With a small nod of his head the strange man, Jacob put a hand to his chin and planted his feet in a relaxed stance.” So Hovel....” Jacob almost drawled, as if he were annoyed. “Why have you called me here? This room reeks of stale blood and shit!”

At the starkness of Jacobs’s words Hovels pale face brightened with a spiteful smile.

“Oh, but I’m sure you feel right at home...” Hovel started to reply, dusting at his clothes.

“Especially considering the fact, that you hail from the bloody and ravaged lands of Africa.” Hovel chuckled darkly. “The pride lands, I’m told burn hot like tar....and are littered with carrion and death. At least my home has air conditioning. Besides Jacob....you were the one who accepted my invitation...Right?”

With a wry and sharp sneer, the man, Jacob tilted his head and crossed his arms over his chest. Instead of answering Hovels question, he asked a question of his own

“Tell me why you have summoned me, Alchemist!” Jacob demanded softly with a glare. ” I assure you only morbid curiosity could have brought me to this god forsaken place that you call a home!”

“Yes...Yes.” Hovel said dryly cutting across the words of the newly arrived man without any hesitation. Then Hovel tapped the black rims sitting on the bridge of his nose and started to speak again. “I called you here for an important matter, Lion.” He said with a small sniff and a pointed look.

“WE WILL discuss the matter more in detail once we have retired to my office....” Hovel stopped, tilted his eyebrows up...and clasped his hands behind his back. “But first...” Hovel began once more with a small smile. “I would like you to meet my lovely acolyte, Nora?”

Hovel raised his hand, indicating the woman sitting in front of the boy. Her large beautiful black eyes shot up to Hovel at the mention on her voice.

With a small flourish of her long black dress, the woman lifted up from the ground and bowed her head in welcome. The long braid that she possessed, falling forwards and nearly brushing the floor.

“By my Masters Grace....” Nora said softly, placing a hand across her chest and dipping low, before raising and straitening her back. “I welcome you, Lion.”

“Delicious....” Jacob said back in response to Nora with a swift bow of his own head....and a heated hungry look.

Nora seemed to blink at the tone and look that he was giving her, but in the next moment, Jacob’s face was melting into something filled with repugnance.

Suddenly seeming to notice the small boy curled up next to Nora’s legs, Jacob took a small step back and cast Hovel a confused look.

“I’m sorry, but why does she have a naked, filth covered, little cub, clinging to her skirts,” Jacob asked. Then with a small frown creasing his features as if he were disturbed Jacob shook his head. “Who is his Hovel? And why the hell is he stark fucking naked?”

Hovel smirked silently, then walked over towards Nora, without answering Jacobs’s question, forcing Jacob to follow him.

When Hovel stopped a few feet away from her, he directed her with a stern bark and a spin of his index finger in the air. “Nora turn it around so that it is facing us fully.” Hovel said

The moment she did turn the boy around to face Jacob it was like he had been slapped.

“What the fuck!” Jacob shouted, scrambling backwards so fast that he nearly fell to his knees.

In the pregnant silence that followed Jacobs curse, time seemed to stop for the man. His black shocked eyes were locked on the boy as if he were looking at something terrible....or something astonishing.

It seemed to take Jacob a long time to come back from the brink of shock, but when he did start to unfreeze it was only with a sharp, warm crackle of air around his face and skin. A sudden tension touched the air....something dark and dangerous began to simmer.

The boy sat on the floor where Nora had sat him watching the proceeding without a single personal thought or feeling of his own. He didn’t understand what was happening or who the people standing a few feet in front of him even were.

He didn’t feel any fear...or awe brush against his small heart.

Not even as Jacobs face started to contort and stretch. Large white fangs grew over his bottom lip, bright yellow lights burned in his eyes....and his nails quivered and then grew out of his fingertips, turning into clear deadly hooks.

“What the fuck!” Jacob suddenly snarled, speaking with long fangs and claws curled at his sides as the strange man turned on Hovel and started to advance on him.

The snarl was a sound that the boy had never heard before. The sound was so deep that the vibrations of Jacobs’s words seemed too rumbled in the air.

Hovel, with his icy blue eyes widened slightly, started to speak at the snarling man before him. “Jacob....” Hovel began, taking a step towards Jacob and this proved to be the wrong move.

With a deadly silence, Jacob launched across the gap between him and Hovel.

“You fucking pig!” Jacob was suddenly shouting as he wrapped a large hand around Hovels slim neck and began to throttle him on the ground. “You fucking selfish Alchemists!”

“Creature!” Hovel was screaming back into Jacobs face. “Release me or die!”

A hot flash of heat hit the air.

