Uncharted Territory

Two

The office was furnished for a man. The background, a rich mahogany color, was lined and organized with books and articles that took up two sections of wall space from floor to ceiling on either side of the hefty desk. The back wall was nothing but solid glass that looked down over a lush family backyard. Squeals and giggles could be heard as children played; a woman chasing after them. Pictures and certificates neatly occupied the desk top and available wall space of the office. Soft carpeting covered the floor of the room.

The large door opened and in stepped two slender males followed by a female. Behind the trio, taking up the rear, was a larger man. He closed the door behind the lot and stood silent, his good right eye intent on the owner of the office.

The figure in front of the window turned around to face the new comers, ice clinking in the glass that he held as he lowered it to the desktop.

The blond of his hair caught the sunlight and glistened like a halo above his head as he stood silent. At a height of 6ft 5inches, a great height for a great man, his bulk terrified them. He was their alpha, after all. Built like the trunk of a tree, solid, thick, and very scarred, his grey eyes shifted from the noiseless man standing by the door to focus on the three fidgeting in front of him.

“Was there any trouble?” A smooth and demanding bass, his voice broke the lengthened silence at last.

“No.” One of the men standing across from him offered. At his alpha’s cold stare, the man moistened his lips nervously and corrected himself. “S-Sir. No troubles, Victor sir.”

“Oh?” The man by the window nodded after a moment in feigned understanding, purposely allowing the silence to hover once again, causing the group to once more tense up. Their attention focused intently on him, Victor rolled the glass with the tips of his fingers, the ice sounding as his eyes met each of their stares at a time. “Then your assignment is complete?”

Three pairs of eyes darted around the well-lit room, searching desperately for answers within hidden nooks. Their alpha’s eyes slipped shut, building frustration pulsing the vein in his neck, as he struggled for calm. “Why,” he emphasized with a thump of the glass, his voice a hushed growl, “Are you so incapable of finishing a simple hunt?”

No answer was provided.

“You were given a job, and you were unable to complete it?!” The glass shattered within his grip, chips littering the desk and floor; ice tumbling to the carpet. No one moved, and their alpha ran the fingers of his opposite hand through his hair, the three before him not daring to lift their eyes from the floor.

“Mutts are not accepted. We do not tolerate them. Do you understand that?”

“Yes sir. We will complete it.” The same man from before spoke, fear dropping his voice barely above a mumble. He nervously cleared his throat. “The moon… and some humans were around before we—“

“Enough!” Victor barked out. “You had a job to do, and you did not do it.” Silence filled the room once more. “Right or wrong?” No one answered the rhetorical inquiry. Victor continued onward, not expecting an answer from the lesser of his clan. “If I find him before you three do, if I kill him before you three do, I will find you, and I will kill you.” The promise rang true throughout the office.

The fidgeting three exchanged looks, fear clear on all three of their faces, “Sir—” the woman attempted.

“You’re dismissed.” Their alpha turned from the group then, the conversation completed, and scanned the playing children in the garden below.

With hesitance the trio turned for the door and exited the office.

“Richard.” At his name, his good eye blinked with life, and the silent man by the door took a step forward. “Get someone to clean this mess.”

...............................

"Explain again what happened.”

The few remaining individuals scattered around the classroom focused their attention back on Sybil. The story never changed, but maybe if it were retold in a different tone of voice, maybe if she were less dramatic, the interrogation could finally stop and Sybil could return back to her daily schedule.

She brushed away her loose waves wearily. “I came into work around six twenty-five. Anna and I talked for a bit, I walked to my classroom to get everything ready for the day, I opened the door, and he was sitting in here.” She gestured to the corner of the room. “Well actually, he was sitting over there by the snack closet- eating all the snacks.”

The standing officer nodded at his notepad, and reviewed what he had written. She had repeated the same story, and nothing new was uncovered in her explanation. He glanced at the dark haired child in confusion, unsure of where he had come from, then turned his gaze back to the redheaded woman. Her hazel eyes were intent on the boy, contemplative as she released a low exhale.

“Any parents—“ he tried.

“No.” Her shoulders sagged with defeat.

At the sight of Anna’s reassuring smile and gesture to continue, Sybil straightened her spine and focused her attention on the officer with a shake of her head. “No parents, no siblings, not even a note.” She glanced at the boy once more. “Just him.”

The corners of her lips curved up at the fresh memory. From her sudden scream, the boy had jumped in surprise, animal shaped crackers dropping from his fists. Once her racing heart had slowed, it had taken some pacifying and soothing words to calm the startled child, yet Sybil had managed to do so. However, at the building security’s sudden burst in, as well as the arrival of other adults, the boy had fallen into a fit of hiccups and more tears; desperately pressing himself into the corner in fear. She had scooped him up then, and rocked him gently. Walking the space of the room, repeatedly promising that all was well. She had offered him reassuring pecks and smiles until finally he had settled in her arms and dozed off into slumber.

Now, curled up on his side on one of the nap mats, he continued to quietly rest.

“—home for the time being.”

She blinked, hearing only the tail end of the conversation and having to play catch up. “I’m sorry?”

The two officers engaged in conversation focused their attention onto Sybil. “We’ll get him to a foster home for the time being, while we look for his parents.” One stated.

Worry creased her forehead as she stood from her seated position. “A... A foster home?”

The other officer nodded as he tucked his pen away. “That’s the best we can do until we locate his family.”

“I think that’s a good idea, Syb’.” Anna chimed in, moving towards her friend. “At least he’ll be some place safe.”

Sybil nodded, her mind racing for an alternative option. “Yeah…”

A daring thought began to suddenly form. A speck of an idea, growing and increasing in size, formulating into a plan until she could do no more but allow fumbling words to spill nervously out of her.

“Or... I could look after him.” She looked between the law enforcers, a pair of familiar brown eyes narrowing suspiciously at her.

“You?”

“Yes, Martin, me.” Though her insides fluttered and burned in retaliation, she offered a lighthearted chuckle at his accusatory tone instead. “You all saw how he was earlier, he"s frightened and alone.” Why she fought for the no named child and wanted him with her, was not completely clear even to herself, but the idea of him going elsewhere, alone and crying endlessly, left a pit in her heart.

She laid out facts and pushed her uncertainty aside for the time being. “Look... I say we wait until the end of the day. If no family comes to pick him up, then I wouldn’t mind taking him home for a few nights until you guys can find a foster home.”

“She does have a good point, Martin.” Anna confirmed. The peacemaker, she looked between her friends. This was a side of her best-friend the smaller female had yet to truly explore, and the sight pleased her greatly.

“Yeah I do. I mean— think of it as me babysitting.” Sybil urged on. She wet her lips, distractingly tucking a stray curl behind her ear. “It’ll take a few days anyway or maybe even a week plus to find a good home so...” Sybil shrugged her shoulders, and allowed the sentence to remain open for any possibility of approval.

The officers were hesitant, knowing that such a thing, though not illegal, was not allowed. They had to get the child to a safe home. Martin studied the two women a moment more before looking over at his partner. He knew thee smaller of the two inside and out, them having history, and if she trusted the redhead, he was willing to allow the temporary solution.

“Fine.”

Sybil nearly bounced in place. Instead, she nodded with finality and pursed her lips to contain the cheek splitting grin. “Fine.”

He pointed his index at her in warning, “Just until we find an actual place for him.”

“Yes, of course.”