sherryandbelle-blog

[sherryandbelle-blog]

Sherry and Belle: Epilogue

During a bright, Texan morning, an animal shelter is bustling with activity. "Jessie, Jerald, can ya'll cover the kennels? Lots o' folks are in there today." The red haired boss of the shelter called out to a young woman and male worker; they both eagerly nodded, practically rushing through the wide double doors. The boss glanced over at the receptionist, Chelsea, then quietly peeked into the office over to the side of the shelter entrance, smiling to herself as she saw her burly husband gently accepting some sighed paperwork from a woman as a small girl leashed up an excited pug. The boss politely moved to the side as the two passed by, before entering the quiet room, "Have ya seen David about, Charles?" the woman asked, receiving a shrug as a response. "Mrs. Autumn." A tall, stoic man call the attention of the woman as she paced past him, "Trevor has informed me of inhuman activity in the gulf. It should not take much longer for 'his' arrival." "That's good ta hear; thanks, Alex." the boss happily gave the man a nod, then made her way to the back exit. "There ya are." She stated as she exited out of the building, and into a twisting cloud of cigarette smoke, "Heh, just takin' a smoke break, Sherry." the worker casually leaning against the brick building reassured. "Alright, but once yer done, go join Jessie an' Jerald in the kennels, place's pretty busy today." "Can do, 'boss'." David snickered, stomping out the cigarette butt, then following Sherry back inside. "Hello!" A young, teenaged girl suddenly ran up to the two shelter workers from across the lobby as they came into view, "Hello there, are ya here ta-" "Eirik sent me, come on!" Sherry stared in shock at the cheery girl. "Eirik?" David asked as the girl quickly ran into the busy kennel area, "That's Belle's mentor!" the two raced through the double doors, both frantically looking through the moderate crowd. The man pointed over to a nursing German shepard's kennel, then casually went back to work as the boss slowly passed through the crowd. "Hey, Ms. Autumn." A tall, crazed looking man greeted the woman when she arrived at the kennel, with Jerald standing close behind, smiling excitedly as he stared into the large cage. "It's 'Mrs. Autumn', and... why are..." She trailed off as she saw a young, black haired man calmly petting the German shepard mother, "I wish I had been here to see Pansy deliver her young." the boy remarked, before happily looking up at Sherry, "Good ta see ya too, Belle.".

[sherryandbelle-blog]

Sherry and Belle: Chapter 14

"Haha! I can't believe you showed up right after the queen finished her meeting with the others, Alex! And speaking of which..." Trevor stared expectantly at Sherry as the two men finished gathering their belongings out of their hotel room. "It went surprisin'ly well; ya guys 're really scared o' HER!?" The woman's grin faded slightly as the two gave her a shocked stare, "... Eh, but it went well. Belle'll be able ta come back an' work at the shelter in a few days." the others nodded, seemingly relieved. "I've told Matthews to call me if he sees any strange activity in the gulf while on his fishing trips, so we'll know." Trevor informed the two as Alex hoisted his bags over his shoulders, preparing to leave.                                                ●●● "She was... QUITE displeased that I brought an outsider into the palace, but besides a fierce lecture, the queen did not seem too angered. She wants me to stay up here, to make sure Belethor returns when he is requested to do so." Alex explained as Sherry handed him and Trevor cups of frosted lemonade. "Do ya guys know a 'Gunnvor'? They were followin' Eirik 'round while I was there, I think it was a 'she'?" "You would be correct. Gunnvor is one of the young females at the palace. Middle class heritage." Alex said, before taking a long sip of lemonade. "She seemed nice." The woman smiled to herself as she relaxed in the bright, warm sun with the others, before they got back in their vehicles, and finished the long return trip to Amarillo.                                                ●●● "SHERRY!!!" A hefty, bearded man sprinted out of Sherry's front door as soon as the three parked, practically pulling the woman out of her truck, and giving her a wholehearted hug. "Oh. Hey, Charles." "I thought ya we're gonna be gone longer! Haha!" "Heh, so did I." The two kindly stared at each other for several long moments, before inviting Alex and Trevor into their home for dinner. "So, which one o' ya's 'Belle'?" Charles asked as he set a pot of water to boil on the stove, while Sherry layed out some ingredients next to him, "He'll be here in a few days time, hopefully working for Ms. Autumn-" "Miss!?" the hardy man chuckled. "We never REALLY divorced, just split apart f'r a few years ta recover from our loss..." The woman informed the others, "People can never seem ta get that through their heads! Yer brother was constantly tryin' ta hook us back up, but we were never 'apart'." he continued to chuckled, occasionally glancing down at Sherry with a friendly, warm relief in his eyes. A few knocks suddenly came from the front door, "Hey guys!" Jerald shouted in a calm tone as David let himsef in; the two perked up as they walked into the kitchen to see Charles. "Heh, been awhile." David shook his hand, then brought it him for a side hug, "Man, I don't think I've met you in person, but I've definitely heard stories." Jerald remarked, giving the bulky man a nod of respect.                                                  ●●● "Darn... so the old shelter really burned down?..." Charles asked in shock as he and Sherry entered the new shelter early in the morning, "Oh... hey, Ms. Autumn." Chelsea drowsily greeted. "Ha! Folks really seem ta think ye're single!" The large man abruptly chuckled, causing the receptionist to jolt slightly, "Did ya not get any sleep last night?" the boss asked as she walked over to the kennel doors, "Not really, Pansy had 'er pups last night as I finished lockin' up, and my phone was dead, so I couldn't call anyone, because who takes the time to remember phone numbers anymore?". "Well, thank ya. If ya want, the break room's yers f'r a few hours, if ya want ta rest before drivin' home." Sherry offered, before watching the sleepy employee nod, and stumble toward the break room. "So... puppies?" Charles leaned over Sherry's shoulder, giving her a playful grin; she warmly smiled, then led him to the German shepard's kennel. The two stared at the quivering newborns as they nestled up to their mother, slowly glancing up to each other after a few minutes, and kindly exchanging smiles. "So... I wanted ta talk 'bout this 'Belle' character." Charles started, taking on a more serious tone, "He's a good kid, a bit strange, but 'e's got heart." "Well, I figured as much, ya always had a way of judgin' folks... but that name, I 'ave my suspicions." "'is actual name is Belethor, but it seems ta embarrass 'im." "Hm. That makes more sense." the man grinned softly, as if satisfied. "And, if ya don't mind, I'd like ta let 'im sleep on our couch f'r a bit longer once 'e gets back. We've had an improvement in business since we moved inta this area, but 'e'll probably need a bit o' time ta find an apartment." Charles chuckled loudly, nodding in approval afterwards.

[sherryandbelle-blog]

Sherry and Belle: Chapter 13

Trevor slowly stepped onto one of the life rafts hanging off of the side of the fishing boat, stopping Sherry as she attempted to follow, "You should leave your bag on the boat, your phone, too." he stated, pointing at the belongings she was carrying. "Fine..." The woman hesitantly turned to Matthews, handing the old fisherman her purse, before nervously sitting down on the shaky raft, catching a glimpse of Alex leaning over the opposite edge of the boat as the raft was slowly lowered into the water. Sherry stared at the thick rope tied to both the raft and boat as Trevor steadily rowed them directly into open waters, causing the inflated raft to violently rock and sway. "Once we're far enough away from Mathews' boat, we'll have to hop out-" "Hop out!? I don't even 'ave a life jacket!" "It's for the best..." The man casually clicked the plastic oars back into their holders, before wrapping his arms around Sherry, and bracing himself. A huge wave rushed under the life raft, suddenly forcing it upward, "There. Alex- well, Avidor will guide the raft the rest of the way." "Avidor?" the woman asked as she noticed the waters around them were now calm. "It's Alex's real name, if you're going to the palace, you'll need to memorize that." Trevor stated, followed by several minutes of silence as the two stared down at the enormous shadow beneath them, which easily dwarfed the miniscule raft bobbing at the water's surface. "So... what ARE ya guys?" Sherry watched as Trevor let out a dramatic sigh, keeping his gaze focused on the ocean as he took a breath, "We're just large, aquatic reptiles with a whole race that has an obnoxious superiority complex. The palace is build into the Pacific ocean floor, which means Avidor will have to swim some distance to get you there, and we'll, unfortunately, have to ride in his mouth the whole way there..." "...Wh-what?..." "Yeah... and despite how agile our race is at ocean travel, it'll take the entire day, so we'll get there at around eleven at night.". A wide area of water around the raft abruptly sunk down, pulling large waves of salt water straight at the raft, "Time to get out." Trevor stated as he quickly pulled the unsuspecting woman into the swirling waters with him. Powerful waves smashed into the two from all sides, while a powerful current sucked them under, causing Trevor's grip on Sherry to slip. The woman shut her eyes and quickly thrusted herself up toward the surface, wincing as she inhaled stinging salt water, rather than the cold air she was expecting. After a few more extra upward strokes, her arms touched the frigid air, and she broke through the churning water, taking a deep breath, before realizing that she was the only one at the surface. "TREVOR!!!" Sherry called out, {"Hmm, their kind sure do love the waters, but 'e vowed never ta leave 'is human form unless absolutely necessary, a real shame too, 'is kind 're terrible at swimmin' with our form. It's quite a spectacle ta see, though!"} "No... TREVOR!!!" she continued to shout as she bobbed around on the surface. "Shoot..." The woman shuddered as she stared down at the foamy abyss underneath her, before a massive, dark figure came into view, as soon as she realized that the huge creature was advancing toward the surface, she began feverishly paddling away. The water exploded directly behind her, causing a heavy wave to crash down on her, "Hey! You're being WAY to reckless! Human bodies are incredibly delicate, you have to move around them a LOT slower than what you're doing now." Sherry heard Trevor shout as she reached the surface again, "Oh! Avidor!! There!!". The woman slowly wiped the grimy salt water out of her eyes, opening them to see an enormous, somewhat draconic being staring at her with its head half out of the water; she sighed in relief as she spotted Trevor calmly sitting on its rugged snout. Sherry hesitantly swam toward the creature, glancing up at Trevor for reassurance, "It's just Alex, you've known each other for awhile, right?" "O-okay..." she reached for the man's hand, then rushed up the dark creature's face. The waterlogged woman took a few moments to catch her breath, before sitting back up, looking around at Avidor, "So, can he still talk when he's..." "I AM RIGHT HERE, YOU DO NOT HAVE-" "Avidor stop!!!" Trevor shouted as he and Sherry were nearly flung off of his head. He carefully closed his mouth, sinking down into the water slightly, "So... we still need to get into his mouth." the man nervously laughed as Sherry stared at him with an astonished look of terror.                                                ●●● Sherry lightly kicked her feet as she sat in complete darkness, "Sorry this is taking awhile, we can't exactly cut through the Panama Canal to get there any faster, and Avidor can't swim too close to any shores." Trevor apologized as the woman heard sounds of him rustling through a small, waterproof bag. "Here." He said, flicking on a small flashlight, then leaning against Avidor's large, blunt teeth again, "Do you have any food in there, or a watch?" Trevor nodded, tossing her a plastic bag full of trail mix, before checking his watch. "Little after ten at night." He stated, getting into a balled up position, and closing his eyes; Sherry nibbled on some cashews and chocolate as she looked around Avidor's lit up mouth, which was a pale white, with a light pink tongue that he had been holding away from his passengers. Both Trevor and Sherry jolted awake as a booming roar echoed throughout the water, "We're here." the man nervously stated as he backed away from the front of Avidor's mouth, "I'll see you when you return to the surface!" as he yelled that, the large creatures mouth opened, causing Sherry to tumble out of it, and gently onto a rough, stone floor. "EIRIK!!!" Avidor roared in a deep, booming voice, before giving the small human a nod, and turning toward a large, water filled hole in the craggy floor. As he dove in, Sherry finally got a clear look at what he was; he towered well over the height of a two story house, walked on all fours, and had a long, horizontally flat tail, similar to a crocodile's. The woman looked around at the widely carved out cave, the floor seemed to be carved out by water to a point, until the natural carving turned to deep claw marks. She flinched as the watery entrance exploded behind her, she turned to see two more towering creatues, except about half the size of Avidor; the woman silently watched as they walked over to the side of the cavern opposite to her, and slowly began stretching. "MAN... WHAT A DISAPPOINTING HUNT." One flatly stated to the other, "YEAH, BUT DID CATCH AVIDOR'S SCENT!?" the other one looked around, freezing as its eyes hit the human off to the side, "GUNNVOR, THAT DOES NOT NECESSARILY-" "SNORRE. LOOK." a chill ran up Sherry's spine as both of them stared at her in disbelief. "WHAT 'IS' THAT!?" Snorre scoffed in disgust as the two towering reptiles surrounded Sherry, "THE MORE PERPLEXING QUESTION IS HOW IT GOT DOWN HERE, IT LOOKS LIKE A LAND BASED ORGANISM, AND A POORLY ADAPTED ONE AT THAT." the slightly softer spoken creature stated in a blunt, yet curious tone. The woman shrieked in horror as the other monster suddenly attempted to snap down on her, which Gunnvor narrowly stopped by fiercely body slamming them, causing the ground to quake as the two began viciously biting and clawing at each other. A sudden, stunning roar caused the two to freeze, "WHAT 'ARE' YOU TWO DOING!?" a larger one of their kind stormed forward, a low hiss steadily rumbling out of its partially open mouth. "GUNNVOR IS HOGGING THE SMALL BEING!" "WHAT SMALL-" The bigger creature's bright yellow eyes locked onto the terrified human, before it rolled its eyes with an annoyed snarl. "DO YOU KNOW WHAT IT IS?" The gentler creature asked as it sit next to the woman; the other let out another scoff, before walking deeper into the dark cave with its head held low to the scraped ground. "THAT... IS A HUMAN. AVIDOR MUST HAVE LEFT HER HERE." "HER!?" The smaller reptile brought its face close to Sherry, examining her excitedly. "YES. THAT ONE IN PARTICULAR WAS WHY BELETHOR REFUSED TO COME HOME... HOW IS YOUR LEG, MS. AUTUMN?" The woman stared at the larger creature in shock, before abruptly shrinking back, "Eirik!?". "YEAH, AND I AM GOING TO TAKE YOU BACK, YOU SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN BROUGHT DOWN HERE-" "Wait!" Sherry stumbled back as the huge reptile brought his face near her, "I wanted ta see Belle again!!" the remark caused Eirik to grind his teeth together as he quickly pulled his head away from the human. "BELLE? LIKE BELETHOR-" "THAT IS ABSURD!!" The annoyed creature stood tall, glancing over his shoulder, then lowered himself back to Sherry's level, "Fine, but we'll have to make it quick, the Queen would kill you without a second thought if she found you." Eirik whispered, and without warning, he forcefully slid the human into his mouth, and began walking. He held his large teeth partially open, allowing the woman to see where he was walking; she heard the smaller reptile following him closely. Once they walked deeper into the carved out hallway, the area seemed to light up with greenish blue light, "Where's the light comin' from?" Sherry asked with a sense of astonishment as the carved hallway opened up to an enormous, stone foyer. She felt an annoyed snort rush past her from Eirik's throat, "GUGH-AH, AGH-UR 'ER KETHIN." he carefully said, "...WHAT?" the other reptile nervously shrinked back as the Eirik slowly tumbled the human out of his mouth, and onto his lifted, scaly paw. "I SAID 'GUNNVOR, ANSWER HER QUESTION." The male reiterated as Sherry stared up in amazement at the tall foyer ceiling, and the dense, glowing moss clinging to it. "HEHEH, I THINK SHE ALREADY FIGURED IT OUT FOR HERSELF!" Gunnvor let out a hoarse chuckle as Eirik rolled his eyes, placing the woman back into his mouth, and continued walking toward another passageway. "Wait... why are ya bein' nice ta me now? Ya tried ta get yer mirages t' eat me!" Sherry shouted in realization, "BUT MIRAGES ONLY EAT FISH, ANYTHING ELSE WOULD SICKEN THEM. ARE YOU SURE HE-" "Of course I'm sure! It took a chomp outta my leg!" the woman watched as Gunnvor gave Eirik a shocked stare. He gave an annoyed sigh, placing Sherry on the back of his lifted paw again, "I DO NOT DECIDE WHAT I DO, BUT I TAKE EVERY OPPORTUNITY TO ENJOY IT. I HAD TO MAKE AN EXAMPLE, TO SHOW BELETHOR WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU DISOBEY THE QUEEN'S DESIRES. I WOULD NOT FATALLY WOUND MY STUDENT'S-" the massive reptile suddenly pressed his mouth to his paw, carefully concealing the human. "HEY EIRIK, DID YOU INJURE YOUR LITTLE PAW WHILE KISSING AT THE QUEEN'S FEET!? HAHAHA!!!" Another giant reptile mocked as it waltzed by, causing Eirik to let out a ground quaking growl. The three sat in silence as the unknown giant rounded a corner a decent distance away, before continuing their conversation, "I HAD TO SHOW BELETHOR THAT IF HE STAYED ON THE SURFACE AGAINST HIS MOTHER'S WISHES, SHE WOULD DESTROY EVERYTHING." the male continued. "Why does she want 'im down 'ere so much, is she growin' old 'r somethin'?" "MALES COULD NEVER BE LEADERS, FEMALES ARE BORN NATURALLY LARGER AND STRONGER TO MALES, THAT IS WHY THEY ONLY RUN THE EIGHT BRANCHES OF GOVERNMENT UNDER THE QUEEN." Gunnvor explained. "BELETHOR WILL BE A PART OF ONE OF THE BRANCHES, AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, HE WILL BE HEAVILY RELIED ON TO PRODUCE THE NEXT GENERATION OF ROYALS ONCE THE TIME COMES, DUE TO HIM INHERITING THE BEST GENES ON THE QUEEN, AND OF HIS FATHER." Eirik finished the explanation, lifting Sherry back toward his mouth, before snapping his teeth together, snarling viciously. "TAKE SHERRY!!!" He roared, tumbling the human off of his paw, who Gunnvor quickly snatched up in her mouth, and sprinted away with as the entire palace shuttered and echoed with the sounds of feral hisses and screeches of pain. "WHAT HAVE YOU BROUGHT HERE!? EIRIK!!!" A piercing exclamation roared throughout the hallways, shortly before Gunnvor slid to a stop as several larger reptiles lunged in front of her. She let out an annoyed hiss, quickly turning down another hall, only to be stopped again, and surrounded, "WHAT IS THAT?" one of the reptiles demanded, causing the smaller female to shrink down in terror. "MY QUEEN! THESE TWO WERE FOUND TO HAVE A TINY SURFACE CREATURE IN THEIR POSSESSION; IT REEKS OF AVIDOR." One of the reptiles that seemed to be chief of guard reported as he led Eirik, Gunnvor, and the rest of the guards into a barely lit throne room. "IS THAT IT?" A decently larger reptile laying on a low, wide pedestal pointed to the red haired human shakily holding onto one on the guard's snouts, "YES. THEY WERE HEADING TOWARD BELETHOR'S HOLDING CHAMBER WHILE THESE TWO WERE INFORMING IT OF OUR WAYS." the chief turned and snarled at Eirik and Gunnvor, before looking back at the queen. "THEN PERHAPS THIS IS THE LITTLE CREATURE MY SON WAS SO OBSESSED OVER... WE CAN EXECUTE IT IN THE MORNING." The queen scoffed, shooing the visitors away, "Hey!? Ya can't just sentence me without knowin' why I'm 'ere!!" Sherry shouted at the relaxed reptile, causing her to perk up in surprise. "WAIT, WAIT... BRING THAT THING BACK." The guard the human was clinging to lightly nodded, walking over and placing her on the queen's pedestal, before leaving the room with the rest of the reptiles. "SUCH A MINISCULE SPECIMEN TO BE MOUTHING OFF TO SUCH A GRAND BEING." The queen stared at Sherry with an amused grin, "NOT EVEN MY FIERCEST SOLDIERS ARE BRAVE ENOUGH TO ADDRESS ME IN YOUR MANNER... I CAN NOT QUITE FIGURE OUT WHAT YOU ARE, THOUGH." "Human.". "HEH. I FIGURED THAT MUCH." "I'm a woman, if that's what ye're askin'." "AND THAT ACCENT! SO ROUNDED AND FOREIGN, I SUPPOSE IT HAS BEEN AWHILE SINCE OUR KINDS HAVE INTERACTED. HEH, ANYWAY, WHY ARE YOU HERE?" The queen's amused gaze steadily wilted away into a stare of annoyance. "I just wanted ta see if Belle made it home alright." "BELLE!? HOW DARE YOU SLANDER-" "He called himself that!!" Sherry shouted, cutting off the queen, and seemingly annoying her further. "WELL, HE IS FINE, BUT DO NOT EXPECT HIM TO LEAVE THIS PLACE AGAIN." The reptile turned her head toward the door, as if about to call someone in, "Why not though!? Ya only need 'im fer breedin' purposes, why not let 'im stay at the surface, and call 'im back down whenever ya need 'im?" the queen's large teeth were fully revealed as she prepared a fierce retort, before the feral expression eased as she appeared to fall into thought. Several long moments passed as the royal leader slowly stared between the human, and her throne room's doorway, {Wonder if the guys 're doin' alright, well, I s'ppose the girls, too.} Sherry thought as she sat down on the surprisingly warm stone. {Perhaps the palace's built on a vent 'r somethin', they ARE reptiles, after all-} "SIGURD!!!" The queen suddenly roared, causing a reptile to peek inside, "BRING BELETHOR AND EIRIK INTO THE THRONE ROOM, AND QUICKLY!" she ordered, before staring back down at the tiny human relaxing on her throne. "THE NEXT GENERATION OF ROYALS WILL BE PRODUCED IN SIX YEARS TIME, UNTIL THEN, HE IS FREE TO ROAM THE SURFACE, AND AFTER THAT... WE WILL SEE..." Sherry smiled thankfully at the massive reptile, then stood as two others slowly walked into the dark room; one seemed particularly shocked to see the red headed human standing next to the queen.

