Urban Renewal: Phone Call at 2AM..,

Urban Renewal: Phone Call at 2AM..,

Lost in the depths of a silently playing dream, Tarra suddenly hears her phone ring. At first her sleep-filled mind resists the urge to answer it, but something in the back of her mind drags her to awareness. Its a simple, sub-concious, question to herself.., 'who the hell would be calling -this- early?!'

"hmmnphfff?" She answers her phone, obviously still alseep. The voice on the other end is somewhat familar.., and yet it sounds strange.

"Tarra...Tarra it's Eric. I need to talk to you..."

"Oh.., Eric. uh Sure..," She yawns, "what's going on?"


Rubbing the sleep crusties from the corners of her eyes, her brain slowly gears up to wakefulness. His reply is largely non-coherent. A few random words, "lost", "azalie", "failed", and "need you", are discernable through his vaguely inebriated half-weeping speech.

A deep, abiding, concern snaps her more fully awake. Her eyes shoot open, as she half-falls out of bed looking for her discarded clothes. The dimness in her bedroom makes it difficult at best.

"Oh sweet Mother.., Eric.., where are you?" She responds, her voice still thick with sleep.

"I'm safe at home now...I...I need to see you...to talk to you...everythings wrong."


Tarra can hear the obvious effort Eric uses in order to collect himself. She manages to juggle the putting-on-of-clothes-in-the-dark with holding-onto-the-phone. Though totally dishevled, she hurries to the living room to find a notepad and her jacket. Jotting down a message to Lauren, she offers what meger consolences she can to Eric over the phone.


"I'll be there as soon as I can, Sweetie. Just gotta grab my jacket and leave Lauren a note. You hang on now. I'm on my way."

Eric barely breathes a "thank you" before hanging the phone back up. He unlocks the door for Tarra before crawling into bed.


Back at teh girls apartment, Tarra re-reads the note to make sure its at least mostly legable. Then she scrawls her signature at the bottom quickly.



-Eric called. Had to run. Something's wrong. Might be back later. I have my cell.-



Tarra shoves her cell into her pocket, grabs her keys and coat, and runs out the door throwing the dead bolt before heading off. She jogs a good distance of the way, not being able to find a taxi. Cursing to herself about the sad taxi-service in the city, as well as the distance by foot between the two apartments. She makes a mental note to buy a 10-speed with her next pay-check.

She is out of breath by the time she reaches his place. Testing the door, she finds it unlocked. Quickly she moves inside, and relocks the door behind her in one smooth motion. Not seeing him in the main area, she searches a bit to find him in the bedroom. Standing just inside the doorway, she calls to him softly.
"Eric..?"

Eric lifts his head slightly off his pillow, then reaches over an turns the light on. His clothes are all askew, his eyes red, and his pillow tear-stained. With an effort, he takes a drink from a bottle of gatorade and rolls over onto his back and motions for Tarra to join him. Tarra heistates for only a second in shock at the mess of him. Quickly she kicks off her shoes, drops both coat and keys on the floor where she stands, and moves to the bedside. She crawls in and sits by his chest. Her hands move to his face, pushing back the disshevled hair. Then, leaning down, she kisses his checks, his forehead, nose and lips.


With a cracked voice, Eric starts to speak, "She's dead. They took her and now she's dead...she was right behind me...not more than 50 feet away, and I didn't see any of it...she's...gone."


"Holy hells," Tarra whispers under her breath. It takes her a minute to add two and two together. The horror of it shakes her to her core.., Azalie.., dead? Taken? Her eyes go wide as she gathers Eric to her, curling up around him, just holding him. She cradles his head in her arms, pressing her cheek to his.


"Oh no.., oh.., oh no..," she mutters, "Eric, darling, -who- took her.., what happened?"


“Spirals... We were tracking Jase... Jase killed Leslie, we think... were following lead... Xavier found Ted Forester.., he’s one of them.., almost sure of it... He ran, Xavier and I chased him, everyone else was scattered. Azalie was killed... Crystal saw a Spiral shove a claw through her chest before they sank into a hole..... She’s dead now. Rite failed to find her, can only mean she’s dead. She never will get to see...” his voice trails off for a moment. “Xev’s pregnant, on top of everything else”


'Spirals', she thought to herself. Memories of nightmarish stories she heard as a kid left her cold. The more she heard, the more she felt a growing bubble of fear rise up in her. She shivered in response. With the mention of Xev's pregnancy she pulls back just enough to see his face.

