Tales of a Shifter (P2) - The Clan Celebreation

Chapter 3 - Innate Abilities

Chapter 3

Unexpectedly the kitchen was already occupied when Brandon and Ezekiel came into it. Lander, Nate and Walter stood in the middle of the dining room. Half eaten breakfasts consisting of scrambled eggs and toast called to Brandon as he made his way into the room on Ezekiels heels.

With his eyes only for the stove Brandon didn't exactly notice anything amiss until he and Ezekiel had both pilled on fresh eggs, crispy bacon and more bacon onto their plates and taken seats at the counter-top. Brandon took a moment to glance at the brothers.

They were all gathered with their tall backs turned away as they all looked at something Brandon guessed was extremely compelling.

With Nate standing just a few feet in front of his other brothers. All of the brothers looked, fresh from the hunt. And much like Ezekiel, they carried a restless, frustrated air that circulated just beneath the calm and playful expressions on the three brother's faces. The buzzing live wire nature of predators ready to be let free.

But unlike Ezekiel, it appeared to Brandon that while Ezekiel had went up to Brandon's room, the rest of his siblings had spent the morning washing up for patrols.

All of them were sporting hair slicked back as if they had just emerged from the shower, matching white tee shirts that did everything to enhance the hard bodies hidden beneath them, and simple pairs of faded jeans and work boots.

For the first few minutes all Brandon could really focus on was the food, but after that.....Brandon happened to look up in time to catch a glimpse of what it was that had all of the older brothers enraptured.

IT was a broom.

Confused Brandon scoffed and shoved one last spoon full of eggs into his mouth before he turned to Ezekiel.

"What are they doing...? Having a staring contest with the broom"? He whispered at Ezekiel in confusion, periodically casting his elder brothers looks. "Are they waiting for the wood to blink or something?"

A slow large smile spread across Ezekiel's handsome face, before he shook his head and looked back down at his plate, without offering any explanation for what was happening or why.

Suddenly Nate threw his hand up into the air....and slowly brought it down back level with the broom all while shouting to the heavens. "I command thee to move! By the strength of the Moon I compell you!!!!"

Ezekiel choked on his food and started coughing and laughing hard. And Brandon gaffed with him, a random and uncontrolled laugh bubbled up out of Brandon before he could stop it and he had just covered his mouth when Walter, Nate and Lander turned around to look at him.

Suddenly in the cross hairs of all of the brothers Brandon didn't want to talk, but with a slight shrug, Brandon dropped his hands and shook his head.

"I'm sorry...to laugh." He apologized trying to drop the smile on his face and not quite managing to make it fade away. "But what are you doing over there Nate?" He asked gesturing to the broom.

"It looks like your trying to cast a spell or something?" Suddenly something clicked for Brandon and he let out a soft breath. "Oh....!" He said. "Does all of this have something to do with your little abilities?"

As he spoke all of Ezekiel's brothers had turned form their huddle and crossed the room to stand around the countertop.

Once they were all settled around him and Ezekiel it was Nate that responded to him " Little abilities? So, you're familiar with the fact that we have these abilities?"

"Yeah sure...but I only know a few things about Lander....and Ezekiel too." Brandon replied glancing about Nates face.

The piercings in his eyebrows made him look decidedly exotic and more dangerous then the soft smile on his face revealed.

Two toned eyes warmly gazed back at him, on white and off black pupils and irises seemed to carry the secretive glow of another being. The Wolf.

While the old ugly scar that stretched over his eye and down his left cheek caught Brandon's eye in the soft morning light that was pouring in from beyond the windows. At the apex of his chest a glimmer of a chain caught the light.

A small necklace dangling at the hem of his shirt with, a strange piece of jewelry afixed to the end intrigued Brandon. He peaked over the edge of Nates clothes to better see the pendant. The jewel was strangely glossy for all that it was shaped like a simple tooth.

His face...his wounds? Looks like whatever hit him really must have hurt. I wonder... Who cut him so hatefully? And most Shifters heal fast. Why didn't that wound heal after he was cut?

Brandon found himself silently wondering as Nate's eyebrows rose up, indicating that he was still waiting on Brandon's response to his question.

It was Ezekiel that gave it.

