Soul Bound

Taylor finished up the Summoning Circle with one last stroke of the brush, smearing her own blood into a completed circle; the crimson star on the inside carefully measured and painted, along with the numerous ancient symbols that the translations for had long since been forgotten in the mind of man. She straightened out of her crouch, knees popping from squatting for so long as she shifted back a step to survey her handiwork with a critical eye. All appeared to be in order, the blood just beginning to dry as she properly positioned the unlit black candles strategically around the border of the circle..

"Okay, you can do this." Taylor mumbled to herself, hands holding a minute tremble as she cleaned up the basement, stalling. There was a table set up behind her, a decently sized circular one that she'd gotten at a good price. She'd bought it with the Summoning in mind, the hand-crafted wood was a rich brown that she'd scrubbed clean and polished himself, the surface of the table packed full with various offerings. she wasn’t sure what her Familiar would like, so she'd looked up the most common offerings and had stuck with those seeing as they were always a safe bet.

She moved back until there was at least four feet between him and the Summoning Circle, as advised by the guidance book she'd bought a few days prior to this. After the ritual, she'd have a little over two weeks to get comfortable with her Familiar before the Initiation for the Police Force started, then she’d need to bring her Familiar in to be registered and tested to see what level they were so she'd know whether or not to even bother with Initiation. Taylor sucked in a shaky breath and shoved those thoughts aside, she'd burn that bridge when he came to it.

"I, Taylor Dalton, call to the other side in search of a warrior." The candles sparked to life, the flames flaring a dangerous crimson as a calm warmth bled into her bare feet, surging up her calves and thighs to flood her chest. Every beat of her heart seemed to pump the heat through her limbs, bathing her in a comfort and security that she hadn't experienced since the last time her mother had squeezed Taylor into the tight circle of her arms. She took a shuddering breath at the enveloping comfort and felt the tension that gripped her since she started the ritual, melt out of her frame. Encouraged that everything was going smoothly, she continued.

"I ask for a sword and shield, I ask for a protector and weapon. Grant me a spirit that reflects my passions, my resolve. Let my words bind, tethering their very essence to my cause. Hear my call, and let it be answered." The still-wet blood that coated the stone floor bubbled and hissed, evaporating into thick clouds of red smoke. Unsure if that was supposed to happen, Taylor squinted, trying to see through the rapidly growing plume of crimson fog. She could just make out a dark shape in the general direction of where he thought the Summoning Circle to be, anticipation coiling in her fluttering stomach.

The red smoke rolled over the floor like a living entity, reminding Taylor of blood when it first hit water. It crept towards her feet, dissipating just before it reached where she stood, shrinking back into the circle until her vision was her dominant sense once again. Taylor’s heart skipped a beat when she saw just what she'd summoned, jaw dropping open at the utterly unbelievable sight before her. First of all, there were two of them. The duo of what could only be wolves on steroids watched her warily from the other side of the room, their sharp blue eyes fixed on her frozen form.

One was bigger than the other, its head easily level with Taylor's own, her stare drawn from its intelligent eyes to the wolf's pelt when the muscle beneath rippled, its short fur was a beautiful snow white. The wolf was obviously built in a way that was meant to intimidate, crafted for brute force. She was amazed that the beautiful creature even fit in the room. The second had shaggy black fur, its floppy locks partially obscuring its distrustfully squinted gaze from sight. If she had to guess, this one's head came up to Taylor's shoulder, its lithe form making it clear to her that this wolf's advantage was speed, but its smaller frame didn't make it look any less threatening than the other.

A sword and shield.

"Oh, wow." The words came out on an exhale, breathy and awed. "You two are really something." The white wolf made a huffy sound that was akin to a snort, as if amused by her awe. Taylor swallowed thickly, throat clicking. "I...uh. Feel free to take anything you like." She gestured toward the table behind her, drawing their combined gaze to the offerings.

The bigger one changed first, body contorting unnaturally as its skeleton shrunk in on itself. Its snowy fur fell away in thick clumps that burned into nothing before even hitting the ground, revealing flushed human skin. Taylor winced at the grisly sounds the wolf's jaw made as it shortened and rounded into a human skull. The fur on the man's head stayed, but even then the man was fairly fuzzy, even in human form.

"Hello, I'm Taylor. Taylor Dalton, it's a pleasure to meet you." She held out her hand, curiously eyeing the second one still in the form of a wolf, its left shoulder blade all but glued to the other's side. The very naked man's lip twitched up in what looked like disgust at the extended appendage, like it had somehow personally offended him.

