25 Herbs and Furry Creatures

It had been weeks since the big fire and the attack on their town, and things were relatively quiet since then. While that made some people like the mayor rather nervous and expecting something worse to come along, others like Pablo and Gabriel were more confident things would get better and they were making progress. There were few debates or disagreements, but even the coolest of heads would occasionally but, but it never led to much afterwards. Gabriel was in the mess hall with Alyssa, as they had time before first light. He was pretending to eat a plain piece of toast when the mayor came to their table and took a corner without even asking. He put on the show some mornings before he slept to prevent anyone from suspecting something, and to boost the rumor of his relations with Alyssa. They trusted her, and he thought it would be easier for them to trust him if she did too. A strategy that worked all to well as the Mayor was one of the first to apply that standard.

"I need something important," Max requested as he sat down at their table.

"Unlike some others," Gabriel started, "I actually appreciate the direct approach. What can I do for you, Max?"

"Here," Max said as he slipped him a small piece of paper. "We are running dangerously low on this one and it would be a miracle to get more."

"I can get it," Gabriel answered, "But we can't make the trip till the end of the week. My supplier has rules and superstitions."

"Superstitions?" Max repeated, "Really?"

"He's reliable," Gabriel added, "So much that I tolerate his weird quirks. His quality will be worth it. Ration what you have left until Friday."

"Alright, I think we can handle that," Max said as he stood up, "But let me know about these rules so we can avoid this from happening again."

"What rules?" Alyssa said once Max was gone.

"Full moon this week," Gabriel reminded her. "We couldn't enter the city even if we wanted to. I could try to go somewhere else, but the wolves are far more reliable and worth the wait."

"I'm still getting used to that," Alyssa said, sitting back, "Sorry."

"I've known about them long before the undead were here," Gabriel informed her, "I've had time to get used to it. You'll be okay after while."

When they were finished breakfast, Gabriel made it back to Pablo's apartment and went to sleep for the day just before light broke. There was an office like room in Pablo's apartment with no windows, which was perfect for Gabe to use to rest. When he didn't have time to fly back to Nashville, he would rest in that windowless room, confident Pablo wouldn't let anyone disturb him. Alyssa had spent most of her day cleaning up around her place and prepping for dinner with Diane and Pablo. She went for a walk to fetch some herbs from one of the gardens, when one of the old ladies working the garden walked up to her.

"Excuse me, young lady." The older woman started.

"Alyssa," she reminded her, "How are you today, Mrs. Goldman?"

"Yes, that's right. Alyssa." Mrs. Goldman said as she smiled back. "I'm fine, dear. Did you need anything else from the gardens, today?"

"No, thank you." Alyssa replied, "These are wonderful."

"What about that young man," Mrs. Goldman asked. "Are you sure he can he be trusted since he's not from around here?"

"He can be trusted," Alyssa told her. "He's different, but considering that there isn't many of us left... we really cannot afford to be picky about who our friends and allies are, right?"

"I suppose not," the old woman replied, "So he's with us?"

"He's with me," Alyssa corrected her, "And as long as I'm with the town, then so is he."

"I see," Mrs. Goldman said, "That does simplify things for us. Thank you for putting up with this nosey old woman."

"It's alright Mrs. Goldman," Alyssa said, cheerfully. "We need to do whatever we can to fight the boredom, so I understand."

"Speaking of passing the time," Mrs. Goldman added, "One of my cats is going to have a litter very soon, within a few days I believe. I thought Diane might want to have a kitty of her own, if that's alright with you of course."

Alyssa was surprised to hear the news and beamed with excitement. "That sounds wonderful! But what do we feed it?"

"Well, I make my own cat food from the town's leftovers." Mrs. Goldman explained, "But I heard that your new boyfriend has contacts on the east coast. I was thinking he might be able to procure some dry food in bulk for us."

"That's a good idea," Alyssa agreed, but she declined to respond to the boyfriend comment. "I'll talk to him about it. I also think Diane would love to have a cat of her own. Would you mind holding onto the cat for a week or so? Diane has a birthday coming up and I think that would be the prefect gift."

"That's a wonderful idea." Mrs. Goldman said, "I usually keep them a while to litter train them so an extra week or so won't make a difference."