"A little while after he arrived, Brandon got a front row view to my ability to manipulate memories." Ezekiel said to his brother, his blue eyes glancing up from his food. Internally Brandon was glad that he glossed over the fact that Ezekiel had used those abilities simply to lull Brandon to sleep. At this point Ezekiel lifted his fork and waved it at Lander. "A little while after that mister charming here..." Ezekiel said. "went and told Brandon that he could read minds....and that I'm a Reaver."

With a gasp Nate turned his eyes one Lander who looked both bored and irritated with the direction of the conversation. "You what!? Lander you aren't supposed to just bring up stuff like that in NORMAL conversations! What's wrong with you!?" He growled at his brother clearly upset on Ezekiel's behalf, only for Lander to roll his eyes and ignore him entirely.

Choosing to interrupt Brandon bit his lip and said casting Ezekiel a quick glance Brandon continued. "Well, it didn't bother me finding out about the Reaver business...."

A kind smile spread across Nate face as his gaze slowly transferred from glaring at Lander and back to Brandon.

"I'm glad to hear that..." he suddenly intoned, adjusting himself in his seat so that he was leaning on one of his elbows and his other arm was lengthen outwards as Nate gestured first to Brandon then towards a window all while speaking. "You are obviously an open minded individual..." He said, still smiling softly. "But...there have been plenty of Shifter's who have literally run away from Ezekiel when they found out what he was."

Surprised at this Brandon looked at Ezekiel and with nonchalant shrug Ezekiel smiled back at him, before he glanced back down at his food and took a bite.

It seemed to Brandon like the act was done more to hide Ezekiels eyes then because he truly wanted to take a bite of his food. For the first time Brandon wondered what Ezekiels life had been like. He wondered what growing up with the shame and embarrassment of being a Reaver had felt like. Had the man been ostracized because of his blood? Had he been alone?

Shaking his head Brandon muttered. "I don't care what he is....he hasn't done anything to harm me."

Ezkeiel brothers chuckled. While Ezkeiel continued to eat in silence.

"You are definitely open-minded for a mortal." Walter suddenly rumbled to Brandon shocking him and pulling him out of his own thoughts. Brandon had only heard the elder guardian speak a handful of times since meeting him. "They were fools to fear Ezekiel. He has a gentle heart."

Internally Brandon felt something inside agree with Walter. Only fools would fear someone so kind, so charming....so beautiful.

To chases away these kind, but unwelcome thoughts Brandon cleared his throat, turned his gaze back to Nate and sighed. "So basically...." He started to recap. "I found out about Ezekiels abilities and I know about Landers abilities as well, but that's about all I know. Can you tell me about yours Nate?"

With little to no hesitation Nate dipped his head and simply responded. "What would you like to know about exactly?"

"Um..." And here Brandon stopped, a slight hesitation forming. For a second he wondered if his questions were rude or too invasive. Only a few weeks ago these men had been nothing but strangers...and in a few more days they would be nothing but old acquaintances. But Brandon did want to know more. He found it hard to deny the itch of curiosity. But beyond this was the fact that Brandon could tell that none of the brothers seemed offended by his questions or his slight familiarity with them.....

In fact they seemed to be using the questions that he was asking as a way of feeling Brandon out. Learning more about him, as he also learned more about them.

Perhaps sensing Brandon's hesitation Nate made a motion with his hands and said. "How about I start off...." He tapped two fingers to his skull and explained. "I am basically telekinetic. I move or stop things with my mind."

"No way!" Brandon found himself saying, only for Nate to shush him.

"PLEASE, hold your exclamations of surprise boys!" Nate admonished as he dropped his hand from his head and put his palm out. He centered it over the empty cup sitting to the left of Landers arm.

"First I must demonstrate my greatness!" Nate intoned dramatically a playful smile on his lips as he looked at Lander and said. "Lander? I want you to try to remove this cup from the counter at the count of three using all the power you can muster...ready?"

"Yeah...all right." Lander growled. Seeming only slightly interested in the whole affair Lander put his hand around the base of the cup and tensed his hand.

"Ok. ONE! TWO! THREE! Pull!" Nate called. And with a mighty jerk Lander pulled on the cup...and went wildly tumbling backwards in comical fashion, as the cup easily slid across the counter top, obviously not under any kind of supernatural power.

Barely catching his feet and the chair as Lander stumbled backwards, he snarled in fury at Nate.