Her eyes show a deep concern, "Xev? Oh my..,"

She nuzzles along his jawline to his neck and just rests there, holding him. Her grip is tight but not overpowering. Tarra runs her fingers through his hair and gentlly rocks him. Eric tries to speak, then stops. He sobs silently into Tarra, thoughts far from forming.

She waits patiently, knowing full well that he needs this release. With occasional soft murmurs of nothing, and small, light, soft kisses Tarra tries to comfort him. Her own mind awhirl, she focuses on his hurt, his pain, his need in order to keep her own thoughts calm and collected.

After a long moment, Eric sits up. His breathing calms down, steadies. Tarra continues to cling to him, even as she gives him the space to move. She watches him carefully....


"They need me. I am Alpha, I am to lead them. I will be the rock of their foundation."

His face is grim as he sets his determination, but softens as he turns to look Tarra in the face. "And I will need you."

Something about his change of demeanor seems very familar to her. The passing thought tugs at her heart strings. She smiles softly in return, running her fingers lightly across his cheek and down his jawline. She kisses him sweetly, lightly, then leans back to speak. Her voice wavers slightly, belying her own inner struggle.


"By your side, as you are by mine..," she says softly as she closes her eyes a moment, trying to find the words.


"Nnno.., matter what may come our way..," she shivers slightly, " It,it is what I said.., and what .., I ment.., aaand I will abide by that." Looking back up at him, she measures her next words carefully.


"Remember, leibchen, though they may look to you for strength.., an Alpha is nothing without his pack, or his Sept. Just as the group is nothing without their leader..," she kisses his cheeks where the tear stains have left marked trails.


"This Sept is still so new, but they do support you Eric. They look up to you, or so it seems to me. United..," She pauses, looking deeply into his eyes, "there is nothing that cannot be acccomplished."


With a sigh he continues, "In a few hours, I will address the sept. About noon. I ask that you tell Lauren...the good news and the bad. I need to travel to Providence, and speak with their Alpha, Skips the Silver Trail. She is also Fianna and will know the traditions of her tribe. When I return....I think it is time that we talk to your father."

She nods to this, listening carefully. Then she leans her head into his chest, still holding onto him.
"When will you leave for Providence?"


"As soon as I'm sure everything here is set. I won't be gone long. I will be back to Greet the Sun."


"Be safe," Tarra whispers. Then leaning back up she kisses him, softly, tenderly. Its a short kiss, but very loving. Then, pulling back some, she attempts to look at him more fully before she speaks.

"I expect Lauren to call me eventually, as the note I left was a bit short. She's a curious sort." She gives a slight shrug, " Besides, I tell her about everything anyway. She's a good listener." Tarra smiles, but the smile doesn't quite touch her eyes. There is still a deep concern there.


"I will be." Eric says, his voice a bit more even, "Oh, my head is killing me. Can you do me a favor? Get me some Excedrine and pour me a bowl of Gatorade?"


With a kiss to his forehead, she gets up with a soft smile and heads for the kitchen.


"Of course. You keep the Excedrine in the bathroom I take it?" She asks over her shoulder.


"Yeah," Eric responds, "it's in the medicine cabinet. Top shelf, I think. There should be a large mixing bowl in the dish rack, haven't put it away since baking brownies."


Once in the kitchen she tinkers around, amused at the thought of him baking brownies.., and wondering just -why- he wanted the gatorade in a mixing bowl. She pulls open the fridge, and digs around looking for the drink. As she shuts the fridge door, she shakes her head again in bemusement.

"How much?" she queries, just loud enough to be heard from the kitchen.


"The whole bottle..." he calls back, "if i'm going to be functional at all."


Tarra pours the whole bottle of Gatorade into the bowl, and carefully returns with it to the bedroom.


"In here, and where do you want me to put it down?" Her left eyebrow quirks with the question.


"Just on the floor." Eric motions, "I don't know how much you know, but we heal fastest out of our breed form. If i'm going to pull together enough to do what needs to be done, I can't stay like this."

She sets the bowl down, then heads to the bathroom as he shifts. Watching him out of the corner of her eye, she checks the medicine cabinet. The very ability to change forms amazes her, even for as often as she'd seen it growing up.