[sherryandbelle-blog]

Sherry and Belle: Chapter 12

"Did they find Belle, yet?" Sherry asked in a weakened tone as she attempted to sit up from her hospital bed, David paced around uncomfortably before speaking, "Trevor said 'e was taken home... Alex s'posedly left ta try to negotiate somethin', but from Trevor's tone, it doesn't sound likely.". The two sat in silence, as if mourning the lose of a close friend; the woman slowly laid back down, signaling for the part timer to leave. A few minutes passed as Sherry began to doze off, before someone else walked into the room, locking the door behind them, then slowly approaching the bedside. The woman rolled over to face the person, but a towering, shadowy figure with massive, black claws and glowing yellow eyes loomed over her instead. "You should have kept running..." The distorted voiced being suddenly broke into a fit of excited laughter as it raised one of its dense, clawed hands over the bed. Sherry jolted up right before it could crash down on her, effectively making the nurse next to her jump as she woke up. "S-sorry, hon. Didn't mean ta wake ya." The small nurse apologized as she finished tidying up the bedside desk, quickly leaving the room afterwards. The boss sighed, sneaking a peek at her heavily bandaged up leg, {Heh, they insisted that I just cut myself up on some scrap metal while lookin' f'r Belle, but that monster's crooked face won't escape my mind THAT easily. Guess it's best to play along though, don't really need folks callin' me crazy...} Sherry reassured herself as she stared out the window from her bed. {...I hope he's okay...} The woman thought as the boy's wellbeing crossed her mind, causing her to reminisce on what felt like a month of knowing him, when in reality, it was barely even a week. "Hello, Sherry Autumn." The doctor's voice snapped her out of her momentary trance, "You're good to leave at anytime, just finish taking your antibiotics, and you'll be good as new in no time." he laid a short stack of papers down, along with a partially filled pill bottle on the bedside desk, before exiting the room.                                                 ●●● Sherry opened her unlocked door to see Jerald tidying up the kitchen, "Hey David, you want ta start on the livin' room, Sherry should be gettin' released from the hospital soon." the volunteer worker called out as he continued to scrub the various stains off of her counter. The boss looked around the messy living room, the neatly stacked pillow and blankets on the couch catching her eye, as well as Belle's duffle bag of clothes sitting near the entryway. "The livin' room's fine, thanks f'r cleanin' the kitchen-" "Sh-Sherry!? Hey! Hi..." Jerald gave a sympathetic stare as she walked into her freshy cleaned kitchen. "I... I'll just leave you ta, eh... I'll go an' check on the shelter now." The volunteer worker nervously left the house, leaving Sherry in her tidied kitchen; she eventually decided to finish cleaning the rest of her house. The boss tossed her bedding in the wash, cleaned the upstairs mirror and windows, then vacuumed the whole house, effectively relaxing her mind as she cleaned. At some point she reached the dilemma of cleaning the living room, unable to move anything of Belle's, she ultimately decided that she was done cleaning, and started making a few necessary calls for her new shelter. "Yes, y'ill have ta be VERY hands on with the animals, so if ya don't like 'em, this probably isn't f'r ya..." "Yeah... yeah... oh, part time's fine! What days can ya come in?... No, no, that's great. Our other part timer can't make it in f'r several week days at a time, so that's perfect." "Our  new shelter COULD really use a vet, but we're not housin' any horses at the-... hello?... hello!?" "Full time?... Sorry, our facility isn't really ready f'r that yet." "Yeah! Come in a couple days from now, and we'll getcha set up as our receptionist.". After a few hours of phone conferences, Sherry grabbed her bag in preparation to go out, when she suddenly heard Belle's phone vibrate, but she decided to leave it be.                                                 ●●● After getting some fast food, the boss steadily drove back to her home, listening to some slow music on the radio as she drove in the dark. A figure abruptly darted in front of her, barely giving her enough time to brake without hitting it; {Mirage!?} she quickly grabbing her gun, jumping out of her vehicle to face it. "WHOA WHOA WHOA!!!" A young teen shouted in terror as Sherry pointed her firearm at the cyclist, "I-I'm sorry if I cut ya off!! I swear!" the teen quickly hopped back on her bike, speeding away as fast as she could, leaving Sherry to her own embarrassment. "Idiot!" She snapped at herself in a hushed voice as she got back into her truck, slowly driving away, {I need ta calm down...} the woman solemnly thought as she continued her drive home. {I'm actin' a fool, I only knew the kid a week!} She thought as she grew increasing annoyed at herself, "First thing I'm doin' when I get home... I'm gonna clean up Belle's mess!" she proclaimed.                                               ●●● Sherry woke up early afternoon, slowly walking down her stairs and through the untouched living room to her kitchen, jumping slightly as Belle's phone buzzed when she passed. The woman stared for awhile, before picking it up, and tossing it on the living room couch, making herself some coffee afterwards.                                                  ●●● "Ye're hired; Welcome 'board." Sherry congratulated her new employee with a handshake, then ordered Jerald to give the young woman a tour of the facility. "Excuse me, Ms. Autumn?" Another new employee nervously waved the boss over to the main phone, "A senator of Wyoming is on the phone!" she reported in a startled tone. "Tch. It's just a scam caller, don't give it any information." "Okay... but 'e saids he knows ya..." "Just a scammer-" "His name is Trevor?" Sherry's eyes widened, "That's not a scammer, thank ya f'r yer help, Chelsea.". "Hey Sherry..." He started uncomfortably, "I was just calling about some of Belle's belongings, well... one of them, at least." "Which one? He left everything o' his when he left." Sherry commented solemnly as she paced around the front desk. "His phone. I was just wondering if you had it, and if it's been ringing at all." "It has actually, but I can't really think o'-" "Okay, thank you." Trevor seemed pleased, and before Sherry could ask anything, he abruptly hung up.                                               ●●● Sherry closed her front door, locking it before setting her handbag down on the kitchen table, shortly before hearing the small flip phone vibrating on the couch. She sighed hesitantly, then finally answered it, "This is Sherry Autumn, right?" she heard Alex's voice ask, "Yeah..." "Good. So you-" "Why are ya callin' Belle's phone tryin' ta contact me!?" "Because Trygve tasked me with answering any questions you may have pertaining to the night you were attacked by Eirik, but he DID NOT give me your phone number to do so.". The woman stood silent for a few moments, "Trygve?" "Ugh... 'Trevor', as you people call him-" "What do ya mean 'you people'?" "Humans!" Sherry shuttered as he shouted that, "Hello?" "Y-yeah. Sorry, I f'rgot ya guys weren't really human, heh." "Excellent. So I do not have to attempt to explain that to you-" "I don't even know WHAT ya are! Mind explainin' that!?". Sherry heard nothing but ambiance, until Alex finally sighed, "I can not tell you that just yet, nor can I say where our kind is from, but I am allowed to say that we are not human, and that Belle was taken back to our palace home by Eirik, our queen's deadliest henchman." the woman sat down on the couch, stunned. "Well!? Is there anyway ta get 'im back!?" She shouted in a sudden stir of frustration, "That is highly unlikely, but... there MIGHT be a way to go see him... Ehh..." "How!?" Sherry quickly lightened up. "Three days from now, call Trygve- Ugh, 'Trevor'. He will tell you where to go from there, but be prepared for a large amount of traveling." Sherry thanked the man, then ended the call, shortly before dialing up an old number on her own phone. "Hello?" A gruff, stern voice answered in an already impatient tone, "Hey, Charles-" "Sherry!? Wow! We haven't talked since... well. But how have ya been!?" "Listen, I need ta go somewhere soon, and I would like it if ya stayed at our old house f'r awhile-" "Is this 'bout that 'Belle' character Sam was talkin' 'bout?" "Y-yeah, he went somewhere, and I wanted ta talk to 'im one last time.". "Mmmm... well, who am I ta stop ya, but... I really have missed ya." "Heh, I've missed ya too, ya lug.".                                                ●●● Sherry leaned against her red truck, sipping on a frosted lemonade and looking around at Fort Worth, her first and final rest stop before Galveston, the designated meet up location. After a straight five hour drive, the woman needed to rest before a drive nearly equal in length, and after that drive, the three would travel by boat until they reached Belle's homeland. The boss heard her straw start to gurgle as she finished her drink, signaling that it was almost time to hit the road again, she sighed as she tossed the empty cup into a nearby trashcan, switching the navigation on her phone back on as she started her truck up.                                                 ●●● Sherry noticed a sleek, blue car sitting at the entrance to Galveston, with Trevor and Alex standing next to it; she quickly pulled over near the two. "Hey!" Sherry greeted as she walked over, "Glad to see you made it!" Trevor called back, gesturing Alex into the passenger seat of his car. "This island has some pretty limited parking, so I went ahead and reserved us a couple of spots near the bay. I'll lead you there!" The woman nodded, quickly heading back, and getting into her truck. The blue vehicle gently cruised back onto the road, with the red truck beginning to trail behind; Sherry stared out her window at the flat, breezy surroundings, the palm trees lining the roads, and the sharp, rolling waves barely visible in the distance. {This's it... time to see where Belle's REALLY from.} The woman pumped herself up, preparing for whatever strange, inhuman place that the two men in the slick car were leading her to. To her surprise, Trevor pulled into an inn's parking lot near an older looking boat dock, parking at the far end, then reaching out of his window and pointing at the spot next to his. "Why 're we-" "A storm's scheduled to blow over the gulf tomorrow, which means a lot less activity in the water. I got in contact with an old buddy who will take us to the end of the gulf in his crabbing boat, so you have the rest of the evening to prepare." Trevor explained while Alex carried the senator's luggage in. "I'll send Alex to fetch you tomorrow morning, just make sure you have a large meal before we leave, and just leave your belongings in your room, you won't need any of it where we're going." Sherry nodded, feeling mildly disappointed at the unexpected wait.                                                 ●●● "Thar ya go, lass!" An elderly fisherman hoisted Sherry onto his boat with a surprising amount of strength, then turned and stared at the two standing behind him. "Been awhile, Trygve. Last time I saw ya in person, ya had climbed outta the waters and onta muh boat! Now ya say yer a senator!? HEH!" The fisherman gave Trevor a hardy handshake, then returned to the boat's steering wheel. "So... ya know Trevor?" The woman asked as the other two untied the boat from the dock, "Ever since 'e got muh boat outta ragin' waters!" the older man chuckled to himself as he seemed to reminisce. "I was inna smaller boat at the time, an' as I thought she was gonna bite it, a HUGE shadow swam under the vessel, an' kept 'er afloat 'til the shore came back inta view! Once I tied 'er up ta the closest dock, I 'eard somethin' splash up onta muh deck, back then, Trygve wore dark, ridged garbs, so I didn't recognize 'im as a human at first, but after I took 'im down into my sleepin' quarters an' gave 'im some spare clothes, 'e explained what 'e REALLY was.". "And what is that?" Sherry asked, glancing back at Trevor and Alex, who were peacefully relaxing near the back of the boat, "They 'aven't told ya? Aren't ya goin' ta see thar palace!?" "Yeah, but they seem hesitant ta say anythin'." The fisherman shook his head with a grin. "So, what're ya goin' ta the palace f'r?" "We're visitin' the prince-" "Belethor!?" The old man exclaimed, "How do ya know 'im?" "Hmm... when Trygve left the palace, 'e left quite 'n impression, that's why 'e can never return ta 'is home. When that happened, 'e made a rough guess on who would follow 'is example an' travel to the surface world, so f'r 'e's been right with every guess, including the prince.". Sherry nodded, then glanced back to Trevor, who was staring at the bottomless waters swirling behind the boat with a longing gaze, "Hmm, their kind sure do love the waters, but 'e vowed never ta leave 'is human form unless absolutely necessary, a real shame too, 'is kind 're terrible at swimmin' with our form. It's quite a spectacle ta see, though!" The man chuckled to himself. "And why doesn't 'e want ta take his true form?" "'is kind 'as a keen sense o' smell, as well as perfected ocean navigation; 'e made a lot o' enemies, including their queen, if he went inta ocean water without a disguise, they'd find 'im." "...What's yer name?" The woman asked, seemingly catching the old fisherman off guard. He suddenly started to chuckle, "Ya 'ave two mighty bein's behind ya, an' ya want ta know 'bout me!" he chuckled some more, before turning and smiling at the woman with his crooked teeth, "The name's Matthews!".

