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Dawn of Desire

Chapter 9: Reihner’s Sin

Sneak Peek

Donner was shaking, his body frozen to the core as he watched the two rugby men wrestle in the dirt. Campus police had already been called and were on their way, but that was beside the point. Ceil turned two guys who were thick as thieves into mortal enemies in a matter of seconds. All by just pulling the secrets out of their heads and throwing them in their faces. It was like watching an adult speak to children; they were as impressionable, they were as clay in the lion’s hands, and Donner knew things were only going to get worse.

But more importantly, he needed to get some answers from Ceil.

“Ceil?” Donner’s voice cracked before he cleared his throat, dipping into the building. “Ceil come here.”

Nothing…not even a tingle of eyes on the back of his neck.

“Ceil, damn it, come here right now,” Donner knew Ceil was chomping at the bit to get to him, so why was he giving him the cold shoulder, now?

Donner gave a little yip of surprise as his phone blared its ringtone. He jabbed his hand into his pants to snag the phone, embarrassment burning his face as the sound echoed off the walls. Donner hadn’t had the volume on his phone on in years, though, he didn’t have to think too hard as to why it was on again.

“Hello?” Donner asked, but he already knew who was going to be on the other end.

“It’s me, Darling,” Ceil’s voice purred over the phone. “I’m busy, so I can’t be there right now. What do you need?”

“Cut the crap Ceil,” Donner half whispered, half snarled into his phone. “What do you mean I don’t know what’s going on?”

“Well, why don’t you tell me what you think is going on,” there was humor in Ceil’s voice. And why wouldn’t there be! He knew the punchline to this insidious joke he was playing.

“I’m not asking, I’m demanding you tell me,” Donner growled. “If you really think you’re my prophet or whatever, then start professing!”

“Darling, why are you so stressed,” Ceil changed the subject. “I would never harm you. Everything I do, is in your name.”

“I don’t need you to – I didn’t ask you to do that,” Donner huffed into the phone, darting his way around a corner and into an abandoned hall for some privacy.

“But if I didn’t, then I wouldn’t be a very good prophet,” Ceil chuckled. “Donner, you really are adorable. You never once thought to ask yourself why this power was bestowed upon you, nor why you can just give it to others. It never once occurred to you what the greater implications of being a god would be, the responsibilities involved. Don’t worry, whatever you don’t do, I’ll pick up the slack.”

“What do you mean you’ll pick up the slack?” Donner felt like a cork thrown down the river, bouncing form rock to whitecap. “Ceil, I need you to stop.”

“Trust me,” Ceil smiled. “If you truly wanted to stop me, you would have done so by now. I’m doing your will, Donner. I promise. Though, I am a little upset.”

“You’re upset with me?!”

“Oh no Darling, I could never be mad with you my Dearest Donner.” Ceil’s voice was so sincere and warm it would have melted Donner’s heart if he wasn’t so fucking psychotic! “No, I meant that other people are trying to get in our way.”

“Get in our…” Donner’s eyes went wide. “Ceil, what did you mean when you said you were busy? What are you doing?”

“Much like in any crusade, there will be those that resist the new order,” Ceil sighed. “But I assure you that no one will get between you and me. No one…”

“Ceil? Ceil where are you going?!”

“Bye my Dearest, see you soon.”

The call ended with a flurry of notes. Donner’s phone almost slipped from his hand before he caught it.

“Cody,” Donner’s eyes went wide as his foot paws started moving before he even knew what he was doing. “Cody!”

Donner’s foot paws pounded the tile, his claws scratching them as he stumbled over himself to find Cody. He pulled up the buffalo’s number and smacked the call button.

“Come on Cody, for once in your life, pick up the god-damned phone,” Donner rounded the corner and slammed out the doors, his toe claws scraping across the sidewalk. It rang a few more times until it clicked over.

“Hello?” Cody answered.

“Cody! You’ve got to tell me where you—”

“Hello? Anyone there?”

“Cody? Cody?! Can you hear me?”

“Oh, sorry, going into a tunnel,” Cody said, a half laugh coming up. “Leave your message at the beep.”

Donner froze in his tracks. Did Cody seriously have a stupid got-ya voicemail! The sound of the automated voice telling him to leave a message after the tone was enough to tell him everything he needed to know.

“Fucking hell Cody!” Donner looked around campus, his eyes darting to and fro to try and figure out where Cody was. Where would he be? He didn’t have time to figure it out when Ceil could simply ask the universe and know right where the buffalo was. He needed to get to him now!

“Wait…” Donner didn’t need to ask the universe where he was, he could create something that could find Cody. He opened up his applications and took a few deep breaths. He envisioned an app, a single tile on his screen that when pressed would give him the location of his friend. He could feel his heart racing, but he took a few more breaths to calm himself, closing his eyes before letting the energy flow through him.

“I want this,” Donner spoke. He opened his eyes and his heart leapt. There was a new app, a red tile with a cartoonish buffalo’s face flashing a thumbs-up. Donner could have kissed his phone, but he didn’t have time, he smacked the button and the app opened up to a map that gave directions to the football field.