Slowly, Eric shifts up. First to Glabro, his body growing larger and defined muscles swelling. Then up to Crinos, long grey fur covering his towering body. Hispo comes next, and an aura of peace exudes from the long body. Finally, he shifts to Lupus. Unlike other Garou, however, he does not seem like a wolf. Instead, a fluffy white Great Pyr, noble in bearing and still radiating peace and tranquility, lies where Eric was. He shambles over to the bowl and begins drinking rapidly.

Finding the bottle, she returns from the bathroom and eyes him over curiously. She dumps three into her palm, and kneels down next to him. Holding them out she simply watches him for a short moment. Then, putting the bottle on the floor next to her foot, she reaches out her other hand and runs it through his head-fur marveling at its texture.

Eric takes the pills and some more of the gatorade. He stretches out, then curls into a ball at Tarra's feet. His eyes are sad and his ears laid low. Fond childhood memories flood back to her as she looks him over. She runs her hands through his fur, stroking it, playing with it as well as exploring him. She uses her hands to see if she can find any out-ward signs of damage, beyound his horrible headache. Checking joints and muscles groupings, she gives him a through once-over.


Eric moves compliantly, enjoying the contact. His firm body shows no signs of lasting damage, still without a single battlescar. He wags his tail at her as she continues the exploration. Tarra smiles at him, running her hands over his body one last time before dropping to the floor beside him. She has a rather silly grin on her face, and just shakes her head throughly amused at something. Eric raises an eyebrow and looks over at her, head tilted questioningly.


She chuckles with a grin. "Its just rather.., intriguing. How the body can re-arrange itself like that. It shouldn't be possible in some ways, and in others..., its..., its just amazing."


She leans over and gives him a quick, kiss on the end of his more-doggy-like nose.


"Not to mention, you're even cuter like this." Her grin broadens, the smile finally highlighting her eyes.


Eric smiles up at Tarra in the way only Great Pyr's can, grateful that dogs can't blush. Getting back up, he walks back over to the gatorade and finishes it. Absently he scratches behind his ear, and then jumps up onto the bed.

Tarra gets up off the floor, gathering everything up. First to the bathroom where she replaces the Excedrine exactly where she found it, and second to the kitchen. He can hear the water kick on as she quick-scrubs out the bowl. After replacing it in the drainer, she returns to the bedroom.

Standing in the doorway, she watches him on the bed. Slowly one eyebrow raises, as a tiny, yet mischevious, smile creeps across her lips. Soon there is a wide grin in place of the small smile, with a pair of narrowed eyes watching him. Eric looks at her, then buries the tip of his nose under the pillows and closes his eyes.

Still grinning, she launches herself towards the bed. Landing with a bouncing thud, she belly flops down next to him.., nearly bouncing herself off the bed entirely. Then, placing her hands under her chin, she looks over at him very innocently.


Eric shakes his head and lets out a low growl. With startling quickness, he jumps on top of Tarra and slurps her face. She squeels. Kicking playfully, she rolls over and grabs his ruff. Using her legs, elbows and the physics of soft bedsheets to her advantage, she tries to trip him up and roll him over onto his side.

"I've play-tussled with bigger Lupus then you! HA!"


Eric rolls over onto his back, four legs sticking straight up into the air. With a rolling pounce Tarra attempts to keep him pinned on his back. She ruffles up his ruff, giggling. Then she wiggles her thumbs in front of his nose.


"Ha!" She laughs, "Opposable thumbs win again!"


Eric licks the end of Tarra's nose and shifting back to homid quickly, wraps his arms around Tarra. "Indeed they do."


She squeeks in surprise. Giggling she wipes the end of her nose free of cannine-droole. Tarra smiles down at him. Wrapping his legs around Tarra's waist, Eric pulls her down onto him taking comfort in the closeness. She snuggles into him, her ear against his chest. The rythmn of his heart and breath relaxes her and she sighs softly. The stress of the night and the lack of sleep start to catch up to her, but she fights to stay awake.


Eric holds her close, stroking her hair absently. "Rest now, my darling. Rest if you can. I will need your strength later."


Slowly she begins to drift off, her breath shallow and soft. She twitches once, before sleep claims her. Eric watches her sleep for a while, his mind wandering through so many thoughts. When he is certain that she is deep in sleep, he enters into her dreams. Once within the Dreamscape, he simplely sits and watches; seeking to understand, not yet control.