[sherryandbelle-blog]

Belle

[sherryandbelle-blog]

Sherry and Belle: Chapter 11

Sherry slowly woke to the loud ringtone of her cell phone downstairs, she sat up from her bed, quickly glancing at the dark sky through her bedroom window, before heading down to her kitchen. She sighed in detest as she silenced her phone, muting the random call from Nevada, "Sorry, 'bout that, Belle-" the boss froze as she noticed that the living room couch was unoccupied. "Hey Belle?" She cautiously pushed the bathroom door open, but no one was there, "Where did... Belle!?" Sherry quickly looked all around her house and yard, "Belle!!" the boss shook her head at her futile attempts, before heading back inside. She stared at the neatly folded up blankets on the couch, before calling his cell phone, only to hear it buzzing from the kitchen table. A soft knock distracted the worried woman from her frantic search, "Oh, h-hello Ms. Autumn, are you searching for someone, deary?" a small, elderly woman asked, "Oh, sorry to wake ya at this hour-" "Oh, you didn't wake me, hon, this is the only time I can smoke some dank without my husband finding out. He's a Republican, you know." the lady politely smiled. "Y-yeah... I should-" "And if ya tell him what I do, I'll cut your fingers, Mmhmm..." Sherry slowly nodded with wide eyes as she started creeping past the woman, "Good ta know, Mrs. Anderson, but I should REALLY go-" "If Colorado's allowed to blaze it, then I'm chokin' the ganja, too!". "Oh, and one more thing, Sherry..." The boss stopped at her truck door, sighing in protest, "If ye're lookin' f'r that tall gentleman who's been squattin' on your couch, he left about half an hour ago; I sent my doobie runner to trail 'im, last he reported, yer friend was heading to the BAD side. After that, Jimmy went to get tacos, the sassy little fool.". "Th-thank ya, Mrs. Anderson! Thank ya A LOT!" Sherry quickly backed out of her driveway, and sped away, {What was that idiot THINKIN'!? That part of town was where those three guys...} she shivered at the thought, growing increasingly sick with worry. A huge shadowy figure abruptly lept out at Sherry's truck, crumpling its hood and windshield as the creature rolled over the vehicle's front, leaping into an alleyway after hitting the asphalt. "W... wha... what was..." The boss quickly reached into the back of her truck, grabbing a loaded handgun, and stuffing it into her handbag, before slowly stepping out of the vehicle in shock. "Hello!?" She called out, walking around to the heavily dented front of her truck, then looking on to see the desolate street lit up by her headlights. "Hello!!" Sherry continued, glancing down dank alleyways as she steadily crept away from the safety of her vehicle. "HELLO-" The woman was abruptly silenced as a large, cold hand firmly clasped around her mouth, a man quietly shushed her from behind as he backed her into an alley close to her trunk. As soon as the tall man stopped walking and began to loosen his grip, Sherry harshy elbowed his firm stomach as hard as she could, before swiftly turning, reeling back to peg the guy in the face, only to see Belle shrinking back with his eyes closed. "BELLE!?" "Y-yes... listen, we should not be shouting like this." As he spoke, the boss realized that his forearms and chest were a bit torn up, and his whole body was shuddering. "What happened to ya?" "Oh..." He stood silent for a moment, before sighing, "I just wanted to find out what happened during that night when the fire broke out." "It was probably just an electrical problem, that shelter was VERY old-" "No. It was NOT that. That night, a group of beings showed up and attacked me, and if it's who I think it was, than I can fix all of this!". He exhaled quietly, before beginning to slowly push Sherry back toward her truck, "W-wait! Hold up! I'm NOT lettin' ya put yerself in danger!" she proclaimed as she turned to look him in the eye. "Heh, it's a thoughtful gesture, but I would like to-" Belle was cut off by a piercing, echoing shriek, catching both of them off guard. "Uh no... guess you ARE in this now..." He muttered, before tightly grabbing Sherry by her wrist, and sprinting deeper into the alleyway, dragging the woman along with him. "We have to make as much distance as we can from the alerting cry!!" The boy fearfully shouted as they weaved through various grimy alleys and darkened roads. "ALERTING CRY FROM WHAT!?!?!?" Sherry exclaimed as she was tirelessly tugged along, "They are called mirages! Long bodied, vicious predators that own mastery of agility in both open water, and on land! They actually ARE from an island!" Belle loudly explained, right before another screech sounded; the boss looked up to she a silent shadow gliding between two buildings overhead. "I REALLY did not want you dragged into-" "WAIT! 'Actually from an island'!? Ya sayin' yer not from an island!?" Sherry's voice spiked with rage as she attempted to pull away from the boy. "Sorry... if we BOTH make it out of this, then I'll tell you the FULL truth. In the meantime, you should hide somewhere, I think they are just after me." Belle stopped at the edge of a poorly lit road, glancing around for a moment, before pointing at a long condemned building. "PLEASE. Just hide in here for a moment while I draw the mirages away-" "...Yer crazy..." Sherry stated in disbelief, "I heard Alex and Trevor talkin' 'bout some gang activity, but ya think they're ACTUAL monsters-" "They told you!?" The boy stepped back, frantically looking around. "Belle... just calm down, ya've been through a pretty traumatic experience recently, I get that-" "Ms. Autumn, this is not like that! My species bred them to- eh..." the shaken boy's face turned red as he clumsily shouted. "See!? Ya don't even think yer HUMAN anymore; I get that ye're in quite a stir, but ya NEED ta calm down." Belle stared at Sherry in disbelief, as if she was the crazy one. "You don't get it! How do you think I endured metal roofing slammed into my head, caught a falling tree branch with one hand, overpowered thugs, AND survived an attack from giant, reptilian beasts if I was merely 'human'!?" Belle began to sound increasingly aggressive, causing the immensely bewildered woman to steadily step back toward the alleyway they came from. "Y...ya... ye're completely INSANE!!!" She shouted in terror, before turning and sprinting as fast as she could down the filthly pathways, "MS. AUTUMN!!!" she heard Belle call out, but it sounded as if he stayed where he was, rather than chasing after her. {H-he must have Schizophrenia or somethin'! He's frikkin crazy! How did I even-!?} Sherry's adrenaline was rushing as she continued to sprint, taking various twists and turns as she struggled to remember which way she was dragged through. She finally stopped in the middle of a cold street as her eyes became fully blurred from tears, collapsing onto her knees as exhaustion suddenly gripped her, before hearing out of place, slow clapping. "That was quite a show!" A somewhat familiar voice called out; the boss rubbed the moisture out of her eyes, then stared over at a tall figure walking into view. "Ye're the guy from the hospital elevator." Sherry tiredly remarked, making the guy shudder with excitement, "You remembered! I never REALLY introduced myself... they call me 'Eirik'." the man grinned maniacally as he steadily approached the weakened woman. "It WAS quite adorable how you called Belethor insane BEFORE you ran away... sure makes MY job easier!" Eirik's eyes flickered with a deranged insanity that set off a sort of primal fear in Sherry, giving her a shaky second wind. She lept up, slamming the intimidating man back, then attempting to run into the alleyway she left from, only for a giant, darkly colored creature to lunge out in front of her. The lengthy, jagged creature let out a piercing, almost human shriek, revealing it's sharp, jutting beak. "These... are my mirages." The maniacal man grinned as several more dropped from the surrounding buildings, gliding down on wing like fins. "Why don't you go ahead and start running... it'll make this next part all the more... ENJOYABLE. AAHAHAHAAH!!!" Sherry quickly turned, sprinting full speed down the road. The woman suddenly reached for the gun in her purse, only to realize that the bag wasn't even around her shoulder; she glanced back to Eirik, who was holding her handbag above his head like a trophy, before gently setting it down, and signaling to his monsters. Sherry made a sharp turn for an alley, but was quickly met with a hissing beast, forcing her to stay on the same road, which the sadistic man was also casually treading. She tried a few more alleys, but every one had a vicious mirage waiting, until several bolted at her from an intersection, chasing her onto another street, as if they were herding her. {So Belle really ISN'T human!!} The woman realized as she was forced down another road, starting to stumble on her feet more and more as she continued running. "EIRIK!!!" Sherry's eyes shot up just in time to see Belle flash past her, brutally body slamming the pursuer across the center of the road, before backing up to the boss. "I heard the last shriek, but you were already gone by the time I got there... I brought this, though." The boy happily handed off Sherry's purse, before storming back toward the monstrous guy, who had stumbled to his feet. "Ah, if it isn't the prince of-" Belle abruptly punched Eirik in the jaw, shooting him back to the asphalt, "I'M SICK OF YOU STALKING ME!!!" he roared, grabbing the man's shirt collar with both hands, and beginning to spin him through the air. "I'M SICK OF YOU TRYING TO CATCH MY FRIENDS IN CAR ACCIDENTS!!!" He let go, senting the tall man straight through a pizzeria window, and causing a blast of crashing noises to echo through the street. "I'M SICK OF YOU ABUSING MS. AUTUMN!!!" Eirik lunged out toward Belle, only to get elbow dropped on the back of his neck. "AND I'M SICK. OF. YOU!!!" As the battered man stood, the boy reeled back for another punch; he let out a panicked yelp and Eirik abruptly caught Belle's fist in his mouth, viciously chomping down with a set of long, jagged teeth. The boy forcefully tore away, shredding his hand further, the monster sounded a sickening gulp, "That was cute, but you always DID forget to stay alert during a hunt..." Sherry suddenly screamed as her right leg was latched into a mirage's jagged beak, then pulled out from under her. "It was fun, Belethor! CHASING her down, SHAKING her beliefs, DESTROYING her sense of security, and now..." Eirik wrapped his left arm around Belle's neck, forcing him to face the trapped woman with his other hand. "...We can BOTH watch her get EATEN ALIVE... from foot up, of course, we don't want your punishment to go TOO quickly, now do we?" Sherry suddenly felt the beast's beak sink in, "MS. AUTUMN!!!" Belle roared as the woman started shrieking in fierce pain. The woman quickly grabbed her purse with her shuddering arms, pulling out her pistol, and turning it toward the beast, screaming as she unloaded three shots at the monster's face. Its head suddenly fell limp, letting the woman hastily pry her leg out of its grasp, "NO!!!" Eirik shrieked as he stared at the large, dead creature in sheer fury. Belle took advantage of the distraction, quickly worming out of his arms, and picking Sherry up off the ground as he ran. "That was incredible!" The boy remarked, eyes fixed on the Texan's firearm, before suddenly looking down at the two deep lacerations in her lower leg; "I'll take you to a hospital as soon as this is over." Belle promised.                                                ●●● Belle slowed to a stop as he heard something clack against the pavement, {Ms. Autumn's gun?} he looked at the woman's increasingly pale face to see that she had fallen unconscious. "Guess I should probably call that ambulance now..." The boy gingerly set her down in the middle of the sidewalk, then reached in his jacket pocket for his small flip phone, only to remember leaving it on the kitchen table. He nervously reached into Sherry's bag for her phone, but she didn't have hers, either, "Eeeeh... Oh!" He pulled out a slip of paper with "David's new cell" and a phone number written on it, as well as some spare change. "Aaaand, there!" Belle ran across the street to an old payphone, glancing up at the closest street sign as it rang. "UUUUUH!!! Who IS this-" "IT'S BELLE!!! Ms. Autumn's REALLY hurt!" "WHAT!?!? WHERE ARE YOU!!!" The boy listed the street name, then noticed Eirik steadily approaching, "The wild animals are back! I have to go!!" Belle slammed the phone back into place before David could say anything else, then ran out to face the livid looking man. "BELETHOR!!!" He fiercely roared, glaring at the boy, then to the injured woman; Belle hopped in front of the crazed man, protecting the unconscious human. "I'M ENDING THIS!!!" Eirik continued, taking another step forward, "That APE killed my MIRAGE!!!" "You are not going to harm her further! Or any human, for that matter!". "And what makes you THINK I will agree to that..." The prince sighed, hesitating for a moment, "We'll fight, no holding back, you and me." the man's eyes widened in shock, before glinting with corrupt pleasure. "WELL!!... I suppose I can not refuse an invitation from the prince..." Eirik smirked, getting into a readied position, "N-not here! We should go somewhere more open, near the burnt down shelter, perhaps." he stared for a moment, then nodded, following the prince through the network of backstreets and alleyways, as sirens blared in the distance.                                                ●●● Belle lightly held the neck of the mirage he was riding as it nimbly sprinted and glided across the high plains, with Eirik and the rest of his pack following close behind. The boy glanced back at the silhouette of Amarillo against the dark, night sky, {I hope they will be okay...} he thought, before reluctantly looking away. "Here." The man stated as the pack jolted to a stop, "And it is away from the road, if concealment is what you wanted." Belle solemnly nodded, hopping off of the reptilian beast, and bracing himself for combat. "Are you ready to go home?..." Eirik suddenly asked in a flat tone, before rushing forward, attempting to body slam the boy, who calmly sidestepped him. The prince took on a more pompous gait as he dodged around his foe's imbalanced ferocity, "Of course not, only shrewd beings such as the Queen and yourself would desire to live down in that bleak palace.". Belle leaned back as Eirik slashed toward his face with a sleek, darkly colored claw hand, causing a look of annoyance to cross the boy's face, "HAHAHAAA!!! Seems like you chose to adopt Avidor's passive combat style, a shame too, since I was your original trainer!" the man shook his head with a smirk. "There are only two ways to live down in the palace, either you become a vicious, sadistic beast, or you suffer in the dark..." Belle gritted his teeth as he watched Eirik shrug somewhat mockingly, "Every one of your types are doomed to fall under the rest of us. Trygve, Avidor, and now you... Belethor..." The man flexed his transformed, monstrous hands and he let out a low chuckle of excitement. Belle abruptly stumbled off balance and Eirik rushed forward at an inhuman speed, releasing a vicious bombardment of slashes in the prince's general area, which he was barely able to avoid. The boy sprinted back as soon as he had an opening, breathing harshly, "HA! What's wrong, prince!? Is you idol's technique failing you!?" Belle stared in terror as smudged, black markings began appearing on his opponent's neck and face. "Your fighting is too brutal for the human form to contain! If you shatter that form-" "NO HOLDING BACK, BOY!!!" Eirik roared in a distorted voice as he charged forward, leaping right over the boy's head, and attacking from behind. The prince crashed into the ground as giant, black claws raked across his back, knocking the breath out of him from the impact alone. "YOU BETTER START FIGHTING BACK!!!" Eirik let out an echoing shriek as he threw the injured boy by his leg, causing him to land hard on his right arm; Belle let out a startled yell as he tried to push off of the ground, causing fierce pain to overtake his wrist, elbow, and shoulder. "EVEN IN THESE CONSTRICTING FORMS, WE ARE MUCH STRONGER THAN HUMANS, BUT THEN AGAIN, THAT IS STILL A LOW BAR!!!" The monstrous man waited for the prince to reluctantly stumble to his feet, before back handing him back to the ground. "GET UP..." Eirik growled as Belle curled up on the cold field, trembling in pain, the black markings steadily faded from man as he sighed. "Alright... are you ready to go home?..." The previously feral man asked with a sense of sincerity, causing the boy to angrily growl as he quickly got back to his feet, "Good." Eirik smirked menacingly as he got back into position. Belle launched himself forward, attempting to reel back a punch with his right arm, before wincing in pain as he slowed to a stop behind his opponent, who sighed in disappointment. Eirik firmly grabbed the prince by his hand, forcefully yanking his whole arm sideways, sounding off three loud pops, "You are the next hier to one of the eight supporting branches under the Queen, and you can't even remember to reset an injured limb BEFORE throwing a punch!?...". "If only you had continued to study under me, rather than trying to research that deserter Trygve, or idolizing a mere aid of the Queen, you COULD have been something. Now look at you..." Belle pushed himself off the ground with an exhausted look on his face. "I like this, though! I like working under beings smaller than myself. I like the kinship, the sense of family, the warmth... and I like the rest of the people! Humans gather at such a large scale, and every one is significantly different from the last!" The prince lightened up slightly as he explained to his mentor. "You do seem attached to these things, and I see how the colossal responsibilities of someone as IMPORTANT as you can weigh heavily, but you can not simply run from this! Now, are you ready to go home-" "I AM HOME!!!" Belle roared as his eyes flickered a tinted yellow, his hands steadily darkening as he grew increasingly enraged. Eirik batted the boy's sloppy attacks away with ease, sighing with further disappointment, "YOU WON'T HURT MY HOME!!!" the prince continued to scream as he continuously missed his target with his large claws. He let out a loud, reptilian hiss as he tried pouncing, only to bluntly fall on his face, "Your aim is atrocious, Belethor, your best asset in battle was always your tail, anyway. Too bad trying to use it any way would immediately destroy that pitiful disguise of yours." Eirik mocked as he continued to playfully dodge away from Belle's ongoing attack. "Alright, I think we are done." Eirik stated, bashing the rampaging prince in the back of the head.                                                ●●● "BELETHOR!!!" "BELLE!!!" Alex and Trevor repeatedly called out as they walked through the high plains, "It is nearly dawn! Are you sure he did not just go back to Sherry's place!?" Alex called out as he jogged back over to the other man. "I told David to wait there when Sherry was getting pulled into the ambulance, we would've heard from him if that were the case. Besides, you said you caught his scent leaving Amarillo awhile back." The business man watched the other man's face become smudged in black marks as he began sniffing the air around them. "His scent is definitely here, but where-" Alex froze, before slowly pointing over at a mirage, who seemed to be waiting for them. The two quickly followed the creature over a hill to see Eirik lifting an unconscious Belle off the ground; the beast gave a sharp shriek, before standing by its master's side. "EIRIK-" "Hello, Avidor! Take care of that 'Sherry' human, she seemed rather important to our prince!" The man called out as he placed the boy on the long back of his mirage, "What!?" Alex exclaimed as the two ran over to face the normally cruel adversary. "If I were to let him stay here, the Queen would surely destroy these little beings for getting in her way. I do not make the orders, I simply follow them. If you had done the same, he would have never gotten THIS close to them." The three stared at each other for an extended period of time, before Eirik eventually signaled for his beast to continue walking, and the other two didn't stop him.

