L’esprit de l’Escalier (Nisa)
Nov 12, 2014 20:58:00 GMT -5
Post by Peregrine on Nov 12, 2014 20:58:00 GMT -5
It was the eve of his second birthday that he had been promoted. It was with mixed feelings that he accepted the charge of his superiors. Benjamin was still gone. Each day that passed diminished the chance that he would be found as anything but a corpse; Alexander would not accept that, never accept that. It was the dead of night, long after police force patrols or any other pack duties had concluded. It was during this time that the boy found himself nearly succumbing to exhaustion as he made his way back home. The company found within was professional at most, empty at least. Alexander preferred solitude, and would be grateful for it now that everyone was well asleep. He crept silently up the stairs to the porch, through the door and the foyer. The stairs were next. He’d since learned which ones squealed beneath his weight, so he picked his way carefully to the top.
He found himself at the end of the hallway lined with rooms; the one that he generally occupied was farther down. His strides were slow, weary, and his breath matched. His eyelids flickered and threatened slumber before he even reached his bed. But he was nowhere near his room when he stopped, his mind suddenly laden. Springtime. Such a long time since the leader’s son had been taken. Springtime… he’d forgotten the creaking of the insects that came with it. He took whatever solace he could from it now as he slid onto his haunches, his back against the wall. He’d catch his breath here. There was a distant ire in his chest that kept him pinioned, rather than exhaustion. The cadet tipped his head back against the hollow wall, his eyes slipping closed. He listened, as his breath evened with the distant howling of wind. Finally, it was punctuated with a low sigh, fitful and bereft of the rest that he desired.