It Is You I Have Loved

Chapter 5

Angel cockily watched Captain Pentious run off into the forest.

"Yeah that's it! Run! Run you pompous snake!" He taunted.

Alastor just shrugged and headed back toward his home, taking not the slightest notice of the tsuchigumo. But Angel was no fool and he quickly realized that if he was going to remain free he needed a little "protection."

"Can I say something to you?" He asked following after the wendigo. "Listen you were really something back there. Incredible."

Alastor stopped and turned to face him.

"I beg your pardon but were you addressing me?"

"Yes I was and I just wanted to thank you for saving my ass. Believe me, if you hadn't of come in I would have been so screwed."

"Glad I showed up then." Alastor said with sarcastic disinterest.

"Man it's good to be free. I haven't experienced it in so long."

"Oh that's great." His smile remained but the irritation was evident in his eyes. "Now why don't you go celebrate your freedom with your own friends?"

He turned back around and started to walk away again.

"But uh...Well here's the thing I don't have any friends." Angel confessed.

"Now there's a shocker." Alastor replied once again with a tone of sarcasm.

"And there's no way in Hell I'm going back there by myself. I'm a wanted man."

"No. Not at this very moment."

"You know I just got an idea. Maybe I could lay low with you for awhile?"

"Excuse me?"

"You're big and scary, no one would think of messing with me if I hung around with you."

"Hate to disappoint but I am not a bodyguard for hire. I am just a simple fellow who only wants to mind his own business. Now run along and leave me be."

"Alright so you're the loner type. I can work with that. I can live in isolation like you do. I don't need to live within the community. Hey who needs the community anyway?"

Alastor stopped again and heaved a deep sigh.

"I tried to be nice." He mumbled.

Then he turned on Angel and did his infamous howl. The one that made even the bravest of men shrink into sniveling cowards. Alastor was certain that after this Angel would be running from him as if Satan had come to collect his soul. But to his great shock, the arachnid like creature showed no sign of fear. He was different from all the others who had encountered him before.

"Is that very painful to do?" He asked. "Because I'm pretty sure if I ever made that kind of noise my throat would be so sore."

"Forgive me but have you recently suffered from an injury to the head that left you mentally unstable?"

"No. Why?"

"Because anyone with common sense wouldn't be anywhere near me for as long as you have. I mean take a look at me, what am I?"

"Um..." Angel craned his neck to look up at Alastor's face. "Really tall?"

"No! I'm a wendigo. A vicious, blood thirsty monster who will prey on anything that moves. Doesn't that bother you?"

"Nope." Angel replied.

"Really?" Alastor said, a little surprised.

"Really, really." Angel assured him, sounding incredibly sincere. "Trust me when you've worked for the likes of Valentino for as long as I have, nothing bothers you anymore."