Taylor balked a bit at the sight of the man's impressive canines, sharp and prominent even in human form. She let her hand slowly drop back to her side, anxiety a physical, squeezing grip around her thundering heart. She was positive that they could hear it, each thump deafening in her own ears. She hardly even registered the other's transformation, too caught up in her sudden shortness of breath. Fingertips cautiously skimmed over Taylor’s chest, right above where her heart hammered away at her rib cage. The shock of the unexpected touch snapped her out of her panic and, just like that, she could breathe again.

Taylor's hand reached up at a snail's pace, giving the man enough time to pull away if he wanted to, before gently lacing their fingers together. The effect was immediate, a sharp sting shooting through her nerves, closely followed by a rolling warmth. The heat was different from what she'd felt earlier, the resulting peace far stronger and more familiar. If she closed his eyes she could sense the bond that tied them together, a sturdy and calm coil that sucked away all her fear and uncertainty.

An anchor.

"You alright now? Thought you were gonna pass out or some shit." Taylor's gaze flicked up from aimlessly staring at their clasped hands, blinking at the rugged male that stood almost nose-to-nose with her. She hastily released her crushing grip on the other, gaze darting to the side where the second one stood. He looked uncomfortable in his own skin, probably more at home in his wolf form than his human one. His dark hair was still determined to be in his face, making Taylor wonder if she could convince him to trim it a little. Probably not.

"No, I'm fine. Sorry." Taylor rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly, noticing how both their eyes followed the action with a strange intensity. "I'm Aurelius. Whaddaya got?" Taylor's brows furrowed at the complicated name as -Aerial? Auralis?- stepped past her in order to snatch up one of the expensive bottles of bourbon from the table, one of his wicked-looking claws stabbing into the cork to effortlessly pull it free. Taylor startled when her hand was aggressively snatched up, head swiveling around so fast something in her neck popped.

The dark-haired one was glaring at her, his mouth set in a thin, tight line of unease. It was glaringly obvious that he wasn't very comfortable with physical contact, if the borderline painful hold the man had on her hand was any indication. As she stared at their interlocked hands, another strand entwined itself around the bond already in place, strengthening it to the point where Taylor wasn't sure if she could sever it even if she'd wanted to. This man's bond was much the same to the other's, infusing her with a type of trust and loyalty one usually reserved for family.

Taylor felt as if she knew this man, had known him from the day she'd been conceived. These two had been waiting for her call, and had been drawn to her voice alone. She realized with a startled twitch that the man had lifted his chin, looking her dead in the eye with an assessing stare. The braided tethers tightened, binding the three of them together so completely that Taylor couldn't tell where they ended and she began.

Suddenly, it became absurdly obvious that these two wolves were brothers.

"Hadrainus." The man grunted an introduction, voice rough and dry from disuse. Handre- fuck it, there's no way she's pronouncing that - made a hasty retreat over to the offerings, leaving Taylor to her internal cringing at the equally long and tricky introductions. "You two wouldn't happen to have nicknames you could go by instead, would you?" Taylor's head throbbed in warning at her continued attempts to retain the names she'd been graciously gifted, threatening a migraine. The white-haired one paused at the question, the lip of the bottle pressed against his mouth and half-raised.

The younger one froze, elbow deep in a large basket that Taylor had filled with a variety of food. The two shared a wide-eyed look, visibly caught off-guard by the question. "Uh, yeah. Hexxus and Arlo will do just fine." The older one - Arlo - gazed at her with newfound interest for a long moment before they both went right back to their previous activities. Arlo was already popping open another bottle, whiskey this time, chugging a quarter of the contents in one gulp.

Taylor's throat ached at just the thought of swallowing all that burning liquor, watching as the white-haired male expertly guzzled down the booze like it was water. Taylor's eyes slid over to where Hexxus was otherwise occupied with stuffing his face with some beef jerky that she had gotten fresh from the local butcher. He appeared to have gotten a smidgen more comfortable in his presence, the stiff line of his shoulders having loosened some.

"I'll go fetch you some clothes, I bought different sizes so something is bound to fit you two." Arlo hummed his appreciation, the bottle of alcohol more or less glued to his lips. Taylor could see Hexxus nod in wordless agreement out of the corner of his eye, the man's mouth stuffed to the brim with a combination of green grapes and strawberries.

Taylor had to press her closed fist over her mouth in an attempt to repress her sudden urge to laugh at the comical sight they made, smiling so wide her face hurt. She coughed out a 'be right back' that sounded more like a chuckle before turning on her heel to take the stairs up to the kitchen two at a time. She'd left the shopping bags in the living room, a choice that she was currently thanking herself for. Taylor scooped up the various bags and hurried back the way she came, nearly tripping down the steps in her haste to get back to her Familiars.

