Ben DaVine

[evan..relic]

.:TIMESKIP:.

The next morning, the sun woke Ben up by blasting him right in the face, he closed his eyes as he sat up, "Dammit." He rubbed his smarting eyes, 'Wakey, wakey Erika. School time, park trip today.'

[Erika]

Erika awoke, and smiled. 'Me see Beast?' She asked, with a happy tone. She loved going to the park.

[evan..relic]

'Yeah, we'll both see Beast. And Mirriam.' Ben got up and picked Erika up at the same time, 'Now, come on kiddo, get dressed and grab your stuff for school, we'll be going there first, before the park.'

[Erika]

Erika giggled, and wiggled out of Ben's grasp. She got herself dressed, and got her school stuff, putting it at the front door. Waiting for Ben, she hummed a tune Beast had taught her, and sang to her when he had found her in the forest all those years ago.

Beast growled slightly as he searched his room for the first aid kit he carried when he helped take the kids on field trips. Walking on all fours, he smelt the rubbing alcohol, and unburied it from a pile of towels covered in blue fur. Chuckling to himself, and shaking his head, he muttered, "Always in the last place you look, and the most uncommon of places." Rolling his eyes, he exited his room, and went to Ben's and Erika's room. Banging on the door, he yelled, "You guys coming?"

Erika jumped slightly as she heard someone banging on the door. Hearing Beast's voice, she giggled, and opened the door. Once the door was open, she leapt at him.

Beast caught Erika, and boosted her onto his back. Entering the room, he closed the door behind him. "Hello little one." He said in a happy tone.

Erika smiled, and hugged him from behind, for she was on his back. 'Hello Beast.' She said, happily. 'We go to park?'

Beast chuckled, and rolled his eyes. "Yes, we are going to the park, but we have to wait for your father."

Erika sighed, and nuzzled in between his shoulder blades. 'Okay.' She said, as she decided to wait patiently for Ben.

[evan..relic]

Ben came hopping out of the bathroom, one pant leg on, and trying to get his other leg into the other one, 'Sorry, my mind was... elsewhere.'

Finally getting his cargo pants on right, he took a comb out of his pocket and forced his hair to resume it's usual shape, unlike the bedhead he sported a moment ago.

Going to his bedside table, he unlocked one of the drawers and pulled out a holstered Jericho 941 and clipped it into place under his left armpit before grabbing his tan leather jacket and putting it on. The outline of the handgun could barely be seen from outside.

Directing his thoughts at Beast, so that Erika could not hear him at all, 'I have a bad feeling, I usually bring the gun when I get those feelings.'

[Erika]

Beast chuckled as he saw Ben, and shook his head. Seeing him take his guns, and hear Ben's projected thoughts, he growled slightly.

Erika looked at Ben, and laughed out loud. Hearing Beast growl, she patted him on the shoulder. 'Beast okay?' She asked.

[evan..relic]

Ben sighed, 'Eri, I wasn't all here earlier. Daddy was lost in a thought. Time doesn't like me much.' He chuckled as he remembered his newest ability.

Blocking Erika out again, he directed his thoughts at Beast, 'Give me a break. I've been paranoid since I had a bit of an odd dream the first night after I took Erika in. Why do you think I'm always a bit jumpy?'

[Erika]

Erika nodded, and rested her head between Beast's shoulder blades.

Beast rolled his eyes, and nodded. "Let's go." He said, as he turned to walk out the door.

Erika yawned, and gripped Beast's fur tightly, making him wince. She closed her eyes, and fell asleep.

Beast chuckled, and shifted Erika on his back, so that he wouldn't drop her. "Looking forward to the field trip?" He asked Ben, before walking out the door.

[evan..relic]

Lightly jogging to catch up, Ben admitted, "Yeah, I am. But a good bunch of screaming kids? Not going to help my paranoia right now." Hesitating for a second, he said quietly with a slight flush of his cheeks, "It's not just the field trip that I'm looking forwards too."

[Erika]

Beast laughed, and sniffed the air. He could smell Ben's feelings, and he shook his head.