[sherryandbelle-blog]

Sherry and Belle: Chapter 10

Sherry skimmed over the newest email from the vet, informing the boss that Pansy's medical expenses were fully payed off, and that the pregnant dog would be able to return to her shelter in a couple of days. {Belle's sure ta be happy when 'e 'ears about this.} She thought, grabbing the printed copy, and closing her laptop, before locking up, and heading to her red truck. "Hey, are ya at the hospital, yet?" David asked once Sherry answered her phone, "Yeah, just parked, in fact." "'ight, I'm grabbin' Jerald, then drivin' over." the boss hung up, then began walking over to the massive hospital's entrance. "Hello, I'm 'ere ta see 'Belle'." The desk worker calmly nodded, typing something into her computer, "Third floor, Seventeenth room." she stated, pointing to an elevator. The red haired woman walk over to the lift, pushing the button and waiting, "Oh, hey." A raspy voiced man waltzed into the elevator as it closed, intently staring at Sherry with a somewhat excited glint in his eyes. He continued to stare in silence, before eventually speaking again, "You have a familiar scent clinging to you, heheh..." she recognized the accent to be the same as Belle's, but it didn't make the quivering man any less creepy. "Sooo..." The darkly dressed man leaned in toward her, "I 'ave a gun, ya sure ya want to-" "But you probably do not have it was you now, this is a hospital, after all." the woman tensed up as the words painfully hissed past his lips. He smiled for a moment, before politely backing away, "No need to fear me now, I am merely here to see someone who was injured last night." "Same here." Sherry flatly stated as the elevator reached the third floor. "Ooohoooh, what a coincidence! My little buddy was caught up in a sudden barn fire, he's a foreigner, you see, he goes by a different name in this land, as do the rest of the people from my small civilization." He happily explained, shuttering with excitement. "So it must be hard ta find 'em." The boss relaxed slightly after he practically confirmed his connection with Belle, "Our proud people have only ever directly interacted with outsiders twice; once, with what you know as the vikings, and the other time with Victorian England. The vikings had powerful names, and the Victorians had a much more efficient language than ours.". "That's... really interesting, actually. Thank ya-" Sherry walked down the hall, then turned to see that the man had left. She shrugged to herself, then continued toward the seventeenth room, stopping as she heard a conversation from inside. "-was definitely Eirik's mirage gang, who else would target Bele-" "Belle." "-so blatantly!?" She heard Alex shout, "We REALLY shouldn't jump to such drastic conclusions, surely that crazy woman wouldn't-" "Tryg-" "Trevor." "-I WATCHED her do it, and she granted him any means to bring Bele-" "Belle." "Are... are you really going to continue to do that?...". Sherry heard Trevor let out a loud sigh, "You're in America now, my barbaric friend, so you should get used to calling us by our legal names... Alex." Belle let out a small chuckle. "H-hey." Sherry finally opened the door, gently peeking in to see Trevor and Alex standing next to the hospital bed, while Belle carefully removed bandages from himself in a chair across the room. "Oh, ya might want ta ask a doctor before-" "It is fine, he heals quickly due to his royal blood-" Trevor elbowed Alex harshly, sending him stumbling across the room. "HEY!!" "Maybe you should've ask BELLE permission before openly saying that in front of his friend." The boss glanced back to the boy, who was completely red in the face, with a mortified expression to match. "Oh... you didn't tell them yet?" Alex asked in genuine curiosity, "N-no, I did not. I didn't really want that accursed title following me here." Belle tossed a handful of bloodied bandages into the trash can next to him, before storming out of the room. Sherry stared at the doorway with an awestricken expression, before looking back toward the other two, "So... is he like a distant cousin, or..." "He is the monarch's chosen heir; he inherited the finest traits from both the Queen, and the head of military, making him the strongest out of all of us. He even-" "Dude!" Trevor abruptly cut Alex off. "Oh... no wonder Belle didn't want anyone ta know, that must be rough on the kid." The boss said aloud, "Precisely, and the Queen is really insisting that he returns to his home soon. Bele-" "Belle." "HOW LONG ARE YOU GOING TO KEEP THAT UP!!!" "Until you start calling him by his American name." Trevor smirked jokingly. The room calmed down again, allowing Sherry to ask a question that had been at the back of her mind, "So, do ya guys know the other guy who wanted to see Belle today?" the mild atmosphere turned stiff as the two men's gazes shot to her. "He 'ad the same accent as Belle, but 'is voice was real raspy." She continued, causing the two to look at each other in dreadful horror, before Alex went to bolt out of the room. "HEY!? Watch it, f- oh." David called out, pushing past the concerned man, with Jerald and Belle following close behind. "Sorry we're late, the elevators went out right before we showed up." Jerald apologized, "They found me on their way up the stairs." Belle explained, taking a seat on the bed while the other two new arrivals sat down across the room. "Heh, guess ya weren't too hurt, after all." The part timer stated, looking at the nearly healed boy, "Not quite..." the boy lightly chuckled, seemingly already over Alex's slip up. "Well, if we're all good ta go, then let's go to the new shelter!" Jerald called out, giving a beckoning glance to Sherry as he casually walked past her, "Heh, guess most of us 'aven't seen the whole buildin' yet." David remarked with slight amusement as he followed the volunteer worker, who was followed by the rest of the people in Belle's room. Once the group was out of the hospital building, Jerald pulled Sherry aside, giving her a hesitant look, before finally speaking. "So, the night before last..." He slowly started, "Belle was, er, there were these shadows, th-this is pretty tough to say, heh, but uh..." the boss gave him a reassuring look. "Okay. That night, before the fire broke out, right after it became dark, Belle and I were drivin' back to the shelter, th-the old one, because we had just dropped off the last load and locked up the new shelter, we nearly hit something." The tawny worker quickly glanced over his shoulder, before continuing. "I didn't fully see what it was, but it was HUGE, like the length of three horses kind of huge. I didn't even notice the dang thing until Belle yelled 'BRAKE!!!', it didn't even make any noise when I stopped a couple feet from it! It was REALLY weird, but after that, Belle was on edge, like he knew that something bad was comin'...". "Maybe he was just in shock from the-" "NO. He was straight up doin' perimeter checks every few minutes, and then, durin' his last one, I heard him yellin' at someone, and then suddenly, the whole FRIKKIN buildin' was up in flames!" Sherry stared at the frightened man, then to Belle in the distance. "I like the guy, but it feels like he brought some dangerous attention to us..." Jerald sighed, as if finally releasing a weight off of his chest; "Y... you're just imagin' things, that buildin' was old and poorly built, it probably-" "What!? There's no way that was a FREAKIN' coincidence!! He led somethin' TO US THAT WE-" "CALM DOWN!!". The tawny worker shuddered, staring at the woman with a hint of betrayal in his eyes, "...Sorry boss..." he muttered, before trudging back to David's black car in defeat. "Is Jerald okay?" Belle asked nervously as he approached Sherry, "He's... just a bit shaken up from the fire still, nothing ta worry 'bout." she reassured him as they both got into her truck. David led the way to the shelter, with Sherry's and Trevor's vehicles close behind, it was a short ways into Amarillo, on a decently lively street, too. The four workers got to work organizing the place, tending to the dogs, and doing a little extra clean up, with the help of Alex and Trevor. "Hey, Sherry! I'm closin' up soon! Do ya know where the other two are!?" David shouted from down the hall, "I'll get 'em!" she called back, heading to the indoor dog kennels. The woman looked through one of the double door windows to see Belle and Jerald returning their brooms after sweeping; the volunteer worker shrinked back from Belle, causing him to sadly stare, before beginning to walk to the door. "Hey..." Sherry heard Jerald say through the muffling doors, the two seemed to begin chatting, before eventually laughing, and walking to the double doors with grins on their faces.

[sherryandbelle-blog]