She wanted to get to know them, wanted to make sure that they were okay with helping her make her dream of getting on the Force a reality. Even if they were both Class nine or higher, he was sure that the Board would make an exception seeing as she had two Familiars. She herself was still adjusting to that particular fact, it was a one-in-a-million chance after all.

"Whoa, easy there Taylor. Don’t need you going and breaking your neck." Arlo's hand caught her forearm to steady her, bottle abandoned on the table and the liquor inside still sloshing from being set aside. Arlo's show of speed had the bubble of hope in her chest expanding. If the shield was that quick on his feet, that could only mean that her sword was faster. Taylor side-eyed Hexxus, who was already watching her. He hadn't moved an inch from the basket, but his knees were noticeably braced, like he'd been prepared to dart over had she actually gone ass-over-teakettle.

Arlo only released her when he was sure that Taylor had regained her balance on the flat concrete, taking the bags from her hands to eagerly trot back to the table. He dumped the array of fabric onto the already-packed surface, drawing an annoyed growl from Hexxus when a shirt sleeve flopped onto his plate of summer sausage, crackers and cheese slices. They snarled at each other over some shirts, each brother tugging at one end while spitting abuse at the other. Eventually, both were dressed and back to poking through the offerings.

The two of them having already picked through the swath of clothes to add to their respective piles, Taylor mentally added shopping onto her agenda for tomorrow. Now it was time to show them their rooms and the rest of the house, then ground rules. Thankfully, her basement had a fully furnished living room, kitchen and two bedrooms. She’d had it designed with her Familiar in mind, hoping to give them their own space when the time came to summon them.

"Feel free to use the TV. The kitchen is always open to you, just clean up after yourselves. Don't be afraid to ask for anything." Taylor pointed out each area as she spoke before putting a finger to her chin thoughtfully, going over her mental checklist to make sure that she didn’t miss anything. Movement caught her eye and she chose to instead subtly observe the brothers, taking notice of the things each one seemed more interested in sniffing at. It didn’t surprise her when Arlo was all for fiddling with the TV, making himself at home on the couch. Though Hexxus seemed restless, his surroundings too unfamiliar for him to manage to sit still.

Taylor noted that the younger man touched everything.

She recognized it as a scenting thing, Hexxus marking his territory. Surprisingly, she wasn't as bothered by it as she thought that she'd be, it was their home now. "Got any beer? I don't prefer any specific brand." Taylor's gaze flicked back to Arlo, who was nuzzling his cheek against the back of the couch. He'd taken to lazily sprawling out on the furniture, hands sweeping over the cushions. Hexxus had slunk off down the hallway where the bathroom was, the faint rattle of a pill bottle ringing out a few moments later. Probably the Advil, Taylor didn't have any prescriptions.

"Yeah, I can go grab one." Without bothering to look away from whatever he was watching on TV, Arlo grunted and quiet ‘thanks’. Taylor departed from the living room, moving into the kitchen to pull the fridge open, snagging a beer from the six-pack that she'd bought yesterday. Arlo was obviously quite the drinker, but he didn't seem to be affected by the large quantities he chugged. Taylor reasoned that as long as he was functional and didn't fall into some sort of drunken rage, that his consumption of alcohol didn't need to be monitored.

Taylor didn't think that would turn into a problem down the road anyway, Arlo probably knew how much liquor he could handle. She moved back into the living room, jumping nearly two feet into the air when there was a knock at her back door, fingers convulsing. She watched in slow motion as the beer dropped out of her grasp, the impact on the wooden floor sending shards of the bottle in every direction. Taylor turned an irritated glare to the familiar face that smirked at her from the other side of the glass obstruction, Peyton smugly waving at her like the asshole hadn't just given her a heart attack.

Then, faster than he could blink, Peyton was blocked from her sight by a seething Arlo. Her Familiar had an iron grip on her upper arm, ready to yank Taylor behind the bulk of his body should Peyton try anything that Arlo didn't like. Hexxus was prowling back and forth in front of them both, a low rumble vibrating in his chest as his icy gaze bore into the Familiar on the other side of the glass. Taylor hadn’t even seen either of them move, more than a bit shell-shocked by their protectiveness as her wide brown eyes jumped between the two brothers.

"You alright? Cut anywhere? I can’t smell anything other than goddamn beer." Arlo kneeled down in front of Taylor before she could get a word of reassurance past her suddenly uncooperative lips. He carefully surveyed Taylor's feet for any damage without actually touching them, seeing as how that could potentially compromise his balance. Confident that she was unharmed, Arlo started to carelessly pick up the bigger pieces of glass to throw away. The older male wasn't even giving Peyton the time of day anymore, trusting that Hexxus would handle it if the stranger attempted anything.