Erika awoke, as she heard the words Ben had spoken, and asked in a tired voice out loud, "Why daddy happy?"

Beast chuckled, but said nothing.

[evan..relic]

Ben chuckled like Beast, 'Don't worry about it Erika. I'm just a little... giddy...' His trail of thought faded away.

[Erika]

Erika rolled her eyes, but didn't argue. She placed her chin on Beast's shoulder, so that she could see where they were going.

Beast twitched under her, as he carried her. "You're getting too heavy for this." He said, in an amused voice.

Erika, lost in thought, just made a sound like, "uh huh", and was silent.

[evan..relic]

Ben reached over and ruffled her hair, 'What'cha thinkin' about, kiddo?'

((Reach park at my next post after you.))

[Erika]

Erika, startled, jerked, and would have fallen off, if Beast hadn't grabbed her legs tightly. Looking over at her father, with a clearly annoyed face, she stuck out her tongue, and was silent.

[evan..relic]

Ben chuckled, 'No falling asleep kiddo. We're here.' Ben stopped at the gate that led into the park, he spotted Erika's class and Mirriam.

Opening the gate, he gestured for Beast and Erika to enter before him.

[Erika]

Beast walked through the gate, still carrying Erika on his back. Going to Mirriam, he nodded. "Morning." He said, his voice a bit gruff.

Erika smiled at Mirriam, and then placed her head on Beast's shoulder. "Stay?" She asked him.

Beast chuckled. "Of course." He whispered to her.

[evan..relic]

Mirriam smiled, "Hullo Beast. Still as blue as always, I see." She laughed.

Ben came walking up, "Mornin' Mirriam." He said, trying to keep his pulse down.

"Ah, here's the man of the hour! Ben!" Mirriam said with a wide smile, causing Ben's heart to skip a beat.

[Erika]

Erika looked at Mirriam, and somehow launched herself off Beast's back, over Mirriam's head, hitting the ground, do a shoulder roll, and come to her feet. Turning around, she looked at Ben, and smiled.

Beast watched Erika do this little stunt, and nearly had a heart attack. Putting a hand to his chest, he shook his head, and then walked over to a bench to sit down.

Seeing Beast go, Erika frowned, and hung her head. She turned and ran to a tree. Climbing up it, she hid in the branches and leaves.

[evan..relic]

Ben laughed and shook his head, "Don't mind Erika, she's... a little more hyper than usual." He said to Mirriam, "I'll get her down from there." He started to walk over to the tree that Erika was hiding in.

[Erika]

Seeing Ben approaching, Erika climbed higher into the tree. Not noticing a thin branch, that had a crack in it. She stepped on the branch, and it gave way under her weight.

Beast heard the crack, and looked up at the tree, that Erika was in.

Erika fell, and came crashing down ontop of a thicker branch. She grabbed the branch, and nearly slipped off. "DADDY! BEAST! HELP ME!!" She screamed.

Beast saw her dangling on the branch, some twenty feet up from the ground. Growling, he took to all fours, and ran for her.

Erika struggled to get up onto the branch, as it started to bend from her weight.

Beast launched himself off the ground, and into the tree. Seeing a very sturdy, and thick branch above Erika, he climbed to it. Hanging from his knees, he dangled his arms above Erika. "Grab hold of my hand." He said to her.

Erika looked up, and saw beast. She tried to reach for his hand, but slipped so that she was holding the branch with one hand. Starting to panic, Erika tried to swing herself up.

Beast caught Erika's hand, as she swung up. Grabbing her with both of his hands, he brought her up to him.

Erika, started to cry, as she felt Beast's arms around her.

Beast shifted Erika to his left arm, and pulled himself upright onto the branch using his right hand. Once sitting on the branch, Beast started to comfort her. "It's okay. You're safe now."

Erika continued to cry, her thoughts, a jumble of images, and her words slurred from her sobbing.

[evan..relic]

Ben leaped forwards, but Beast beat him to the punch. He sighed with relief.