"You stupid mutt! What did you do that for?" Lander gripped, slowly righting his legs, walking back up to the counter top and slamming his cup down onto the counter top hard enough to nearly shatter it.

"Ops sorry..." Nate cringed at his brother before turning back to Brandon and winking at him and smiling softly. "I totally lied about giving you a demonstration." He quipped. "I just wanted to d**k around with him."

Ezekiel chuckled.

"oh, It's fine." Brandon said, trying his hardest not to cackle at Lander, Brandon centered his gaze back on Nate. "You don't really have to demonstrate anything. I really just wanted to ask a few questions." Brandon told him softly as Nate dropped his hand and Lander came back up to the counter top.

Casting Nate a steely glare Lander ignored his seat and stood by the counter pretending not to listen.

"So..." Brandon asked as the first question came to mind. "If you're a telekinetic what can you actually do? Do you just move things around?"

For the first time that day Nates smile faltered " oh...Well, I want to do that..." He said and shuffled his foot. "It's just that...um....well...you see..."

"HE can't make the damn ability work the right way! Hes too much of a coward to get the damn thing under control!" Lander suddenly exclaimed on a snarl.

Normally Brandon would have found the interruption rude. But he was too interested in what was being reveal to be too upset over Landers attitude.

"So you can't make it work?" He asked glancing from Lander back to Nate. "Why not?"

With a bemused smirk Nate shook his head. "Who can say...? The answer is beyond me..." Was his only response before he shrugged and supplied. "For the most part, I only seem able to lock things into place with my thoughts. I can't move them or stop them."

"Still, you can lock things into place, like cement?" Brandon repeated not fully comprehending.

"Yes..." Nate told him in response to his confusion before he elaborated. "But I can stop and hold up to three people or objects at one time." Nate swiftly explained putting up three fingers, then he shook his head. "Only since I'm doing all of this with my mind, and not my muscles, the bigger or stronger the object is..."

Nate stopped and shook his head again before he finished. "The more weight it has the more it drains my abilities and the more concentration it takes on my part. And there is a limit to the time. Lets say I can hold a falling tree in place for a few seconds, but I can hold three Shifters in place for a dozen or so minutes...."

"Wow, that stilk amazing." Brandon said impressed and slightly wishing he could in-fact receive a demonstration. But Nate didn't fully accept his praise.

Instead Nate informed Brandon of something else. "Sure I guess my power seems amazing from the outside...." He began openly. "But the biggest down side to being Telekinetic is that I can't seem to use any of these abilities when I'm in my Shift."

"In your Shift?" Brandon tried to clarify for himself

Ezekiel tapped his plate with his fork drawing Brandon's gaze and softly supplied. "He means when he turns into a wolf Brandon."

"Oh." Brandon said softly, glancing at Nate, then back at Ezekiel as all the implications of what Nate had just shared began to rumble around in Brandon's mind. "What about you Ezekiel?"

"Me?" Ezekiel asked with a slight smile.

Brandon leaned his elbows on the counter top and looked at him directly.

"Yeah, you." He said. "Do your abilities stop working when you change shape? Or Shift, I mean?"

Ezekiel was already shaking his head by time Brandon finished voicing his question.

"Nope. When I Shift everything is enhanced more, because the Reaver Blood is more active. The speed of my body, and even my abilities get a boost. So, I can usually alter memories and emotions in my leopard form and like always I just need to be able to touch you to do it, but Ive never tried to alter emotions while fighting, since it takes too much concentration and distractions can get you killed in a fight."

Knowing that the topic of his Reaver was touchy for Ezekiel Brandon bit his lip asked softly. "So when you aren't Shifted...Is it easier to deal with it? To deal with the Reaver I...I mean?"

With a dry chuckle and a soft smile Ezekiel simply looked away and quietly hissed. "No...it never gets easy and it never will."

"Oh..." Brandon mused, internally he was saddened by the acceptance that he glimpsed in Ezekiel's azure gaze. It hurt him to realize that this burden and sadness were permanent and no matter what Ezekiel did he would continue to carry that burden. Forever.

Suddenly unwilling to press the matter any further, Brandon turned his head towards Walter and asked.

"So what about you Walter? Can you tell me about your abilities next? So, far you're the only one who's still a big mystery to me."

At his question Brandon literally felt every brother in the room freeze for a few seconds in surprise. Or was it fear?