Alyssa said good bye and went off about her business, even speaking to some of the other ladies in the garden before walking back to her own place. She used the fresh herbs to mix in with the meal she was preparing and then tidied up a bit before walking to the school to pick up Diane. She had a surprise waiting for her at the school as someone was already amongst the parents waiting for class to dismiss. She walked up and greeted Pablo with a smile.

"You didn't tell me you were coming to get Diane." She said.

"I just needed a bit of air," Pablo replied, "To be honest, that's one thing I like about this place. We are able to roam around a bit, and not be cooped up in the house all day like I used to be."

"I had a feeling you might," She admitted to him, "I like that about it too."

"I like that you have a school here," Pablo added, "Something I haven't seen in a while as well. I know there are some in the big cities, but not out here in the middle of nowhere. It's different, that's for sure."

"I don't mind the company," Alyssa said, looking around to make sure she wasn't missing any activity. "Reminds me of when my Dad used to come here with me."

"I know you miss the guy and he can never be replaced," Pablo said, "But I'm here and I've got your back. So does Gabe, and he's older than us both combined."

"And times ten," Alyssa added.

"He's been around," Pablo said with a chuckle.

"And what about cats?" Alyssa asked.

"Cats?" Pablo repeated, cocking up an eyebrow. "What about them?"

"Well, I was recently offered one." Alyssa informed him, "One of our townspeople has a cat that's about to give birth. I thought it would make a great birthday gift for Diane. Do vampires have allergies?"

"No, they don't, and neither do I." Pablo replied, "I'm just not used to seeing cats that much around here. Not outside the cities, and they've gotten a really bad rap lately, mostly because of New Salem."

"You mean the witches?" Alyssa said, thinking about it. "Are they really connected to cats like the stories about them say?"

"Those hags are connected to nature in general," Pablo replied, "And that means all animals, not just cats."

"Wow, that is interesting." Alyssa said, thinking about it.

"I try to not think about it." Pablo continued, cringing at the thought. "Gabe says witches can communicate with animals, as if they're magically able to translate their sounds into actual words. While it sounds ridiculous, imagine the strategic advantages. Every bird flying around could be a potential spy, or scout."

"That's really scary," Alyssa admitted, unaware of all this. "I'll have to speak to Gabriel about it when he gets back."

"I wouldn't worry too much," Pablo continued, "Witches rarely leave New Salem, mostly for the same reason you guys don't wander out much: the undead roaming about and such. But it's also because of their rep, which is far from kind in the other cities. New Lycan is especially hard on them, as they've had no official talks in almost a decade. They do not like one another. Not one bit."

"What happened there?" Alyssa asked. "That kind of hate doesn't just appear out of nowhere, does it?"

"Probably not, but I have no idea." Pablo said, "If Gabe knows anything about it, he's not saying. I'd also keep this chatter on the down low for now as well, as we don't need to add more to Diane's plate at the moment."

"Fair enough," Alyssa said, nodding in agreement. "Mum's the word."

Pablo also agreed to remain silent about the cat, and said nothing when Diane came out to greet them. They walked back to the apartment and had dinner, and the day was going along just fine. Pablo was helping Diane with her homework and Alyssa was working on some dishes, when there was a loud sound coming from across the hall. Pablo stood up and waved back at Alyssa.

"Lock the door when I leave," he said as he quickly ran out of the apartment. He crossed the hall into his own apartment, to make sure Gabriel was alright. Gabriel had been the source of the sound as he had tripped over something while rying to abruptly leave the den where he was sleeping.

"What the hell are you doing up?" Pablo called out as he came over to help Gabe up and move him to the couch. He then walked over to the windows and shut all the curtains. "The sun isn't down yet. I realize it's not fatal, but I know that still hurts. What's going on."

"I can hear them." Gabriel said, "They're so loud that they woke me up."

"Ah Shit," Pablo said, as he knew exactly what the meant. Vampires could hear things very far away, and if there were a lot of undead in the area, Gabe would know about it.

"That's pretty accurate," Gabriel said, rubbing his temples.

"How many are we talking about," Pablo asked, "and how far out are they?"

"Can't be any more than fifty miles," Gabriel said, rubbing his head. "But there's a lot of them. To be that loud, there has to be tens of thousands... and they're heading this way."