Training Day (pride, open)

Tibs Looked around outside, scanning the peremeter, it was pretty much the calm before the storm. All the lions were cagey as to be expected. The number of lions in the pride house were many more than when he left, in a strange way that made him happy that so many had shown up and yet that meant that so many was downtrodden and being ran over that the rage doubled in his stomach that Estelle and Eric had choked the life from the community turned the entire group into a weak, broken clan. He would deal with them in shortly. Tonight Eric would lose all that he gained if not his life as well. While Tibs swore not to touch Estelle she was going to lose it all as well. He was setting the ground work for her come uppence. The only sticking point was what to do with the young infectees Tibs didn’t run a day care. And by his count there was a gaggle of young infectees as well the cat house women well he would have to figure something for them as well. They would need a protector it would be something that he would have to figure out.

Walking up the stairs he felt the heat of the eye of sniper scope bearing down on him. he fought the urge to look up as he knew where they were. It was so much flat land that if Eric came over the flat to attack the house he would be mowed down. well at least all those that ran with him. TIbs had the standing order that Eric was to be unharmed, that pelt was his and his alone. He let his aura of calm and safety precede and fill the pride house. They would know he was there, he could feel pepper and Mita. Chidera was pulse responded to his and it made his breath catch. He wanted so many things to do but tonight it was time to pay the cost.

Opening the door, locking it behind him, he looked around at all the new faces. And the look in them was a bad as he suspected. They were almost as bad as when he went to go play in the sandbox. Before his discharge. The look of fear, exhaustion and fear of exhaustion. It was like they were scared for so long that they were just numb to the terror they were just frozen and broken in their fozenness.

“I’m home!”

Tibs thought about her question, thinking really hard at her he told her where he wanted her upstairs in his bed and nude as a brand new day. Outwardly he said “I need you inside for now, once we get conformation that Eric was out on the premises, then you should leak out from my bedroom window, We will keep the light off so he would not see you leave, as well as make a distraction. Once you are clear of the house, began funneling Eric’s troops into the snipers view. She could have as much fun as she wanted but for the most stay low and out of sight.”

The traps helps tremendously, in blocking off access to different locations. He would have to funnel his group past the snipers which would limit the strength of his numbers making them moot. If the next part of his plan worked by the time Eric made It to the house his troop will be so weak that he would practically be alone. This would make Tibs fight actually doable as Eric will would be broken if he cared for his men, and if not he would be so enraged that he wouldn’t be thinking straight and again easy picking either way.

Excusing himself from Chidera, he asked her to get herself set, he knew she would have her gear ready to go, but just in case as when this happened it would happen fast. So to take control of the lull would be the most strategic. Looking for Pepper, Tibs made sure she had everything she would need. There was enough food in the house for the two of them for over a month as long as spoilage was not an issue but for this many people they had perhaps a week at the outside maybe less Pepper would need to make that determination. As he had not been in the kitchen since this morning and if she was feeding them beforehand then who knew.

Tibs when upstairs to check on the snipers in the birdcage. He checked the battery on his walkie, it was military grade so the loud sqwark that began and ended every sentence on the cheap civvie version was not there. HE was ready to go. They had their walkie ready as well they were ready to go the electric energy in the house almost had its own presense as tense as it was. Everyone was just waiting on the show to start.

Aminta did her best to stay out of the way Chidera introduced herself but was eyes focused on Tibs and she knew what that meant. There was trouble that had nothing to do with anyone but them two brewing. They were adult enough to put business first but she knew that there would be a reckoning of sorts. A ssuch she did what she could to stay out of sight out of mind once she’d introduced herself to Chidera. Just like a light she was out of the room and back to the safety of hers. She caught the transfers ‘The Other’ made and transferred half of the ill-gotten gains into Tibs account. It’d taken some digging but the house and the truck were registered to a Terrence Long and from there it wasn’t that far to connect the dots.



She didn’t snoop as tempting as it was she did however set him up as an incorporated entity transferring the ownership to the trust of said entity. It was a bunch of hos but it would further insulate him from being found out without him wanting to be. She had every intention of staying out of sight and riding out the storm. She was bombing the news outlets with information about Eric’s business. There wasn’t anything conclusive but the court of public opinion was pretty good with less than complete truth. The idea alone was usually enough. She didn’t out him even knowing that he was already a known entity for the local RPIT the nation at large was not local so she negated that information.