The boy blinked....and when he opened his eyes again, Jacob....was no longer sitting with his hand wrapped around Hovels throat and screaming. Instead what stood, pinning Hovel to the ground was a massive orange and red beast.

Its head was round, with pointed erect flaps of skin, pointed flat against its large head. Bright yellow eyes blazed, thick meaty front and back legs ending in odd sharp hooks and a slim yellowish orange appendage was flickering and whipping and curling back and forth from its backside.

The beast roared...a terrifying rumble that flashed thick white pointed blades and a giant pink mouth. The sound vibrated down into the boy’s chest and head and the sudden sensation made the boy feel something. A small jolt in his body that made the boy curl up deeper into a ball whimpering.

“Stop this! Stop! Both of you!” With a startled scream, Nora rushed towards the boy, grabbed him up into her embrace, and pulled him away from the two men.

Something about Nora’s scream, drew the large beasts yellow gaze. With a small snarl the beasts head whipped up towards her, but instead of looking at Nora the beasts eyes settled on the boy. Yellow glowing eyes locked on to his small naked frame....and just stared at him.

No one moved....not even Hovel. Time stretched....and then with a second louder snarl, the beast spun, hopped across the room, and sat down.

The boy watched as another swath of heat filed the air...and the giant red and orange beast....started to shrink and grow all at once. Legs and arms lengthened. The whipping appendage shrunk from view. The red and orange color also drained away, turning back to the pastel creamy color of Jacob’s skin.

And then....there stood Jacob.

But...pieces of the beast remained in his face. His eyes were burning a brilliant yellow and his teeth were pulled back, flashing the same long, sharp, white blades in his mouth.

Without a word and without speaking to any one Jacob started walking, back and forth along the wall across the room. During this time Hovel quickly regained his feet and his composure. With dead blue eyes locked on Jacob Hovel straightened out his clothes and simply watched Jacob as he walked back and forth.

“Grand Master....?” Nora tried to inquire. Her black eyes were looking Hovel over, but with a small shake of his head, Nora stopped talking and simply stood back with the boy in her arms.

With sharp hard steps, Jacob didn’t speak for a long time. He just walked and walked....and snarled to himself.

Finally Jacobs steps faltered....then he stopped, turned towards Hovel and glared at him; Mostly ignoring Nora and the boy pressed to her stomach.

Eyes still burning yellow Jacob growled out his words in a slow panted sentence. “Hovel...” He began, seeming to struggle to form words. “You have one chance and one chance only to explain this....” Jacob flicked his yellow eyes towards the boy. “Do it....before I rip your guts out with my claws!”

With the small harsh sneer Hovel replied. “Jacob....I assure you....” He slowly and confidently said, raising a hand in the boy’s direction. “Whatever you think that he is.....All of that was destroyed long ago. WE destroyed it together!!”

With a harsh shout Jacob cut Hovel off. “I know what I did! I KNOW!!” He screamed at Hovel. “Tell me who the fuck is he!? What the hell is he?” Jacob all but roared again, pointed a sharp

At Hovel.

“Control yourself creature....and maybe the answers will come easier to you!! I did not call you here so that you could fall apart and scream at me!!” Hovel shouted back suddenly. His cold blue eyes flashing.

Something about this seemed to make Jacob snarl, recoil and close his eyes. A moment passed, and when Jacob did open his eyes once more.....they were black and no longer glowing.

Bruising past Hovel Jacob walked across the room, and dropped down to one knee in front of Nora and the naked boy that she was holding.

“Okay. I’m listening. So just.... just tell me. What he is? I want to know...” Jacob softly whispered, staring at the boy.

Releasing a long breath Hovel finally walked up to Nora, and grabbed the boy’s wrist.

Without any hesitation he jerked the boy out of her hands and away from Jacobs’s eyes. With a few small jerks, Hovel lead the boy across the room, before releasing him and walking back towards Nora and Jacob.

Once he reached Jacob Hovel pulled him to his feet, grabbed Nora’s hand, and began to steer them out of the room, but not before finally answering Jacobs’s question.

Pulling Nora and Jacob to the crack at the end of the room, Hovel reached out, pressed a few beeping numbs....and the box slid open.

Suddenly Hovel was pushing Nora and Jacob out of the box. Then he released them both saying. “That thing is not a little boy...or some sick accident. IT is something truly amazing.” Both Jacob and Nora went to speak at this point, but Hovel talked past them. “BUT if you don’t believe me. Here’s your example.”

Without another word, or waiting for Jacob or Nora to speak Hovel lifted his voice and spoke to the Men in White that had been standing in the hallway silent and unnoticed.

“Bring in the man and the she-creature inside.” Hovel commanded at the pair. “It is time for IT to eat.”

Nora 

Jacob