for another, her jaws open to reveal her sharp teeth.

"Well, the bar is fully stocked. I don't know about you lot, but I could certainly use a drink or two right about now" Ember said with a laugh after she had finished her meal. She looked at Vixen, then to the cubs, and chuckled. "Maybe we could even make a turn at the kitchen and get some meat for our little companions?"

"Whatever prime meat that Walter gave Vixen when we first got here, I'm sure she'd love that again." Austin managed to say around his food, finishing his burger in quick bites before he rose with his fries in hand and an empty soda cup, which he placed in a trashcan. Benjamin didn't say anything and instead rose to his feet and tossed his trash away before straightening up his clothes.

"No problem, Benji. We always keep decent meat for the wolf" Ember said with a chuckle before she tossed her stuff in the trash, and headed off to the kitchen.

"Steak for Vixen, and offal for the cubs. Austin, do I have to cook the steak for Vixen, or does she have her meat raw?"

Austin stroked Vixen's back while she rested in his arms, though the smells of the kitchen kept the young one awake. "I've found that she eats it when it's slightly cooked but not completely." He said while Benjamin scoffed at Ember's tease.

"Ooh, a picky eater? We normally just put scraps out for the local foxes, and they seem to enjoy it just fine" Ember said with a laugh before she set about cooking the meat. The cubs really seemed to be enjoying the offal that Ember had put down for them. Ember let out a laugh as one of the cubs swallowed a chicken heart whole.

Austin gave a soft chuckle and rubbed the young fox's head. "Normally she'd eat anything I gave her until I picked up some half cooked meat from a restaurant back home. She seemed to like it best." He admitted with a nod, the young fox giving a small yawning cry as she waited patiently for her food, her eyes never leaving Ember's back.

"Well, she is a lady, and ladies are allowed to be picky, so I forgive her" Ember said as she put the steak on a plate. She put a placemat on the counter, and put the plate on the far corner of the placemat so there was enough room for Vixen to stand and eat. She tossed a chicken neck into one of the cubs empty bowls, and watched as the two fought over the neck. She cleared everything away while the cubs tugged at each end of the chicken neck until it snapped in half. They quickly devoured their ends of the neck.

Ember’s phone had been left in her bedroom, so she had no idea about the phone call from Calum.

Austin set Vixen down on the placemat the moment Ember had fixed up a spot for the young fox. She squealed, paws doing a little shuffle on the placemat before her muzzle thrust toward the steak. Austin couldn't help but laugh at Vixen's antics and shook his head. "She's never been this energetic before." He said with surprise in his voice.

"I'm no Master chef, but at least furry companions enjoy my food" Ember said with a laugh. She cleared up after the cubs, and mopped up any remnants.