Sherry and Belle: Chapter 9

"Howdy Y'ALL, huh aboot some chez-beargers?" The three workers started hysterically laughing at Belle's EXTREMELY overly exaggerated American accent. "Yeah! They'll never 'spect a DANG thing! AHA!!" David started to laugh again, but was promptly cut off by a sudden coughing fit, causing him to slowly back into the metal office door. "Ah, just go an' get somethin' ta drink, already!" Sherry shouted, jokingly shooing the part timer away; Jerald let out a loud exhale, then went back to sweeping. "So, you two seem ta be in a better mood, today." The tawny volunteer worker pointed out as he swept a large, muddy clot of dog hair into an even larger pile, "Yeah, actually. Belle has a buddy one state over who runs a pretty large business, and that business just so happens to run a support system fer smaller businesses. I normally wouldn't consider it, but after talkin' ta the guy personally, I think we could work somethin' out." Sherry explained with a smirk. "...Geez..." Jerald absently stared at the boss and Belle in both shock and amazement, it appeared like he was building up to say something, but was interrupted by a vehicle pulling onto the gravel driveway in front of the shelter. The boy perked up as a well dressed businessman casually walked in, causing the entire ground floor to erupt with excited barks. "Trevor?" Belle asked once the dogs quieted down; the short, slim man smirked, "Who else?" he commented jokingly, causing the boy to sigh in an unamused manner. "So, you must be Sherry." Trevor politely extended his hand, greeting the small business owner, "Y-yeah. Thank ya fer comin' out on such short notice,  I-" "It's quite alright, Belle put in a VERY good word for you." the two shook hands, then Sherry gave him a quick tour. "So, what exactly do ya get outta this?" David asked once he was up to date, "Well, I am the sole owner of a large business, as well as a Senate of Wyoming, and in either of those positions, having a good reputation for being a generous man can be very important. That is why I started a program quite a while back that helps smaller businesses flourish." Trevor explained keenly. "And, while doing a bit of research into this area, I noticed that there was a larger shelter building that was just put on the market a few days ago; it was originally built for a chain company, but they recently had another built several towns over. It's freshly cleaned, has one floor, indoor kennels, air conditioning, a small medical area, and it's only about fifteen minutes away from this current location. I've already went ahead and bought it, and I've set up several payment plans, if you want it, that is-" "Yeah! Of course. When can we-" "I can initiate the move as soon as early afternoon." The three workers seemed completely blown away. "And while the three of you prepare, I'd like to take Belle and get some things sorted out with him legally, if that's alright." Sherry looked over at Belle, who seemed very trusting with Trevor; she nodded, then went into the office to prepare.                                               ●●● Sherry, Jerald, and David all walked the last remaining dogs into several specialized, animal moving trucks, breathing a simultaneous sigh of relief once the old shelter was empty. "Heh, movin' the dogs and packin' up the office took nearly the whole day; we've got just about two, three more hours of sunlight." David remarked, lighting up a cigarette. "Eh, no worries. I'm a great night driver; I can probably borrow a friend's truck and finish takin' everything to the new shelter." Jerald reassured the other two as he relaxed in the shade. "Ugh, I still can NOT believe you took Av-" "Alex." "-With us!" Belle's uncharacteristically angry shouts could be heard from the driveway as soon as the doors opened. Sherry watched as the now decently dressed boy stormed toward the barn door entrance, with Trevor and a somewhat familiar guy closely following. "H-hey..." The boss stared at Belle as he waltzed past her, leaving the other two to greet her, "It seems that he did not want to see me." the familiar looking man dully stated, staring down at the woman. "Ya... look familiar, 'ave we met?" She asked, "Yes; you gave me a ride into Amarillo after I passed by your rescue center several days ago." He calmly looked around as he spoke, "Did you sell all of your dogs since then?" "Heh, no, we're relocatin' to a new buildin' nearby." Sherry explained. "Do not feel obligated to speak with him, Ms. Autumn, he is only here to ATTEMPT to convince me to return home." A maniacal grin appeared on Belle's face after he said that, "It will be pretty hard though, now that I'm a LEGAL US CITIZEN!" the boy proudly displayed an ID card to everyone around him. "Whoa! That was fast." Jerald remarked in amazement, "Really? It took all day; I didn't even get to help you guys with the move." "Ah, it's fine, you can help me take the rest of the office stuff over to the new shelter after I ride over and grab my buddy's truck." the volunteer worker nodded at Sherry, then walked over to his parked motorcycle. "Everyone else can head home; Belle and I can handle the rest! I'll take 'im home afterwards!" The tawny worker shouted, before driving down the road; "You might need these." Trevor remarked after retrieving a large envelope from his car, handing it to Sherry. "It's Belle's employment legalities, I also have a large pack full of new clothes, it IS okay if he stays with you for a bit longer, right?" The boss nodded, placing the paper envelope onto her passenger seat, then accepting the filled duffel bag of clothes. She took a moment to stretch, before catching a glimpse of Belle and Alex talking behind the building; the woman casually walked over to the corner, watching from a distance. "... she's furious... home... eye Rick... danger..." Sherry couldn't hear exactly what the tall man was so upset about, but she knew it probably wasn't any of her business, so she decided to see David and Trevor off, then head home.                                                ●●● Sherry slowly awoke to the sound of someone practically drifting into her paved driveway, causing her to jump up off of her living room couch. "Sherry! We 'ave ta get to the shelter NOW!" David yelled as he flung her front door open; the boss slipped her boots on, then ran out the door, slamming it behind her. "What's happenin'!?" The flustered woman asked as she closed the passenger door of David's black car, "Jerald called in a frantic FIT, sayin' somethin' 'bout... I don't even know." the part timer calmed down slightly as he sped out of Sherry's otherwise quiet neighborhood. "Jeez, slow down!" She shouted as the slammed car hit a pot hole, sending half of the vehicle off of the road, "Oh please! Ya know as well as I do that the Amarillo police force takes NEARLY an hour to reach the shelter. 'Member when Jerald didn't sleep fer 'bout forty eight hours 'cause he was backlogged on 'is Internet job, and he randomly collapsed in the break room?" "So?" "Seventy two minutes! Heh, I remember 'cause ya were constantly callin' out the time, ya used ta treat 'im as yer son, as well-" "Fine! I get it! But AT LEAST slow down as we're goin' through the city!". David slowed down to the speed limit, "Belle's there..." "THEN SPEED UP!!!" the woman roared. Dispite how recklessly the part timer was driving, the ride to the shelter was disturbingly solemn, once out of the city, the only thing out of the ordinary were large, speeding shadows in the far distance. As they grew steadily closer to the rescue center, a blazing glow began to creep into view. "... Oh no..." Sherry muttered as a massive fire came into sight, completely engulfing the old shelter; a large, blue truck sat near the driveway, as well as Jerald's motorcycle. David kept his distance and parking on the opposite side of the road, while keeping the shelter still at running distance. "Okay... what should we-" The boss forced the door open, sprinting full speed toward the blinding light; the heat radiating from the fire was painfully searing, and there was no immediate sign of Jerald or Belle on the outside of the building. As she ran onto the gravel driveway, she noticed that the paint on the two vehicles had bubbled off on one side, large strips of ember clogged the boiling air, and faint screams could be heard from somewhere behind the building. Sherry recognized them to be Jerald's cries out to Belle, "JERALD!!!" she shouted, rounding the outside of the building, "JERAL-" the woman froze in horror as the roof slammed down to the bottom of the shelter, viciously rocketing flames out of the wall next to the boss. A tall person wrapped its arms around Sherry, quickly pressing her face into its smoke reeking chest as the fire slightly soaked her upper arms. She stared in disbelief as a brutally beaten and burnt Belle stumbled a few steps back, "H... he's here." the boy mumbled in sorrow, before abruptly toppling over to the side, hitting the scorched dirt with force. "Sherry!?" The boss heard her other worker call out as he lightly jogged over to her, "BELLE!!!" he suddenly shouted in terror as the boy's shuddering, unconscious body came into view. "We have ta get outta here!!" Sherry yelled as she dropped down, attempting to lift Belle's lanky body off of the fried ground; Jerald quickly assisted in lifting him up, then the two rushed to pull him away from the overwhelming fire. "OVER THERE!!!" David's voice rang out through the desolate night air as the three struggled to make it to the gravel driveway, and upon rounding the corner, bright blue and red lights could be seen from across the way. A small group of uniformed officers ran to the weak group, with two taking Belle, and another two helping Sherry and Jerald; the final officer trailed behind them, calling in for the rest of the force positioned a safe distance away from the flames. Belle was taken into one of the two ambulances back near where David parked, and was immediately hooked up to a few machines. Jerald and Sherry were lightly tended to, with both having several minor burns, and a head wound on the back of the volunteer worker's head. The boy was badly torn up, suggesting foul play before the fire broke out. Belle was quickly taken to an Amarillo hospital, while everyone else was free to go.

[sherryandbelle-blog]

Sherry

[sherryandbelle-blog]

Sherry and Belle: Chapter 8

A callous woman stared menacingly at her subjects, waiting for one of her men to dare to speak; finally, one stepped forward. "Eh-" "What have you come to report this time, Avidor!?" The woman roared, causing the man to notably shrink back, "I have located the heir, mistress." the female's vicious glare turned to an icy gaze at the man's report. "Then why is he not in this throne room as we speak?" "W-well, your highness, he, eh, seems to be content with the continent that he's resting on now-" "SO!?" The leader snared, looking over her dark throne room with a supreme sense of malice. She sighed, "No matter, the rules and regulations up there are quite harsh to foreigners; he will return eventually..." a sickly sharp grin stretched across the woman's face, as if imagining her heir's failure. "Heh... about that..." Avidor timidly spoke up, causing the leader to stare down at him with a belittling gaze, "It seems that your son has gained the assistance of... Trygve-" "WHAAAT!!??" the woman let out a shriek of pure fury. "If he has Trygve bending the customs of that continent at will, then... GRAAAH!!! Avidor, you FOOL!!" The leader let out a shaky sigh, attempting to compose herself, "Fine. It seems that we will just have to get a bit more, AGGRESSIVE with our efforts-" "Yes ma'am-" "-Which is why Eirik will take over." "Whaaat!?" Avidor stared in horror as another figure began to step forward. The fiendish henchman glanced at the man with a sadistic glint in his reptilian eyes, before continuing toward their leader. "Y-you can NOT be serious!? This task requires eh, a-a certain level of finesse, something that this BRUTE will never comprehend! Surely there-" "ENOUGH!!! You had your chance, and you failed. Perhaps I made a mistake when I appointed you as my heir's guardian..." Avidor lowered his head in utter defeat. "Oh, do not worry yourself, your highness; I will not fail you, and rest assured, I will make sure that your heir has NOTHING to run back to once I am finished with that wretched place..." The henchman's sharp, toothy grin stretched across his slick face as he began walking toward the throne room doors.

[sherryandbelle-blog]

Sherry and Belle: Chapter 7

Sherry abruptly woke to several muffled male voices, she quickly sat up, realizing it was coming from her living room downstairs. The delirious woman quietly crept out of her bedroom, and toward the stairs, "Heh, guess yer just lucky that ya didn't speak enough fer the cops ta peg ya as foreign." Sherry sighed as she heard David remark, {Yeesh... guess the kid let David and Jerald in; probably should have a house rule talk with 'im later.} she thought, before walking back to her room to get cleaned up for company. {Ugh, last night really drained my batteries...} The drowsy woman thought as she brushed the dark red tangles out of her bed matted hair, and washed her face. {Hmm, I still plan to make breakfast, guess I could always get David ta grab some extra supplies.} She decided after getting fully dressed, leaving her room, and slowly walking down the stairs. "Heeey." Jerald calmly remarked as the boss came into view, "Oh! Ms. Autumn, after you went to rest last night, I charged your phone and laptop, and placed your coffee next to the pot, but... they sort of helped themselves to it..." Belle reported. "Eh, there's still a quarter of  pot left." David shrugged, sipping out of the mug he jacked; "Whatever..." Sherry shook her head with a smile on her face as she walked into the kitchen. "So, what're ya guys doin' here, anyway?" She asked as she poured the remainder of the coffee into a large mug, then approached her phone and laptop.  "I saw what happened on the news this mornin', and you didn't respond ta my texts-" {Oh, yep... there's eight of 'em.} "-so I drove over to David's house, and we came over ta check on you." Jerald explained. "Shoot..." Sherry stared in annoyance as she opened her Emails, "Wha-" "Ya guys need ta leave this house. NOW." the boss ordered. Belle and Jerald both looked confused, but David wore a solemn look of disgust, "Is it him again?" the displeased man asked. "Yeah... and I don't want any of ya to get caught up in family matters. So go, and take Belle with ya." David and Jerald nodded, then proceeded to pack up and leave, practically pushing the boy out the front door. "W-wait! What is it!?" Belle frantically looked over his shoulder at Sherry as the part timer swung the door open, freezing on the porch; "Oh, well if it isn't muh sister's li'l gang o' mishaps... how do ya do?" a heavier man stared at the three as he talked in an awful mock Texan accent, belittling them with his pompous gaze. The woman heard Belle mutter something at the stranger, before leaving, "Tch." he forced past them, then harshly slammed the door behind him, "Hey, Sam." Sherry rolled her eyes as he flopped down onto the center of her couch. "How about some coffee for the new CEO of our family business, well, you apparently tried to disown us, so I guess it's just my business now, huhuh." The woman stayed in her kitchen, avoiding any sort of contact with her older brother. "Hmm... you seem to know your place." Sam grinned grotesquely as he watched Sherry get mildly flustered, "W-why are ya here!?" she glared at her brother, who simply shrugged. "I just wanted to see how my helpless little sister was doing, how IS that independent business going by the way? As bad as everyone back home thinks?" {I don't frikkin need this right now...} The woman thought as she started quietly making another pot of coffee. "I saw that you got another worker, what's it up to now? A boozer, a rich man's throwaway, and now some random foreigner?" {...Ugh...} The man leaned back, putting his dusty running shoes on the small coffee table, continuing to stare at his sister in a judging manner. "Wait, how did ya know Belle was a-" "His grating frikkin accent, jeez... and Belle!? Really? There is NO way that's his real name!" "Yeah... but-" "But what!? Does he even HAVE papers!? Is he even employed legally!?" "He's not even employed yet!" "Then why was he hanging out at your house!?" Sherry winced at Sam's sudden aggression before responding. "He got injured in front of my shelter during a storm one night, so I've been takin' care of 'im-" "Are you his MOTHER!? NO! And he looks old enough to take care of HIMSELF!! If you REALLY want a kid, then you should just get back together with Charles, and try again-" "I GOT FREAKIN' ATTACKED LAST NIGHT!!! I DON'T NEED THIS RIGHT NOW!!!" The shaken woman hugged her trembling body as tears began to blind her. She watched her brother's posture slump down as he pulled his feet off of her table; he went silent, staring down at his hands. Sherry eventually sighed, pouring a fresh mug of coffee for her sibling, "He really does miss you... you know, just because Mason was-" "Don't say my baby's name." the woman scowled, retreating back into the kitchen for some distance. "I... your family just wants what's best for you, a steady, good paying career, quality coworkers, a happy marriage." Sam walked over to her, placing his hand on her shoulder in support. "I've already told ya, money, friends, a relationship, they all sound nice, but I don't need 'em. I'm happy with my tiny shelter, my narrow house, my boozer, my rich man's throwaway, and even my little foreigner, I don't NEED anythin' else." Sherry smiled, then paced over to her front door as she heard the rickety mail truck rumble away. "You're insufferable." Sam stated as he followed his sister, who had fetched a few envelopes from her mailbox next to her worn down porch. "Oh..." The woman slowly moved one envelope in particular to the front, staring at it nervously, {...Pansy's vet bill...} she thought as she tore the top open on the spot. {Th-that's not good!} Her eyes stuck to the bottom of the report; the operation she went through costed upwards of several thousand, not to mention the antibiotics, heart medicine, and additional charges. "Please, Sherry. Leave this ridiculous shelter of yours while you still can, you're nearing thirty, a woman your age should have a hard working husband, a family, and at least a stable, middle class living. This... shelter, it's been dragging you down for YEARS, after awhile, you're supposed to drop these ludicrous fantasies, start thinking about a family." The man shook his head as he pushed past Sherry, heading for his brightly colored luxury car.                                              ●●● "Heh, there ya are!" David greeted Sherry as he answered her call, "Hey... did ya guys go to the shelter?" "Yep, and we finished all the mornin' chores-" "Oh! Is that Ms. Autumn?" the woman heard Belle ask in the background, making her smile warmly. "Yeah. So, what's up?" "Uuugh, brother just wants me ta be a good little nineteen fifties house maid, pfft, like I'd ever abandon the shelter!" "Yeaaah... he's pretty dense, you'd think livin' in a liberal state would make 'im a bit more open minded!" "You'd think!" "... So, did ya hear anythin' on Pansy's surgery?" The boss rubbed her left temple in a stressed manner. "It's, not good. The surgery went smoothly, but the expenses! We... we won't be able to pay it-" "What!?" Belle shouted, "N-no, it's alright, we just..." "I... need to make a call." Sherry heard footsteps on the concrete shelter floor, followed by an uncomfortable silence. "Was I on speaker?" "Eh... still are. Heh." The woman sighed, hanging up on her coworker, {Great.} Sherry thought as she sunk into her couch, staring at the dusty shoe marks on her coffee table; {Wait. Belle needed ta 'make a call'?}.