“Fuck me, I knew he had practice!” Donner huffed, kicking himself for the panic before spinning on his heels and running the other way. He could make it there quicker if he went through the trees next to campus. He ran through a parking lot, bouncing off cars like he was a pinball. He hopped the curb and dashed through the trees. A moment of pain shot up his ankle as he rolled it on a rock, the coyote screaming in pain before leaning against a tree. He looked at his leg and instantly the pain subsided, his injury buzzing with a cooling relief before locking back into place. At least he knew he still had healing.

Donner finally broke from the trees and found the guys on the field practicing. Donner scanned the tree line, looking over the bleachers and up and down the field. He didn’t know where Ceil would be hiding, or if he’d be hiding at all. Then he noticed something. Someone in a hoodie was in the bleachers!

“Ceil?” Donner dashed across the field, ignoring the blaring whistle from the coach as he came up to the bleachers. Donner panted as he climbed the steps, his breath heavy as he made his way over to the person sitting on the bleachers.

“Ceil, stop!” Donner gripped the hood and ripped it back.

“What the heck are you doing, slut!” The tiger shouted. It was Ceil’s roommate Rajit.

“What…where is…”

“Do you know where Ceil is?” Rahjit furrowed his brow. “Where is he?”

“I…I don’t know,” Donner didn’t waste any time talking to the ornery tiger and just went back to looking. He had to be somewhere, but where?

***Moment’s Earlier***

“Bye my Dearest, see you soon.” Ceil ended the call, his thumb brushing the screen tenderly as he gave a little happy huff. “You’re such an adorable goof. Sorry I mislead you my dear, but it’s for your own good.”

The golden lion slipped his phone back into his pocket. His expression hardened as he glared at the door in front of him. The name plate on the wall shone dully in the fluorescent lighting.

Prof. Reihner

The lion rapped his fist on the door.

“Was that someone at my door? Come on in, I’m just grading papers,” the tiger spoke from the other side. Ceil smiled, letting himself in.

“Hello there Professor Reihner,” Ceil gave a polite greeting as he closed and locked the door.

“Yes, it’s–” Reihner cut himself off and sighed. “And what do you want Mister Nasir?”

“So you did a little digging,” Ceil shrugged, putting his hands into his pockets. “That doesn’t really change much.”

“You can turn your smartass around and march out of my office right now or I’ll have you expelled during the next chair meeting.” Reihner growled. “If you think I don’t have influence on the physical therapy program, you’re sorely mistaken.”

“That’s fine,” Ceil shrugged. “I doubt I’ll be attending classes much longer anyway. I just want to be sure that my interactions haven’t swayed you away from taking Donner on that internship.”

“As far as I’m concerned, Donner can kiss his future goodbye if you keep pressuring me. I don’t take kindly to threats. You’re lucky I haven’t submitted that idiot to the chair for expulsion from the archeology program.”

“Excuse me?” Ceil’s brow creased into a hard stare. “What did you just say about Donner?”

“You think I’m going to let you or any of his friends intimidate me into giving him the internship? You’re worse than his grades. He’ll be lucky to categorize a crayon box if he thinks this would help his chances.”

“You listen here,” Ceil snarled, stepping up to the desk. “Donner didn’t ask me to do any—”

“No! You listen here Mister Ceil Nasir!” Reihner sat up, his chair wheeling out from behind him and smacking into the bookshelf. “I’m not going to let some cocky little nobody try to strong arm me into picking people for my internship!”

“I’ll tell everyone what you think about him!” Ceil snarled.

“And who are they going to believe? A little shit like you or one of the supporting chairs of the archeology department? What are you going to do? Go to the school paper and have it printed for all of two city blocks to read? Don’t make me laugh!”

“I didn’t even come here about the internship, it’s about the extra advice you’ve been giving Donner outside of class. I don’t need you giving him bad information—”

“How dare you!” Reihner snarled. “First you insult me by throwing false accusations of what I’ve said about my students, then you go around and say I’m an incompetent teacher!”

“That’s not—”

“Get out!” Reihner shouted, pointing a razor claw at the door. “And you can go tell your little faggot that he’s out of the program!”

“Freeze,” Ceil snarled. A wave of energy rippled through the air. Static tingled up the tiger’s spine, fusing his every bone together until he was stuck to the spot. Only light choking sounds cracked out of his hanging maw.

“You clearly have never been told to shut up in your life, have you,” Ceil huffed glaring at the tiger. Ceil flicked his wrist, the letter opener from Reihner’s desk snapped in the lion’s palm. He then slowly brought it up to the tiger’s face, the steely tip glinting as it pressed against his whiskers. “If you would have just listened, you would have known why I came. I can’t have you feeding Donner information about these powers. You’ve altered them, changed them on a fundamental level.”

Ceil started to walk around the tiger, keeping the blade against the tiger’s skin, shallow and bloodless cuts, held firmly to cause a cold sweat to break over the frozen tiger.