She did find a thread that ‘The Other’ left dangling for her to pull. She hadn’t at first but as she was whiling away the time she did. She was sorry she did and excited all the same. She thought on what to do and decided she would talk to Tibs about it after everything settled down.

Tibs was more tense than he should be, it was as if he was back on the patrol, with the guys in that tight ass Humvee. The stone dry hot arid air blowing in his face like from the gates of hell itself. The sand particles irritating the corners of his eyes. Too hot for the goggles but having to squint every time the wind blew. Tibs could almost feel the thin plastic of the black electrical tape on the handle and gun butt of his AR-15. The thick smell of gun oil, feel the vibration of the road under the puncture resistant tires. His heart pounded as he waited for something to happen just trying to slow everything down, like trying to relearning how to breathe.

Tibs tighten his shields around himself, he didn’t want Chidera getting any ripples from the emotions that he was boiling in his heart. Tibs walked out to his man cave to look for something anything to busy his hands with. He needed to focus on something, anything except the coming battle. He silently wished it would begin already as this waiting was fraying his nerves. With all the people downstairs he could not workout. Pushing his muscles normally helped calm his mind, but him pounding the heavy bag would spook them so he was trapped in the man cave over the garage with his models. Opening a window to let the freshness of the night air in. he scented the wind, he wanted no needed the scent of Eric to come to him. while he was not a war monger, the anticipation of the battle frayed his nerves. Pciking up some paper clips and a set of needle nose pliers Tibs bend and unbent the clips until they snapped. His hands were shaking, in the dark looking over the expanse of the property, he scented the wind again.

Hopeful that maybe eric was down wind. Something had to happen soon. He would not be able to take the waiting. He almost wanted to go to the docks and scout the area, but he knew that tonight was the raid. That thought conflicted him, on the one hand that would solve his problem easily, yet it would cheat him of wrapping his hands around Eric’s throat. His beast was craving blood, tightening his hands into fist he moved the couch over some, then he moved it back. Silently he screamed his frustration into the pillowed cushions of the couch.

Opening himself just a crack he called out to Chidera,

“Anything?”

He was not sure how else to phrase it. Is eric out there? Do the snipers see anything, is their something he could hurt or kill. But without saying it. Using the force of his will he steadied his hands. Tibs closed his eyes like a child would to avoid the scary scene in a movie and took deep breaths until his aura calmed. Walking back downstairs he when to Search out the new lions he would check on them then Aminta. As she was quite a bit too long.

Tibs nodded his agreement, listening to her voice in his head, it was oddly reassuring and comforting that she was able to be this intimate, with him he thought back to when he was standing at the baggage claim, if he had known that this would have been the outcome, he would have passed on San Diego completely. If he had only known how much of a stalker psycho that Vanderbilt was he would have played the part of a complete passivist. That way vandy would never had thought of Tibs as a weapon. But then again it would not have mattered as he would have been down here.

As much as he loved the weather down here, another thought would have been to have met her back in Hawaii. He would never have left the island, although he never met any of the preternatural community back home. He wondered if they could be as bad as they were in the states? Could they be as bad as in NOLA?

Thinking back to Chidera, “Okay, then I will sneak my friend back across home. That way hopefully Gates would not notice if no one actually sees him.”

Tibs hoped that Gates would not catch wind of his friend being in the city as that would be horrible. If he hit the road he could be back just before dawn. Sleep in his bed, If what the story that Chidera read was true Eric would be off licking his wounds, as Estelle was ruined and so was he. A standing kill order was issued for him, TIbs could only assume. Meaning that if he was smart he would leave town as he was kill on sight at this point. He would have to be beyond stupid to stay around in the city.

Heading to the birdcage he explained to his friends what happened watched as he broke his rifle down, the other sniper decided to stay the night and head out in the morning. Which was even better for Tibs. He would forward the money he owed them in their account when he returned. It took a chunk out of his savings his rainy day fund but it was well worth it. Telling Pepper the plan Tibs headed out.

Pepper felt like she was all of a sudden much older and some ones momma. She'd felt the vampire and so had the others it was a hair creepy but lion as your animal meant things. They found out Eric wasnt coming tonight but that didn't mean he wouldn't eventually so maybe they should stay till he was good an dead.

Everyone seemed ok with that and glad of a shower and food and clean beds with out no one beating on um. She sighed and went to her room after making sure everyone including the bear had settled in and locked down the house after tibs left.

Flopping on her bed and picking up an old romance novel shed found in boxes in the attic some old pirate themed bodice ripper. The guy on the cover looked like a blond version of the lion that made her and odly she was at peace with that.