[sherryandbelle-blog]

Sherry and Belle: Chapter 6

Sherry passed a few stacked papers to a father and his son, the same two from the storm clean up incident, "Do ya want ta give 'im a name?" the boss kindly asked the boy. He looked down at the white pitbull pup with a loving gaze, "Piggy. 'Cause he has a pink nose!" the father smiled at his boy, then passed the sighed slip back while rolling up the rest. "How about 'buddy'? That way the real pigs don't think yer tryin' to call THEM into the house." The son happily nodded in agreement, then sat up off of the scratchy office carpet, bright red leash firmly in hand. "Thank ya, Mrs. Autumn, and thank ya again, Belle. This little guy wouldn't be runnin' 'round like 'e is now if it weren't for ya." The father warmly smiled at the two behind the office desk; Belle gratefully nodded as the family walked through the metal door. Sherry waited for a few long moments, then sighed in relief as she heard the duo start to pull out of the gravel driveway, {Ugh, this office STILL reeks o' wet dog from the storm.} the woman reflected as she stood from the hard, plastic chair behind her desk. "Wait, ARE you a missus-" "Nope! Let's go walk the dogs." Sherry promptly directed Belle down the concrete stairs, and into the kennel area; the dogs had all pretty much finished their water, so it was time for a morning walk before their meals. The boss grabbed a small handful of leashes, tossing half of them to the boy, who leashed up a couple of smaller dogs, then approached Pansy, who would usually jump up to greet folks. The woman walked over to the somewhat concerned looking boy, examining the pregnant dog, who only gratified her visitors with a vacant glance, before laying her head back down onto the cold floor. "She did not drink any of her water." Belle informed Sherry, "Maybe she's just not fully awake yet, we can pick 'er up on a later walk." the boy nodded, then went over and leashed the dog in the cage next to Pansy's. The two took the small pack of dogs outside, leisurely taking them around the building several times, before returning them to their respective cages; they continued to repeat the process, until it was Pansy's turn. "Come on, Pansy." The boy looked over his shoulder at Sherry, then back to the depressed looking dog, "Hey... why don't ya go feed the other dogs while I 'ave a look at 'er." the woman watched Belle give a defeated nod, before trudging over to the dog food. "What's wrong, girl?" The German shepherd slowly looked up with big, sad eyes; Sherry then noticed the dog's shallow, rapid breathing, {Uh oh.}. The boss quietly slipped through the metal door, dialing a nearby vet as she walked up into the office, "Hello, how may I help ya?" "Hey, it's Sherry. I think I might 'ave a sick dog at the shelter." "Yeesh... yer lucky, if you 'ad called me a bit later, I would've only been able ta visit ya early in the night. Be right over-" "MS. AUTAMN!!!" Sherry quickly hung up, then sprinted down the stairs. Belle was on his knees just outside of Pansy's cage, with the dog collapsed right in front of him, "Wha-" "I went to give her food, but she tried to run, shortly before collapsing!" Belle was trembling as he spoke. The woman stared over at the pregnant dog's cage, which had a large bag of dog food spilled out inside of it, before looking back at the unconscious dog. "I called a vet to come see 'er, it's okay." Sherry tried to reassure the boy, but he still looked devastated.                                                ●●● Belle rolled his food around on his plate with a couple of chopsticks, {Darn, I thought bringin' 'im ta dinner might cheer 'im up... guess that's not the case, though.} Sherry glanced at the boy's distant, blue eyes, before staring back at her stir fried vegetables. "What if she doesn't return to good health before she has the chance to bare her young?" Belle abruptly asked, his blank stare still piercing his nearly untouched meal. "Well, she's  with the vet now; she's in good hands, I assure ya." The woman watched as he lightly smiled, "Now go ahead an' eat, that clam stir fry ain't cheap, y'know." the boy nodded, then began attempting to use his chopsticks as actual eating utensils. "Welcome to 'Woks of Life', how is your food this evening?" A male waiter politely asked as he walked by, "It is pleasant." Belle noted, Sherry just gave a nod in agreement, seemingly satisfying the worker. "So..." The boy waited for the worker to leave before speaking again, "What will happen to Pansy's young if she pulls through?" the boss lightly smiled, "Well, when they're old 'nough, they'll be adopted, just like the other dogs, though puppies tend to sell a lot better than the older ones." she explained. "How did you come to own her?" Belle asked, before beginning to stuff his face, "A small family adopted her from a German shepard breeder; they moved into this area, and eventually learned that they couldn't afford ta take care of 'er, so they dropped her off in a random neighborhood. Jerald and David found her starving during a clean up, and together, we nursed her back to health. Later we learned that she was pregnant, and the locals filled us in on the rest; she's a very sweet dog despite what she went through.". "Wow... does every dog you own have a story like that?" He curiously pondered, "Eh, not quite. Several of 'em were transferred to my shelter due to another shelter bein' too backed up, some were directly given to me, but a few have some stories." Sherry placed a twenty on the bill as it arrived, then a few ones as a tip, before standing to stretch. "Thank you for the meal." Belle quickly stood up and thanked a random waiter, before the two left the small restaurant. "Darn..." The woman muttered as she unlocked her truck, "What is it, Ms. Autumn?" "I needed ta get another tin o' coffee today, but it slipped my mind." She sighed, starting her vehicle, and lighting up half of the small parking lot with her headlights. "Why not retrieve some from the convenience store on the way home?" "Well, this ain't the greatest part of town, but I s'ppose if it's just in and out..." Sherry nodded, then began driving toward the nearest grocer that was open at that time of night. She pulled her red truck into a small, unkempt parking lot, before staring at her steering wheel for a few seconds, "I could get the coffee if you do not want to." Belle offered. "Oh, ya sure?" The boy happily nodded, "I remember what brand you had on your counter, as well. I will be right back." he hopped out and closed the door behind him, leaving Sherry in the dark parking lot. She turned her truck off, then leaned back in her seat, {I should make that kid breakfast tomorrow. I still have about half a pack of bacon left in the fridge at home, and I'm sure I have close to a full carton of eggs... heck, I'll even make stuffed hash browns, I'll show 'im some REAL American cookin'-} Sherry shuttered as someone knocked on her driver side window. "Hey... do ya h've any sp're change?" A foul reeking man asked expectantly, "N-no." She went to quickly roll her window back up, but the man forcefully grabbed the top of it. "Get out." He ordered, and as if on cue, two more figures walked out of the darkness surrounding the edge of the parking lot, one, Sherry noticed, had a sleek, metallic object partially hidden in his grasp. The woman stared in horror as the first mugger slowly began opening her door, "NO!!!" she snapped out of her trance, clasping onto her door handle, and forcing the door back shut with both hands. "OPEN UP!!!" The hideous man shouted in an abrupt fury, tightening his grasp on both the slightly shut window, and the door handle, shaking the entire vehicle as he tried to pull the door open. A painful shriek came out of Sherry as the two larger men circled the front of the rocking truck, opening the passenger door, and beginning to climb inside. "NO NO!!! STOP!!!" The petrified woman loudly cried out as one of the men tightly grabbed her right arm, a crusty knife was loosely held in his other hand. "HEY!!!" An infuriated voice roared out, followed by a tall figure body slamming the man by the passenger door to the hard ground. Sherry watched in shock as Belle suddenly clamped his hand around the assailant's wrist, viciously tearing him out of the vehicle and shoving him to the pavement, slamming the door afterwards. The woman caught a look of severe annoyance off of Belle's face as he stormed past the front of the truck, before ripping the scrawny man off of the driver side door by the back of his neck, and quickly placed him in a full Nelson. The two larger men stumbled up and immediately booked it out of sight as the sound of police sirens began growing closer; the first man desperately tried to squirm away, but the boy only tightened his grip. Sherry breathed a small sigh of relief as two Amarillo police cars pulled into the parking lot, completely illuminating the area in red and blue light. A store employee rushed out of the front doors, a plastic bag containing a good sized tin was clenched in one of his hands, a lit up cell phone was in the other. The filthy man suddenly slipped out of Belle's grasp, making a beeline away from the parking lot, only for two police officers to hop out of one cruiser, and sprint after him.                                                ●●● Sherry slowly pulled into her driveway, staring at her steering wheel for a few seconds, before taking the keys out of her truck, and hopping out, only to get stuck staring at her feet. "Sorry about what happened..." Belle nervously approached the stunned woman, "N-no... thank you." she slowly looked up at her dark house, then began trudging toward the front door. "D... do you want me to place the coffee next to the coffee pot?" The boy asked in a sweetly soft voice once they entered the living room, Sherry nodded, then gazed up at the stairs, "I'm... goin' ta go to sleep." she said in a deflated tone, before leaving the guest downstairs.

[sherryandbelle-blog]

Sherry and Belle: Chapter 5

Sherry undid Chief's leash, gently led the elderly dog back into his kennel, then walked back over to David and Belle, who were both holding the recently walked dogs at the entrance. Jerald grabbed a leashed pup from David, before walking it into its kennel; the boss and the volunteer worker continued the cycle while the four talked. "Then my dad's like 'You can't make websites for a livin', you have ta stay in medical school, and become a renowned doctor, like the rest of us!', which, yeah, I guess the money's there, but my heart wasn't. Don't get me wrong, I love my family, and it's cool that they're rich and all, but I can't STAND seeing people in that kind of state, all cut open, and their insides all exposed." Jerald visibly shuttered at the thought. "Heh, whatcha do is still impressive, I mean, not like sewin' a guy's lung back together impressive, but still." David lightly praised, handing the tawny worker another leash as he approached. "So if you are capable of sustaining yourself financially, why work under Sherry?" Belle curiously asked, causing Jerald to softly laugh to himself, "Do you have any idea how lonely it gets, just workin' on a computer all day, with no physical interactions with people? I'd go MAD without somethin' else to fill my time with.". "I've even offered to pay 'im for his help, but he always refuses." The woman called out from across the building, "Oh. And what about you, David?" the boy questioned the tired looking man. "I do a lot of odd jobs for folks 'round town. They always pay, but it's nice to have a small job to fall back on durin' off seasons." The part timer looked down at his phone after Sherry took the last dog off his hands, "Speakin' o' which, a buddy of mine, Mark, wants me to check out a few broken down pickups on his property. Do ya need help lockin' up?" he asked. "Nah, I think we've got it." The boss reassured, and with that, David waved goodnight, then walked out. The woman then turned her attention to Belle, who was absentmindedly standing next to some kennels, "Hey, Jerald an' I are goin' upstairs to talk 'bout somethin', can ya stay down 'ere and look after the dogs?" Sherry called out as she approached the metal door leading to the office area. "Oh?... I can do that." The boy stared at the two nervously as they slowly closed the door, "What's goin' on?" Jerald asked as they fully traversed the concrete stairs. "Did ya make sure ta empty Belle's pockets before ya tossed his jacket in the dryer?" Sherry asked in a quiet tone, "Ah! Yeah, but there wasn't much, only a crumpled handful o' one, five, and a couple twenty dollar bills, and an old flip phone.". The boss became visibly concerned, "No passport? bank card? ID of any kind?" she asked, but her worker just shook his head, "This could be bad, what if 'e's not here... legally?" Sherry tightened her lips, thinking about the troublesome possibility. "Maybe he travels light. After all, he wasn't drivin', so why would he carry a license, he wasn't drinkin', so an ID wouldn't be incredibly necessary; who knows, maybe he was stayin' at a hotel nearby an' wanted ta go on a late night walk." Jerald layed down his reassuring theories while lightly adjusting his afro. "Ha, maybe." The woman softly smiled as she stared out of the front office window, "Hey, Jerald? Did ya give the kid 'is belongin's back?" "Yeah, It'd seem weird if I had held onto 'em. Why?" Sherry motioned for him to keep quiet, before she softly walked over to the stairs. "It is Belle... Do not mock my name, It-... Okay 'Trevor'." The boss held her hand out behind her as she very slowly pushed the metal door open, signaling for her worker to stop. "Oh, actually, I met some pleasant natives, they run a small business- no no, not REMOTELY as large as your's... anyway, they collect and distribute animal companions! Yeah, a rescue, that IS correct." Sherry swallowed hard as she nervously watched Belle confidently strut around the barn door entrance of the shelter, while casually talking to someone on his flip phone. "That WOULD be nice, I have recently been thinking about settling down in this area for a little while... Ugh, no. No I have NOT spoken to her since I-" One of the dogs let out a low growl as the door creaked slightly, before quickly going quiet, but it was enough to get the boy's attention. Sherry slowly closed the door as the young man's icy blue eyes blazed across her, causing her to shutter. "Do you think he's a spy or somethin'?" Jerald asked once the boss quickly closed the break room door behind them, "Why would..." "Yeah, it might just be the creepy, almost British accent, now that I think about it..." Jerald admitted, "He was probably just talkin' to a relative, or somethin'." he comforted; Sherry sighed, "Probably..." she reassured herself. {Well! After tonight, 'e won't really be MY problem anymore. I'll drop 'im off at wherever 'e's stayin', then go home.} The woman decided, right before the break room door slowly opened, with Belle nervously looking in. "I finished my conversation, did you need anymore assistance?" His question had a weighed feeling of concern hanging from it, "Not. At. All. Y'know what? Why don't ya stand next to the truck, I'll take ya home as soon as we finish lockin' up." Sherry watched him sadly nod, then slink out of the room. The two remaining in the building then proceeded to organize the upstairs, shut the lights down, and lock the doors, before finally parting ways as they walked across the gravel driveway. "C'mon, kid." Sherry said in a tired tone as she unlocked her truck; once he buckled himself in, she began driving towards Amarillo. Besides the humming of the vehicle, the ride was completely silent as the woman drove through the dark plains, after awhile, she glanced over as Belle, who was nervously looking down at his knees. {This kid... he's not dangerous, a bit quirky, but not dangerous.} She quietly exhaled, then stared down at her radio, "So who were ya-" "BRAKE!!!" The boy leaned back into his seat as he shouted, causing the driver to force her brake pedal as far down as it went. A long, large shadow rushed past the front of the vehicle, without so much as a footstep, {P-probably just some wild horses...} Sherry thought at she shuttered from the adrenaline. "S... sorry about that-" "No, no... I'm glad ya said somethin'." The woman flipped the radio on, THEN continued to drive. "So, who were ya talkin' to earlier?" She finished asking, "An old family friend, he runs a HUGE business in the United States, and he was offering me financial aid until I finish getting settled in. He also wants to help me receive proper Identification, as well as a license, and bank account." Sherry smiled at how honest he appeared when speaking. "Where do ya live now?" The woman continued to press on, "Mmm... I've been resting in between hotels, whichever ones I can afford, that is. I haven't found employment, yet, but my acquaintance informed me that he will assist with the task." Belle explained. "That's, too bad; where are ya stayin' tonight, though?" "I- eh... uuuuh, I have not really, I did not find an affordable establishment quite yet, but, the night is still young-" "It's ten o' clock." "Heeeeh..." The boy deflated in his seat a bit, looking genuinely worried as he turned to stare out of the passenger window. {Great... 'e doesn't even have a place to sleep tonight. I'd just drop 'im off in the city, but he's been awfully kind, and eager to help, and well mannered... Darnit.} "Well... if ya REALLY need a place to stay fer ONE night... I DO have a couch in the livin' room at my house-" "OH thank you!" Belle quickly sat up, staring thankfully at the woman.                                                   ●●● Sherry clumsily clawed at her high pitched alarm clock, until she finally clicked the off switch on the back. She stared at the time for a solid minute, {Seven... ugh, David and Jerald are both off today, guess that means I'll be on my own, again.} the woman thought as she sat up out of bed. She got dressed, then lazily lumbered down the carpeted stairs, nearly falling backwards in shock when she entered her living room. {Oh, that's right. Belle slept on my couch last night.} The boy was comfortably curled up under an old Christmas blanket, with his hands laying in front of his face; Sherry smiled warmly at her sleepy guest, before entering her kitchen. She approached her charging laptop and phone, unplugging both, then checking her emails on her smartphone. {Good morning, Sherry. I was wondering how your younger worker's right arm was doing. The gloves he returned were completely destroyed! Please email me back when you see this, so we can discuss compensation for your injured employee.} The woman stared at the message from the storm clean up coordinator, then slowly approached the sleeping boy. {There must be some sorta mistake.} She thought as she examined Belle's unharmed hands from a few feet away, before she quietly walked through the kitchen, and out the back door. "Oh, Sherry! Good ta hear from ya!" "Hey, Charlotte. I just saw yer message, what was-" "Oh! The different options fer compensatin' yer worker. What hospital is 'e stayin' at?" "Eh, none. He's not injured in any way-" "There's no way THAT'S true! His right work glove was completely torn apart an' pierced with hunks o' bark, like the poor fella tried to CATCH the fallin' tree branch.". "I saw both of 'is hands recently, there's not a scratch on 'im, and he helped with a lot o' the shelter chores afterwards without bein' hindered. Maybe ya got the wrong guy-" "I SAW him deliver those gloves! He even APOLOGIZED fer the state they were in!" Listen, I'll have to get back ta ya 'bout this at another time, I need ta get to my shelter-" "This is A SERIOUS ISSUE-" Sherry sighed after she abruptly hung up. "Is something wrong-" "GAHAH!!" The woman jumped as she opened the door to see Belle right at the other side. "N-no... no. Listen, I have ta head down to the shelter, is yer friend in the area at all?" She watched as the boy nervously looked to the side, seemingly embarrassed, "He lives in another state..." "Faaantastic.". Sherry started to make a pot of coffee, then glanced over at Belle, who was wearing some of her ex's pajamas, which were MASSIVE on him; he was also freshly cleaned, something he seemed to badly need. "And how long will it take fer yer friend to send ya money?" "He intends to hand deliver it, we were planning to meet in the large grocery store parking lot." "That sounds REALLY shady." The woman warned. "He is just giving me my bank card, among a few other items, it isn't going to be a bag of money." Belle lightly reassured, "Also..." he shyly looked down at his feet, "C... could I assist you at the shelter, again?". "The problem with that... I don't think I c'n legally pay ya without a proper ID first." "Oh I do not need-" "An' the last thing ya should be doin' is workin' without gettin' paid." Belle seemed displeased, but he politely nodded in understanding. "Do you think other establishments would hire me before I get my proper identification?" "Well, no, but-" Sherry stopped, then stared at the boy, who wore a playfully sly expression on his face. "Ah, fine. Yer clothes are in the laundry room, change an' we'll go." Belle triumphantly nodded, then quickly left the kitchen; the boss sighed, then poured her coffee into a large thermos.