“If you’d have just listened, I could have cleared things up and we could have gone our merry way, but you…you clearly don’t respect Donner.” Ceil slipped behind the tiger, that blade slinking against his fur and keeping a razor sharp reminder that Reihner was in Ceil’s hands. “I really wish you hadn’t have said that about him. You’re much too unpredictable to let meddle with Donner’s fate.”

Ceil slipped back into view of the tiger, the blade flicking up Reihner’s neck and pulling at his lip. “But for some reason, Donner respects you. I know he prefers respect to be a one-way street in bed, but in real life he demands equality. You should know what that feels like Professor. You’ve had to scrape and climb, connive and outwit your colleagues to get into this position you cling to.”

Ceil pulled back the knife and stabbed, the blade sinking between Reihner’s digits, pinning into his desk uncomfortably close to his hand. A squeak of fear came from the tiger, little huffing gasps of fear as a tear rolled down his muzzle.

“But I can’t just get rid of you,” Ceil shrugged. “Donner enjoys your class. So we’re going to have to get a bit more creative. I wonder, is there a way to get rid of you without actually getting rid of you?”

Ceil paused, the universe whispered the answer into the folds of his mind. The secrets of the powers he currently held and the way he could not only take care of Reihner, but also get closer to Donner.

“Oh that’s divine,” Ceil smiled. “Truly inspired.” The lion gave a little chuckled. “But before I continue, let’s ask one more question.”

Ceil looked the frozen tiger in the eyes, the lion’s emerald orbs glinting like the steel on a mad-man’s blade.

“Is it a sin to consume someone?”

***

Donner kept a close eye on Cody, but nothing came of it. Ceil was nowhere to be seen, but who knew when he would strike. He kept watch until Cody was making his way back to their apartment and was safely home, but he didn’t need the buffalo asking why he was suddenly so clingy. The last thing he needed was for the bull-headed buffalo to go and tell off Ceil personally.

Donner remembered what happened to the other two guys when Ceil was confronted by them. They were at each other’s throats in seconds. Cody wasn’t a dumbass, but he could be a charging bull when baited by the right red cape. Either way, Cody was safe and Donner was exhausted. The coyote passed out. Cody didn’t come out of his room all night and left before the coyote got up.

Ceil wasn’t answering Donner’s calls either, spiritually or cellular. The lion had gone dark after their conversation, and he didn’t show any sign of showing up any time soon either. Did he just scare him for a laugh? No, Ceil didn’t seem like he was trying to torture him, but he was pulling some serious trickster shit. Maybe that could attribute to some of his personality change too? It would explain the sudden strange confidence in his powers. How much of these powers could afflict your mind or personality without the wisdom to guide you?

“God, I really fucked up,” Donner huffed, kicking a pebble outside the lecture building. He had another class with Reihner today. Maybe he could get more answers from him after their lecture. The last time they spoke provided some clarity. Why not again?

Donner took a deep breath and walked into the building. He needed to find a way to get on the offensive with Ceil. The coyote felt like he was running himself ragged just trying to keep up with the lion. Just last night he could barely retain focus long enough to catch the class notes from the lecture he skipped trying to track down the wild cat, and his stress dreams wouldn’t let him simply sleep.

Donner plopped his ass into his usual spot in the lecture hall, groaning as he fought the urge to pull his hood up and sleep through the lecture. For some reason, he always felt very safe in Reihner’s class, as though the pillar of the department couldn’t be touched or even bothered by the comings and goings of his student’s mundane lives. It’s that utter Teflon feature of the tiger that the coyote really admired. Sure he could be a blunt asshole, but that was just the “I’m too old for this shit” attitude that came with experience and age. Donner wished he had that, but the longer this whole Ceil thing dragged on, the less he believed he would ever be that way. Donner just cared too much about what other people thought. Sure, he could pull the apathy card if he really needed to, but there was always a part of his heart that whispered the truth.

“You do care”

The coyote groaned, rubbing his eyes with one hand while digging out his notebook with the other. He just needed to get through the class and then maybe get some tea. First things first though, he wasn’t going to waste his education. After this whole thing was over, he intended to still have a life. He just needed to fix the damage he had done to Ceil and he’d be golden.

“Okay class, get ready for some notes,” Mister Reihner rumbled, his voice deeper than usual. Maybe he had a cold or something. “It’s going to be a lecture heavy day. We need to finish this unit fast because you’ll be tested on it next week. Crack open your notebooks. Mister Torres!”

Donner’s spine went rigid as he shot up, his eyes locking with the teachers.

“Yes Professor…Reih…”

The eyes that met his weren’t the tired, yet sharp ocean eyes of his tiger professor, but forest emeralds amidst a mane of gold.

***The Night Before***

“It’s not a sin,” the answer came through clear as day to the lion as the universe answered his question.

“Time to say goodbye Mister Reihner,” Ceil chuckled and hopped onto the tiger’s desk, the young lion’s body agile and smooth. “You’re going to get that early retirement you’ve been dreaming of.”

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