"It's just Peyton. He's a friend." Taylor lightly placed her hand on Arlo's shoulder after a moment of hesitation, since she wasn't sure how the white-haired male would take the contact. To her utter amazement, he leaned into the soothing touch, letting her palm settle more firmly against the furnace that was her elder Familiar. She could do nothing but blink owlishly as Arlo tilted his chin in order to rub his scratchy stubble against Taylor's knuckles. The gesture was affectionate and oddly reassuring and she was positive it was transferring Arlo's scent onto her.

She'd seen Peyton do the same thing to Noah plenty of times.

"Why didn't he go to the front then?" Hexxus grumbled darkly, managing to back his way to Taylor's side without once looking away from Peyton's stunned face. Arlo's instincts had apparently drawn him to check on Taylor while Hexxus’ had pushed him to take care of the threat to his Summoner. She was seriously impressed by the brother's attentiveness to their surroundings and the way they flawlessly worked as a unit.

"It's frowned upon when Familiars walk around in public without their Summoner." Taylor sighed, having had this very conversation with the stubborn Hawk Familiar. She moved to the door in order to let Peyton in before the idiot was seen, pausing when Hexxus' hand shot out to grab a fistful of her shirt. Taylor leveled him with a sharp look, guilt immediately flooding in and softening her features when Hexxus hastily released his hold, shifting away as he stared at the floor.

Arlo must've seen his brother's reaction because he pulled away from her, putting a foot of open space between them that felt like a yawning chasm. "Why the hell didn't you tell me you were finally doing your Summoning!?" Peyton’s voice was muffled by the glass as he waved his hands around wildly, seemingly unable to decide which brother to look at. His green gaze darted back and forth between the two silent Familiars. Peyton’s wide eyes told her that he was obviously impressed with what he saw. Taylor's head tipped back with a drawn-out sigh, squinting at his ceiling as if the uneven bumps held all the answers. They didn't, of course.

When she stepped forward this time, she wasn't stopped, which somehow made her feel even more shitty. Taylor carefully navigated to the door, keeping an eye out for any wayward pieces of glass. As soon as she flipped the lock, Peyton was throwing the door open and clamping his hands down onto Taylor's shoulders. She was rapidly forced into a backward retreat as Peyton pressed forward, bombarding her with questions.

A strangled noise emitted from behind her just as her left foot stepped down on something with a jagged edge. "God fucking- Peyton, let go." Taylor hissed, jerking the injured appendage up and off the floor, taking the pressure off of the wound in an attempt to keep it from becoming worse. Anchoring herself against the nearby lounge chair she lifted her foot, grimacing when she realized a fragment of the beer bottle had embedded itself into the sole of her foot, fat globs of crimson splattering onto the tile.

Taylor’s gaze snapped up from the bottom of her foot when Peyton yelped, the other Familiar’s hands unceremoniously ripped away from where he’d been apologetically rubbing her back. She then witnessed Hexxus violently wrestle Peyton toward the back door, all but shoving him out of the house. The dark-haired wolf’s expression was downright murderous as he slammed the sliding door, locking it with his teeth bared in a snarl at the other Familiar's back. Peyton scrambled to his feet, whirling around to fix Hexxus with a blazing glare at being manhandled.

"Peyton, just calm down. I'm bleeding and they're worried, don't take it personally. I summoned them just an hour ago, they haven't even been registered yet." Taylor explained, making sure to raise her voice so that her friend could hear her from the other side of the door. The fight visibly left the Hawk, Peyton's posture straightening out of his defensive crouch. Peyton nodded in understanding, scratching at his chin with blunt fingernails before his gaze flicked down to her injured foot and he grimaced, clearly feeling guilty.

"Sorry, I forget how breakable you humans are. Do you need help with that?" Hexxus bristled at the offer, snapping his teeth at Peyton in a distinct warning from his place in front of the window. Taylor let loose a startled yelp, eyes going wide when Arlo took her by the hips, lifting her clear off of the ground to sit her atop the arm of the chair. Before she could even begin to process the alarming show of strength, Arlo pinched the glass embedded in her skin and gave it a cautious tug, the shard sliding loose with a burning sensation.