[sherryandbelle-blog]

Sherry and Belle: Chapter 4

The waitress looked away from David in mild discomfort as he pitifully attempted to flirt with her, causing Sherry and Jerald to lightly grin at one another. "Wow... so you two are really paying for this meal?" Belle asked as he loomed over the bill on the table, "Heh, it's only forty-eight bucks, we c'n handle it just fine." the part timer reassured the young adult as he placed an even twenty-four dollars on top on the bill. The boss did the same, then the two suddenly locked eyes, shooting cruel, expectant stares at one another, until Jerald eventually sighed, placing a five dollar tip next to the bill. "Ah, thanks man." David thanked with a smug look on his face; Sherry smiled at the younger worker, then lifted an eyebrow as her phone dinged with a notification. "Hey guys..." The woman caught the attention of the other three before continuing,  "Looks like the shelter's gettin' some work today."  she showed the advertisement for a payed storm clean up and animal rescue to the guys. "Sweet!" Jerald popped the last jam coated piece of toast into his mouth, then got up from the restaurant booth, Belle followed suit by quickly finishing his meaty omelet, then hopping up with enthusiasm. "May I join you?" The boy eagerly asked as the other two stood, "Ehhh..." Sherry fought with her better judgment as she looked away, "Heh, sure buddy." David decided. "Uh, hey!" The boss responded with high levels of attitude as soon as the party left the diner door; the part timer nodded to his small, black car, leading Sherry into the parking lot. The woman glanced back to see Jerald take Belle over to her car and his motorcycle, before confronting her other worker, "Why would ya go an' say that?" she asked in a stern tone. "Ah c'mon, ya want 'im to join in, anyway." "An extra worker would be nice, and 'e seems ta want to help, but-" "But?" "-it's irresponsible. A fella his age shouldn't be alone in a foreign country; I should call some folks to find his family, no way he's here by 'imself, there has'ta be someone else." Sherry reassured her point, "He IS an adult, don't forget... Ya don't have to baby him..." "I am NOT-" the woman's eyes widened as his words soaked in, "Fine. He can tag along." the boss responded bitterly, then walked back toward her truck. "Okay! See ya at the meeting point!" David called out almost mockingly, causing the women to smirk as she slightly shook her head. "Let's go." She cued to the two younger men, before she unlocked and opened her truck door, quickly hopping in and opening the passenger door for Belle. "Ya know the location, right?" Sherry asked from her window as Jerald strapped on his helmet; he gave a confident thumbs up, then revved up his bike engine, the boss still made sure to lead the way through town, though. Once out of Amarillo, however, the scrawny biker eagerly passed his boss's red truck, and began driving irregularly, "W... what is he doing?" Belle asked with equal amounts of curiosity and concern. "Just actin' like a fool." Sherry attempted to sound cynical, but she couldn't help but lightly grin at her happy worker as he swayed from lane border to lane border. The red haired woman glanced up at the light blue sky; only a few stray clouds lingered in the vast, open air, making for a bright and peaceful morning drive. "The Panhandle doesn't flood as badly as the rest of Texas, but we can still get our fair share o' storms." The boss informed Belle as she drove; he nodded, eyes still fixed on the swerving fool in front of them. "Ha ha ha!" Sherry suddenly laughed as Jerald abruptly straighten out once a parked police car came into view in the distance, the boy next to her also giggled softly, once he figured out what was so funny. "So, what will we be assisting with once we arrive?" The young man asked, "Well... cleanin' up debris, lookin' for startled pets that escaped, assessin' damages to the neighborhood, lookin' for downed telephone poles, stuff like that.". "Oh. Does you business attend these clean ups often?" "Mmm, yeah, I'd say so. It gets our names out there, shows that we're an active business that can deliver to the community." A hint of pride showed in her voice, before she flatly sighed. "Fascinating, and do you-" Belle was cut off by Sherry slamming on her horn a few times as she slowed to a stop, Jerald steadily halted, as well. The motorcycle rider stared over his shoulder at his boss, who responded by turning off her turn signal, then flipping it back on a few times. Jerald gave a high thumbs up, then began turning around as Sherry started driving down the road to her right, "Idiot. I know the way my, eh..." the woman glanced over at Belle, who seemed thoroughly startled. "Sorry 'bout that, he wasn't goin' the right way." The boy nodded with wide eyes, then looked out the back window at Jerald, who was now closely following his boss. "We're almost there." She told the bewildered young man; the truck driver made a few more turns, before eventually coming up to a makeshift roadblock. "Sherry Autumn, owner of Autumn's Rescue. We're here to join the payed clean up." Sherry informed the man as she pulled up to the booth, showing her ID. "Y'all can continue forward, there'll be a briefin' in 'bout ten minutes." The guard told her, before opening the gate. The boss slowly drove over to a long neighborhood road, parking at the side like the rest of the vehicles, while Belle seemed focused on Jerald going through the gate. "Hey Jerald, do ya know where David went?" Sherry asked as the volunteer worker started messing with his phone after parking behind her truck. "He probably went to buy some smokes." Jerald commented while invested in a text or email, "He bought some yesterday, does 'e really need another pack?" "I don't really know what he's doin', I JUST got on my phone." he admitted. "Alrighty then." The boss locked her truck, then gestured for Jerald and Belle to follow her as she approached the crowd of other workers. A few of the organizers talked amongst themselves for a bit, before an older woman stepped up to the crowd, "Welcome. Before we start workin', there are a few things that need to be said." Sherry watched as a few different stacks of paper were passed around. "What y'all are receivin' now are maps of the area, a list of groups, and who's supervisin' them, and a promotional flyer for-" "Heh, sorry I'm late." David whispered to Sherry as he slipped through the horde of people. "What took ya so long?" She asked, "I was grabbin' a few sodas from the convenience store next ta the diner." the boss nodded, then subtly gestured back to the speaker. "Cleanin' debris will be our main focus, a few local lumber companies already gathered up the fallen trees, but lots o' branches are still layin' in streets and yards. Several homeowners in the area also reported lost pets and wandering strays, report back to us if you see any roamin' the neighborhood, but leave the capturin' to the professionals." And with that, everyone walked up and got a badge assigned to them. "Why do your badge colors differ from most of the other workers?" Belle asked Sherry and the guys, "It's so other workers can identify folks who 'ave experience with animals, the specific organization who runs these clean ups always have color coated badges like this." David explained as he swung the thin, white string over his head, then adjusted the rectangular piece of laminated, colored paper, so it was easily seen on his chest. "What now?" The boy asked with a high level of curiosity, "The map ya have shows which zones each group will be cleanin', so go ahead and join a group. We'll meet up at three, then return to the shelter, got it?" The boss's workers all nodded, then dispersed.                                                 ●●● The day was slow, and uneventful, but the neighborhood was steadily cleaned. Sherry tied up her last bag of trash, then started for the dumping area, "Sure is windy." Jerald remarked as he lifted the large bag into a truck. "Yeah, but we shouldn't have ta worry, we're nearly done." The boss reassured. "Hey there, Ms. Autumn." One of the lead organizers greeted as she approached the two, "Hey Charlotte, what's happenin'?" "Not much, I'm just goin' 'round and clarifyin' what businesses took part in this 'ere clean up." the older woman informed, before writing something down on her clipboard. "Well, it's good to see yer people workin' with us-" "GET AWAY FROM THERE!!!" The three suddenly turned around to see a massive branch snap away from an old looking tree at the end of the street, with a small child standing right under it. Everyone in sight froze as a tall, young man sprinted at the boy, nearly grabbing him as the branch touched down. "TOMMY!!!" An older gentleman roared as he tore down the street, Jerald and Sherry exchanged horrified glances, before running over to the tragic site. The two both slowed to a surprised stop as Belle slowly crawled out from under the street encompassing hunk of tree, with the small child safely under his chest and right arm. "Oh..." The father exhaled in relief as he collapsed to his knees in front of the boys, bringing his son into a warm embrace as soon as he was away from the branch. "H-holy..." Jerald muttered as they watched Belle casually brush himself off, then walk over to them, "Wait." the father stared back at the young worker. "Th-thank ya. What's yer name, boy?" The older man asked, surprisingly, the boy warmly smiled with a small spice of confidence, "I am Belle; I have been working for Sherry Autumn, owner of Autumn's rescue as of late. Pleasure to make your acquaintance.". "Y-yeah, thank ya... Belle?" Belle happily nodded at the slightly confused man, "He's foreign." Jerald commented,  before the three walked back to Sherry's truck. "That was INCREDIBLE, dude!" The volunteer worker shouted once they were away from the crowd that had developed around the giant, fallen branch. "Really?" "Yeah! You just risked yer LIFE!" Belle seemed somewhat confused by Jerald. "My wellbeing wasn't at risk, I merely moved the child away from a potential hazard." The boy calmly explained as he removed his tattered gloves, "Just... please don't do that again, ya could've gotten hurt." Sherry nervously asked. "That child would have been harmed otherwise, and it seems like your establishment is based around rescuing those who can not save themselves." Belle smirked as he finished explaining, "Man... looks like you have yer own little mascot." the tawny man nudged his boss jokingly. "Hey, y'all." David greeted flatly as he walked up to the others, looking thoroughly exhausted, "Are ya ready to go?" Sherry asked with mocking sympathy, "YES.".

[sherryandbelle-blog]

Sherry and Belle: Chapter 3

"So you people rescue and tend to these dogs, only to have other people arrive, and just take them?" The boy asked, before taking a sip of his steaming cup of hot chocolate. "Heh, pretty much, though there's a bit more to it." David replied while pouring a mug of coffee, then emptying the contents of his hip flask into the drink, before attempting to sneakily slip the container back into his jacket. "Mostly paperwork; your island really doesn't have anything like this?" Jerald asked while leaning back into the fluffy, break room couch, "Ya bein' racist or somethin', Jerald?" David randomly called out. "HAHA! What do I look like? White!?" David lifted an eyebrow, slowly approached the volunteer worker while wearing a cynical look. The two men suddenly broke into laughter, patting each other on the shoulder, "Oh... I do NOT get it." The boy commented. "Well, while they're laughin' away over there, I wanted to ask ya a few questions." Sherry stared at the kid, causing him to appear notably nervous. "What's yer name, kid?" The two chuckling fools in the corner went quite, both looking over at the boy expectantly. "W-well, I- uh..." His eyes suddenly met Sherry's burning gaze, "Bel-" he winced as he let the single syllable escape, "Belle? Well that wasn't so hard, now was it?" she lightly smiled as she said so. {He's tryin' to hide a lot, but at least I got a name, or, at least some of it.} "Good, now, how old are you, anyway?" She continued with her questioning. "Eighteen." Belle answered with a bit more confidence, "Ya seem a little young to be travelin' in a foreign country all by yerself; do you have any family living in the area?" "Heh, he's only a year younger then Jerald." David pointed out as he walked over to the counter, ruffling the boy's dark hair as he passed. "I guess so." Sherry took a few steps back from Belle as she watched Jerald open the break room door; several dogs, including Pansy, rushed past him, and began circling the boy, barking and sniffing excitedly. He quivered anxiously as the German shepherd lifted her snout up to his left hand, tapping him with her wet nose; her pointed ears drooped as the boy recoiled. "Oh calm down, they're just gettin' to know ya." Sherry lowered her hand toward the pack of overjoyed dogs, allowing them all to sniff her hand, before they went back to Belle. The kid nervously mimicked the woman's previous movement, smiling in awe as the animals gently smelled his delicate fingers. "Wow... they are quite delightful." Belle admitted as the dogs happily sauntered back into the main office area, all except for Pansy, who hopped up on the break room couch, staring at the tall boy expectantly and panting as she did so. "So, where were ya goin' this late in the night, anyway?" Sherry asked once the boy had taken a seat next to the peaceful pet. "I have been exploring the state of Texas, as of late." The woman raised an eyebrow at the strangely vague statement, "With your family?" the boy shook his head, avoiding any eye contact with her. "Well-" Sherry sighed as she opened up the refrigerator next to the counter, "-it's dangerous to wonder 'round alone, 'specially at yer age." she finished as she grabbed a bottled sweet tea. "With all due respect, I have made it this far with no problems." Sherry took a seat at the small coffee table on the other end of the room, "Whatever." she rolled her eyes, then began slowly gulping down the cold drink. David took a seat right next to Sherry, leaning closer to her as he stared at the preoccupied boy across the room. "What do we do with him?" As the worker's stubble covered face drew slightly closer, the stale stench of cigarettes, as well as black coffee and his 'coffee creamer', clung to his breath. "We wait out the storm, then ask the authorities if this kid's a runaway." Sherry stated in a hushed tone; David nodded, then stood up and headed for the door, as did Sherry. The two walked into the office space to see Jerald setting up the small emergency radio, tuning it as they approached. "-allowing the Austin animal association to rescue over three dozen starved and abused horses, though many were too sick, or too weak to save. On a lighter note, the powerful storm in the Panhandle is quickly passing. By tomorrow afternoon, Hereford, Canyon, and Amarillo will be clear of the storm as it continues moving Northwest." The three breathed a collective sigh of relief. "Dang, guess ya won't be needing to pay me fer TOO much overtime." David stated in a sarcastic tone as he wandered off towards the break room. "We should take shifts with the dogs; we don't want 'em  to be too uncomfortable through the night." Sherry turned to Jerald, who gave a thumbs up, then took a seat in a stray, plastic chair. "Next time David goes fer a smoke break, have 'im take yer place." The boss ordered in a calm manner, before she entered the break room. The part timer had already flopped face first into his air mattress, while Belle continued to softly pet the drowsy German Shepard on the couch. {I guess Pansy can stay in here fer tonight.} Sherry thought as she backed out of the room, returning with the pile of blankets the pregnant dog was laying on, placing them next to the couch. The woman walked over to the spare blankets and pillows next to the coffee table, retrieving a couple of each, then handing them over to the boy. "Ya don't have any parasites, do ya?" "N-not that I'm aware of, I do not believe I do, ma'am." {Good enough.} The woman thought as she turned the break room lights off, then relaxed on her somewhat uncomfortable air mattress. She waited for the kid to settle into the soft couch, then started to doze off, as well.                                              ●●● "AAAAAAACHAH!!!" Sherry jolted awake as the sound of Jerald's loud sneeze busted through the break room's silence; he sat up from one of the air mattresses, stretching and yawning before getting to his feet. "Ugh." The woman moaned as she got up, then began preparing coffee at the counter, while she did so, however, she realized that Belle was no longer laying on the couch. "Shoot." Sherry glanced over the closed room, not only was Belle missing, but David and Pansy were nowhere to be seen, as well, along with their bedding. The boss stormed out of the break room, nearly stepping on David, who was sleeping on his back in the middle of the small office, a couple dogs were curled up by his sides, and his blanket was tossed over his torso. The boy was sitting on the other side of the building by one of the windows; Sherry breathed a small sigh of relief as she spotting him. He was wrapped up in his blankets, sitting in a cheap plastic chair next to Pansy, who was relaxing on her pile of blackets, which Belle must've carried out of the room. They were both watching the sunrise as the drowsy looking boy calmly stroked the dog on her head, most of the other dogs were sleeping around the pair, indicating that the two had been sitting there for awhile. Sherry and Jerald both walked over to Belle, who perked up as they approached, "Oh! Good morning." he happily greeted, causing the sleeping dogs around him to suddenly start barking, before quickly going quiet and dispersing. "Just watchin' the sun rise?" The woman asked, "Not quite, I heard David fall asleep, so I took the shift after his." the exhausted looking boy stated, fighting to keep his eyes open. "Here, why don't-cha lay down for a bit?" Jerald helped Belle back to the break room, with Pansy closely tailing them. David woke as the tawny worker nudged the man's shoulder with his heel. Sherry glanced out the window; the sky was still mostly cloudy, but the occasional sunbeam shined through the atmospheric blanket. "So, ya buyin' breakfast, or what?" David asked, smirking at his boss while still laying on the scratchy office carpet. "Sure, you want fast food, or freezer food?" Sherry mocked, "Eh..." "If ya don't like it, then buy yer own food, ya ARE gettin' overtime fer last night." the woman pointed out. "OR, how 'bout we go to a nice steakhouse in Amarillo; the four of us can split the bill." The part timer suggested as he got to his feet, "Four of us?" "Yeah, the kid probably has SOME money-" "David... a chunk of the buildin' LITERALLY flew off an' knocked the poor thing unconscious. I'm not makin' him pay fer our meals.". The man shrugged, putting his leather jacket on, "Fine. The two of us can split it." Sherry nodded in agreement, then walked into the break room. Belle was sitting at the coffee table with a hot drink, and Jerald was tidying up the room, deflating the air mattresses, and bundling the pillow cases and blankets together for the wash. "Hey, wanna finish that after breakfast?" Sherry asked with a smirk, Belle seemed excited, but Jerald remained somewhat skeptical. "Fast food or freezer food?" The volunteer worker asked, "Try the steakhouse at the edge of Amarillo." "OH!! Then yeah!" Jerald slid his shoes on, then quickly slipped past the woman. Belle quickly followed, and the four prepared to leave the building, placing every dog back in their respective kennels.