Curiosity got to him, going up to the tree, he examined the branch that Erika had fallen from now that it was on the ground. Picking it up, he examined the splintered ends. It looked partially natural, but it looked like something had gone through it in order to extend the break and shatter the end of the branch.

"Hmmmm..."

Mirriam came up behind him, putting a hand on his shoulder, "What's wrong Ben?"

Not paying a lot of attention, he muttered, "Something doesn't feel right..." He contemplated looking into the past to see what happened, but didn't want to affect Erika by opening a time rift.

[Erika]

Beast continued to hold Erika, and carefully made his way back to the ground. Once his feet touched the earth, he went over to Ben, who was examining the branch.

"I heard something not natural before the branch broke." Beast said. "You know what could have caused this to happen?"

Erika continued to cry, and began to make whimpering noises. Her mind was still chaotic, so her mind reading capabilities were limited.

[evan..relic]

"Judging by the splintered branch, something collided with it, causing it to break." Tossing the branch to the ground, he looked around. Nothing was out of the ordinary.

"Beast, I'll take Erika. Can you take a smell of this area, maybe you can find something I can't. Besides, I don't want to open a rift as it will affect Erika quite... adversely." He held his hands to take Erika.

Mirriam looked from him to Beast, she was bewildered as to what was happening.

[Erika]

Beast handed Erika over to Ben. "I will try." Looking at Ben with a strange look, he asked, "Time rift? How will that affect Erika?"

Erika calmed down a little being in Ben's arms, but her body still shook uncontrollably.

Beast went and smelled the broken end of the branch. "It smells like gunpowder." Sneezing slightly, he shook his head to clear it. "And the smell is on the wind as well."

Erika closed her eyes, trying to get control of her mind. Settling for just words, she said, "Daddy, evil man is here."

[evan..relic]

Ben sighed, "Erika's susceptible to certain distortions in the world around her, including time. Learned that the hard way."

Stroking Erika's hair, his eyebrow shot up, nearly vanishing in his lanky hair, "Gunpowder? Are you sure?"

Looking to Erika, "Evil man? What?" Pushing his mind into her's, he created a zone where she couldn't be affected by the remaining fear-induced chaos of her mind, 'What do you mean?'

[Erika]

Erika placed her head on Ben's shoulder. Feeling his mind in hers, she didn't speak.

Beast looked at Ben with an eyebrow raised. "Learned the hard way?" Shaking his head, he sniffed the air again. "Yes. Gunpowder."

Erika, shivered. 'I can sense him, daddy. The evil man from the hearing. He's here.' Erika tried to hide her face in Ben's shoulder, clearly frightened.

"Whoever shot at the branch, wanted her dead." Beast said, with a growl in his voice.

[evan..relic]

Glancing around, he could see some disruptions in the bushes, but those proved to only be small animals.

"Whoever it was is gone now." Even as he said that he couldn't shake the apprehensive feeling that something wasn't quite right.

[Erika]

Beast growled, dropped to all fours, and roared out a sound that mad the children scream in fright.

Erika whimpered, and jumped out of Ben's arms. Going to Beast she hugged him.

Beast fell silent as he felt Erika's arms around his neck. He growled a note, and pushed her to the ground.

Erika fell on her side, dragging Beast with her.

Beast went down, but then grabbed her, and in a protective, loving gesture licked her cheek.

Erika giggled, and calmed down from this attack. "Beast funny." She said out loud.

Beast growled a soft note, and replied, "No. Just protective of my little cub."

[evan..relic]

Ben walked over to Beast and Erika and placed a hand on Beast's shoulder and Erika's head, "Whatever it was, its gone now."

Mirriam quickly calmed down the children with a small light show and walked over to the three, "I did see something or someone moving around in the trees, I could have sworn I saw a rifle too."

Ben quickly gave Mirriam a hug, "Thanks. Go keep an eye on the kids." She nodded and returned to sustaining the light show. He turned to Beast, "You think you could go hunting?"

[Erika]

Beast nodded, and handed Erika over to Ben. "Understood." He took off running, to find out what had threatened his little cub.

Erika cuddled into Ben, she was still afraid.

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