Crimson immediately began flowing from the wound with renewed vigor, splashing onto the tiled floor beneath her. It was going to be a crusty puddle when she finally got to cleaning it, seeing as she'd have to wait until she’d been patched up, just another thing to add to his growing list of worries. "Hexxus." Arlo grunted, the two brothers sharing a communicative look before Hexxus backed away from the door. He moved into the kitchen and out of sight, the sound of cabinets opening and closing following his departure.

She watched the kitchen with a suspicious gaze, wondering if Hexxus was procuring a weapon to attack Peyton with. Thankfully, the younger sibling re-emerged from the kitchen weaponless, though his crossed arms were packed full of cleaning supplies. In one of his free hands Hexxus carried a bucket of water, the liquid within steaming pleasantly as he set it down next to Taylor’s dangling feet. He handed a clean blue washcloth to Arlo before setting all his gathered supplies down. Taylor jolted, her attention pulled away from Hexxus’ weird behavior, when Arlo pressed the dishrag against the gash.

Taylor balked when the dark-haired male proceeded to kneel on the floor next to the cleaning supplies and smaller blood puddles, dipping the cloth into the water mixture and wringing it out before diligently starting to scrub at the mess. When Hexxus was satisfied with his cleaning job, he dunked the cloth back into the pink-colored water before repeating the process of scrubbing at the floor. The cloth he was using was going to be hopelessly stained though, Taylor would have to remind herself to throw it out when Hexxus was finished.

"This'll sting." Arlo murmured from where he crouched in front of her hanging legs, one of his calloused hands firmly wrapped around Taylor's ankle. There was an open first-aid kit beside the elder man's bare foot, making her wonder when he'd gotten up to go fetch it from the bathroom. Taylor nearly bit her tongue when Arlo dabbed a cotton-ball soaked in what smelled like alcohol onto the cut, her toes curling as she just barely managed to repress the urge to jerk away. Arlo's grip on her ankle tightened for a fraction of a second before relaxing and Taylor almost thought that it was an involuntary action until he deliberately did it again.

That's when she realized that she'd shut her eyes, her whole body wound as tight as a bowstring. Taylor started by relaxing her jaw, teeth aching from the pressure of gritting them for such a long period of time. She sucked in a deep breath and blinked her doe eyes open, forcibly relaxing the death-grip that she had on Arlo’s shoulder. Said Familiar was watching her, a furrow between his brows. Taylor's lips quirked into a tired but reassuring smile, gaze sliding down to take in the neat bandages that mummified the majority of her foot. Obviously, Arlo had some experience with patching people up.

"Don’t I need stitches? The glass seemed to have gone in pretty deep." Taylor inquired, curiously wiggling her exposed toes and wincing at the uncomfortable pull of split skin. "Nah, it'll be good and healed by morning as long as you quit messing with it." Arlo shrugged, hand snapping out to take Taylor's big toe hostage. Once he was certain that she was going to heed his warning, he released her toe, giving her knee a friendly pat before moving away to re-pack the kit.

Hexxus had already finished his task of cleaning up the various crimson puddles and was now gathering up the bloodied medical supplies, tossing the used cotton-balls and gauze into the nearby trash can. Peyton was still by the door, practically pressed against it as he peered in, Taylor raising a brow at the shit-eating grin she found taking up the lower half of her friend's face. Peyton only winked at her before heading off toward the gate to outright leave Taylor's yard.

Shaking her head at the Hawk’s strange antics, she gingerly slid off the table cautiously staying on her tippy-toes for a moment before putting the majority of her weight on her good leg, hands braced on Arlo’s broad shoulders for balance. "Now is as good a time as any to show you two the sleeping arrangements." Taylor rubbed a hand over her face, wondering if she could ask for one of them to just put her on the sofa before they ran off to explore.

"My room is on the second floor. It’s the door on the left at the end of the hall. The two rooms down here are free, you guys can hash out who goes where. I didn't know I would be having two Familiars so I only prepared one room-" Taylor's rambling was cut off with a startled squawk when she was unceremoniously swept off her feet, held bridal style by a smug looking Arlo. "You’re looking tired, Taylor." Arlo leaned in, their faces so close that the tips of their noses brushed, the white-haired man’s breath fanning across her lips.

"Lemme take you to bed." Taylor's mouth went dry as her face heated up, taken off guard by the double entendre. The elder brother growled when Hexxus jabbed an elbow into his ribs, expression flat and unimpressed. "Leave her alone you shithead." Arlo's low rumble transformed into a throaty chuckle as he walked up the stairs, leveling his younger brother with a mischievous grin. “I was just playing.” Arlo teased playfully as he ascended the second set of stairs. Taylor let the soft sway of his arms as he walked soothe the aches and pains of the day, drifting off before they had even reached her room.