[sherryandbelle-blog]

Sherry and Belle: Chapter 2

Sherry patted the pregnant German shepherd on the head, calming her before Jerald led the plump dog back to her pile of blankets in the corner of the room. "Heh, looks like Pansy 'll be due here pretty soon." David stated with a smirk, "Come on, we still have a few dogs left to bring up from the kennels." the woman slowly got off the carpeted office floor, then led her two workers down the concrete stairway. As soon as she opened the thick, metal door, the three were buffeted by the vicious rain and wind, despite being under a roof. The few remaining dogs on the ground floor were going crazy, barking and howling as the trio dispersed, herding another batch of dogs towards the narrow stairway. "Hey Jerald, just take these ones up and calm 'em down! We'll get the rest!" Sherry hollered from across the barn shaped building; the young guy gave a thumbs up, then began ushering the small pack of dogs into the office area. The woman stopped to listen to the loud, metal roof panels, which sounded like they were ready to fly of the building at any moment. David approached the open barn doors, standing next to Sherry, "Jeez..." he remarked as one of the large panels crashed down into the gravel below. "Do ya want some more over-" "HA! I'll sleep in an office for a few days as overtime, but I am NOT climbin' up on yer rusty buildin' roof for some extra cash!" "Fair enough.". She walked over to the nearest kennel, opening the gate, and releasing an exciting little pink nosed pit bull pup. David rounded up a few of the remaining big dogs, while Sherry snatched up several of the more energetic ones, both corralling the dogs towards the metal door. "There's only Chief left, go upstairs and wait with Jerald!" David nodded, then closed the door behind the dogs and himself. She quickly walked over to an elderly saint bernard mix, then opened his cage, helped him to his feet, and slowly guided him to the door, which took a couple of minutes. Sherry outstretched her hand towards the door, but it abruptly swung open; David and Jerald looked at the boss with startled expressions. "There's some guy out there!" The younger worker shouted over the thundering storm, "We saw him through the upstairs window-" "At this hour!?" Sherry cut off the part timer, gesturing for him to follow her. "Take Chief inside, will ya!" Jerald nodded to his boss as he carefully leaded the old dog up the stairs, "Heh, whoever this idiot is, he'd better pay for room." David joked. "I'm not gonna charge someone to spend the night in an office fulla wet dogs." "Well, I don't think you can afford to pay more than two fools for the privilege." "Ah, shut it." The two shivering Texans stood at the wide building entrance. David pointed into the cold, stormy night, causing Sherry to lean forward and squint, attempting to see what he was gesturing to. Sure enough, there was a hunched over figure slowly pushing its way through the storm, she couldn't see any significant detail, but whoever it was, they were wearing a thin, black jacket with the hood up. "HEY!!!" Sherry hollered; the storm heavily dampened her voice, but it seemed to catch the guy's attention, because he nervously looked over at the building. "Y-yeah?" The boy weakly responded, but before anyone could say anything else, a large, metal roof panel flew off and plowed the stranger to the ground. "NO!!!" Sherry ran out into the blistering, sideways rain, sprinting across the gravel driveway and tearing the wide, metal sheet off of the boy. "David! Get his legs!" The worker nodded with a serious expression as he helped to hoist the teenager off the ground. His jacket was completely soaked through, and his lips were a sickly pale shade, "We have to get 'im inside!" the boss decided as they carefully shuffled back towards the building. As she looked down at the boy, she realized that a streak of blood was swelling on his forehead, {Great, if this kid got a head injury 'cause of MY lousy building...} Sherry thought as they walked through the barn doors."Hey, I saw what happened." Jerald said as he opened the door, the two carrying the boy walked past him and up the stairs, causing the dogs to bark and howl excitedly. The young worker slammed the door shut and ran up the stairs, quickly calming the dogs as David and Sherry set the cold, unconscious boy down on the coarse carpet. David quickly unzipped the shivering guy's drenched jacket, revealing his equally soaked, long sleeve shirt. "Hey Jerald, can ya toss this in the dryer?" the man threw the heavy, dripping bundle at Jerald, causing him to stumble back slightly on impact. "Hang on." Sherry got to her feet, "We shouldn't waste any unnecessary power; we'll dry all 'is clothes once he's awake." she decided, causing David to stand up and chuckle deeply. "C'mon, we got plenty o' gas for the generators." He smirked almost mockingly, "Yeah, but I'm not sendin' anyone out there to refill 'em while the storm's still blowin' chucks of the roof down." the boss glanced down at the battered boy as he began shifting and groaning on the floor. "Hey Jerald, didn't ya say ya brought some extra clothes?" The tawny man nodded, quickly slinking into the break room, which the three had made into a makeshift bedroom. He returned with a short sleeve shirt, a pair of long stretch pants, and some socks cradled in his long arms, setting them next to the boy. "...Huh?..." The blue eyed boy moaned as he unsteadily looked around the poorly lit room full of dogs and strangers, before resting his head back onto the floor, and touching his forehead with a confused expression on his face. "Here, put these on." Sherry instructed, handing the dazed boy Jerald's spare clothes; he slowly sat up and nodded, then proceeded to pull his soaked shirt off. "Welp! I'm takin' a smoke break." David announced as he began marching down the stairs, "I'll join ya. Jerald, watch the kid." "What!?". David slipped a thin cigarette in between his lips, then sighed as he flicked his lighter, cupping his hand over the meek flame as he charred the end of his smoke. "So, what's up?" He asked once it lit, staring expectantly at his boss, "We shouldn't overwhelm the kid, besides, Jerald's the most charismatic out of the lot of us." Sherry replied as she leaned against the closed, metal door. "HA! Speak for yerself! I'm quite a hit at the local establishments." David proudly boasted, causing the boss to shake her head, "I don't think wasted bar goers count for anythin'." she mockingly grinned. Loud thumping suddenly sounded from inside, causing the two coworkers to exchange worried glances, "Wait!" Jerald yelled, promptly followed by the doorknob rattling. Sherry opened the door, bringing her face to face with the weak looking boy; his eyes were completely glazed over as he tried to stumble past the woman. "Whoa there, where ya off to?" She asked while keeping the kid from passing her, "I must continue on my way..." the tall boy suddenly lurched forward, nearly missing Sherry and landing on the ground. "Let's get'cha back inside, alright?" The woman said as she carefully led the kid back up the stairs, resting him in the makeshift bedroom. "It's dangerous to go out right now, and we need to take care o' that cut." The boss firmly told him, before walking over and fetching the first aid kit off of the wall next to the door. {Oh boy... let's get a look at the damage.} Sherry dreaded as she approached the boy; she brushed his black bangs, only to reveal a short, shallow scratch on his forehead. "Oh." The woman stared at the small cut for a moment, then grabbed a cotton swab and saturated the end in hydrogen peroxide, lightly dabbing it on his tiny wound. The boy winced as it began to fizzle, "How bad is it?" Jerald gently asked as he entered the room, "Not bad at all, just a small scratch, 'e doesn't even have a bump or bruise." Sherry responded as she carefully wiped a small amount of white foam off of the kid's forehead with a damp cloth. "What was that stuff you used just now?" The boy asked in a calm, silky voice, "Hydrogen peroxide, it kills any bacteria that might've gotten into your cut." Jerald explained as he sat down next to his boss. "Fascinating." The kid replied, giving Sherry an immense feeling of Déjà vu, "Excuse me for askin', but what kinda accent is that? It sounds almost like it's Victorian." the young man commented as he stared curiously at the boy. "Ah... it is- uh... it is Pacific?" His deep blue eyes darted between Jerald and Sherry, as if he was checking to see if they had bought his lie. "Anyhow, I should be leaving-" "Not a chance." "Huh?" The kid looked mildly confused as the woman stepped in front of the door, "Ya can leave once the storm clears up. Jerald, will ya toss all 'is clothes in the dryer?" she requested; the guy gave two thumbs up, then left the room.

[sherryandbelle-blog]

Sherry and Belle: Chapter 1

Sherry exhaled, wiping the sweat and dirt off of her forehead, before taking a few steps back, sizing up her day's work. "Gutters cleaned, the inside's swept, and now..." The middle aged woman muttered to herself, then turned her attention to the worn down sign at the end of the gravel driveway. She sat down in front of her company sign, which was made of large, sturdy boards near the main road leading into the city, popping open a can of peach paint, then beginning to repaint. Sherry was a twenty-eight year old woman; short red hair, five foot eight, with a moderate build. She ran a small dog rescue center near Amarillo, Texas, which she owned for close to nine years, and yet it never really took off. With only two employees, the place poorly functioned. The repurposed barn had no air conditioning systems installed, meaning the workers had to constantly spray everything down with a hose just so the dogs wouldn't get sick. None of this phased Sherry however, she kept working through it all. She worked nearly every day of the year to keep her center up and running, never stopping for a holiday, or a break. "Hey boss, I'm goin' on break!" Sherry heard one of her workers call out, "Don't take too long David, yer on hose duty, 'member!" she shouted, glancing over her shoulder. She exhaled quietly, looking at the pure blue sky with her hand shielding her eyes, not a cloud in sight. The temperature was over 85° Fahrenheit, and the air was bone dry; Sherry heard footsteps crunching into the gravel several feet behind her, followed by a few moments of silence. "Autumn's rescue?" A man's deep voice questioned, Sherry slowly climbed to her feet, then turned to look at the man. "Welcome, are ya interested in adopting a pet today?" She asked politely, the tall, somewhat muscled man in shaggy clothing shook his head. "I am not interested, I was just on an afternoon stroll." He replied in a strange accent, sighed, then continued walking down the road. Sherry watched him saunter away for a few moments, then shook her head, "Sir!" the woman called out, causing the man to jolt to a stop, "Are ya plannin' to walk all the way to Amarillo?". The towering man seemed to ponder for a bit, but began walking again, "If that is the next location, then that is where I shall travel to." he decided, not looking back as he said so. {Idiot's gonna give himself heat stroke, 'specially in that heavy jacket he's wearin'...} "Hang on, I can give ya a lift." Sherry closed the paint can and walked over to her small, red pick up, placing the can and brush in her toolbox. "I would be most grateful, however, this task is my own to bare." He proclaimed, making the woman shake het head again as she hopped in her truck, {Is he from the renaissance 'r somethin'?} Sherry thought. The man stared at the truck as it pulled out of the gravel driveway, and stopped next to him, "I... I did not- I do not have much money to-" "Do I look like a taxi service? Just get in.". The guy looked down at his feet, seemingly swallowing his pride, before eventually opening the creaky passenger door, and climbing inside. Sherry popped her door open, then quickly leaned over the roof of the red vehicle; "HEY JERALD!!!" she shouted in a booming voice, a few moments later, a dark, young man sporting a loose, cushiony afro ran out of the back of the shelter, a bottle of dog shampoo in one hand. "I'm gonna take this fella into the city, hold down the fort while I'm gone, and if anyone shows up, stall for me!" Sherry ordered, "Can do, boss!" Jerald gave her a thumbs up, then began to slink back into the building. The red haired woman settled back into her seat, then slammed her door shut. "Is Autumn's rescue your establishment?" The man asked once they got on the road, "Yeah. It's an animal shelter I originally whipped up as a side project, but as time went on, it became a full time gig." Sherry explained with a hint of pride. "Interesting." He stared out his window for a several minutes afterwards, allowing an uncomfortable silence to leak into the vehicle, {I wonder where this guy's from, his accent 's pretty strange. Maybe British? Or some other European country-} "What are those?". Sherry lowered her head to see what he was gesturing at in the distance, "The wind turbines? A good amount of the Panhandle is covered in 'um." "Fascinating." he fell back into silence for a few more minutes. "How 'bout some music?" Not waiting for a response, she quickly flipped on the radio, "-counties can expect the storm to push through the heart of the Panhandle. Expect high winds and heavy rain in the following days." "Shoot.". Sherry gritted her teeth slightly as she switched over to some classical music. {We are NOT ready from a storm. Guess it's a good thing I'm headin' into town.} "Where do ya need to be dropped off at?" She asked as she entered the afternoon cityscape, "Anywhere would be fine, thank you again for your services.". Sherry pulled into a grocery store parking lot, then let the man out, he nodded, then marched away. "Alright." The woman grabbed her cell phone out of her back pocket, them dialed up Jerald, pulling out a pen and a slip of paper while the phone was ringing. "Y'ello?" "Hey Jerald, a storms comin' in this week; can ya take inventory and see what we need to stock up on?" Sherry heard her young volunteer worker pace around for a moment, then stop. "Wait, like what exactly?" The boss sighed, "Dog food, bottled water, canned food, fuel for the generator- is David back, yet? He knows what to look for." "No, I think he went into town to buy a pack of smokes.". "Great... well, start by checkin' the stuff I listed out for ya, then go from there. Text me the supplies we'll need when ya finish lookin'." Sherry hung up on him, then called David. "Hey, a storms gonna be hittin' soon." "Yeah, I heard." "Can ya do overtime throughout the storm?" "Well... I guess, if ya REALLY need me to." The wisecracking part timer mocked. "Good, And if you're at a gas station, could ya get some fuel for the generators? I'll pay ya back as soon as we both get back to the shelter." "Heh, sure boss." "Thank ya, and Jerald just sent me the list of additional supplies we'll need, which I can get at the store I'm parked at.".