Post by Deleted on Apr 12, 2013 21:32:10 GMT -6
A TALE OF A LAMB AMONG WOLVES
Luke 10:3
"Go! I am sending you out like lambs surrounded by wolves."
"Go! I am sending you out like lambs surrounded by wolves."
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS
Outside the NEW Arena medical offices - Morning
Outside the NEW Arena medical offices - Morning
After spending the morning finalizing his New Edge Wrestling contract with Talent Relations and visiting with their medical personnel at the NEW Arena for clearance on his recent chest wounds, Xandor was beginning to feel like a caged predator. Although he was not claustrophobic by any means, the thought of "resting up at home" as ordered by the NEW doctor was not a pleasant idea for the last Ascension Championship Wrestling Ultimate Champion. He knew that if he went back to the hotel to "rest up," with Alexis there, the housekeeping crew of the Hyatt Chicago would never get the chance to tidy up the suite and change the bed linens. The reunited couple just could not keep their hands off each other since Xandor returned from his mission in Europe.
"Fresh, cold Chicago air will do the trick," Xandor thought as he exited the medical offices. He pondered
Xandor took out his iPhone and called Alexis. After two rings, she picked up.
"Hey Lexis, it's me."
Alexis' voice was like the oasis in the desert of his soul.
"Hey lover. How's things go?"
"The doctor is waiting to get my blood work back from the lab since I was overseas but he says I'm pretty much good to go for IGNITE. He wants me to rest but you and I both know that if we're stuck in the hotel room together we are not going to get any rest." Xandor smirked knowing that Alexis caught his drift.
"Hey now! Don't make me out to be the freak in this relationship! You started it." Alexis responded with a coy touch in her voice.
"And you sure keep it going, don't you?" Xandor retorted and imagined Alexis' huge smile on the other end. "How about you get Amare ready and meet me here at the Arena in an hour? I know of a place we can go that we'll enjoy and get our minds cleared for IGNITE. That should give the doctor plenty of time to review my blood work."
Alexis loved Xandor's surprises. So she was definitely game for an outing.
An hour later, Xandor got a clean bill of health from the NEW medical staff while awaiting the arrival of Alexis and Amare. As he waited outside of the NEW Arena, Xandor allowed himself to rest mentally and spiritually as he took in deep breaths of the cold Chicago air.
These moments were few and far between for Xandor after ensuring the protection of the future pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church. Although Xandor was not privy to Vatican affairs, Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio sensed his life was about to change and requested the Order send their "exiled one" to be his protector. Once at the Vatican, the Adversary led a spiritual attack on leaders of the church while the cardinals were in conclave and Xandor came face to face with the one demon that hated him the most: Alexis' father.
Xandor could still hear the demon's voice. "There is more to my daughter Alexis than meets the eye, Meshiach! She is not who you think her to be! And that will be my victory!" With anger raging in him, Xandor plunged the demon headfirst into the Abyss but not before it took one last swipe at him, tearing the flesh of his chest.
While the "exiled one" of the Order of the Meshiach returned to the present, a taxi cab rolled up in front of him. In the back seat were Alexis and a thrilled black Newfoundland puppy.
"You ok? You look a little perturbed " Alexis inquired.
Xandor quickly masked his thoughts and feigned a smile. As he got into the cab, he scooped Amare up as he gave Alexis a kiss on her lips. "Nothing urgent, Lexis. Just thinking about my first match in NEW."
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS
Lincoln Park Zoo - Noon
Lincoln Park Zoo - Noon
The taxi ride ended about 35 minutes later at the Lincoln Park Zoo. The zoo was a free 35-acre park located within the city limits of Chicago. Founded in 1868, it is one of the oldest zoos in the country.
"Xandor, can I ask you something?" Alexis asked as they entered the park. Xandor's heart skipped a beat when she spoke. Had she figured out that he lied to her about his earlier thoughts? Xandor knew that eventually he and Alexis needed to address his battle with her father and his shocking revelation but the ACW Champion refused to go there after being away from Alexis for so long. The demon was deceit incarnate. He would say anything to keep Alexis away from him. Wouldn't he?
"Sure, Lexis, what's on your mind?" He answered cautiously as he gently pulled Amare's leash to keep her from getting into trouble. The black Newfoundland was eager to chase after the animals in their exhibit; especially when they entered the John Deere Farm-in-the-Zoo Exhibit.
"You seem preoccupied. Everything OK? The doctor said everything was fine for your match against Jacob Neal, right?" Xandor almost let out a sigh of relief. So far so good. "Yeah. Doctor said I'm probably going to feel each shot I take in the match because of the contusions but that there really isn't any reason to keep me from making my debut."
"So what's got you so pensive since Amare and I showed up?" Alexis inquired.
Xandor felt cornered. But in an act of divine providence, Amare distracted Alexis by barking at the pen in front of them and running back and forth. Her tail wagged from side-to-side and her tongue draped down her lower lips.
"Amare! No!" Alexis scolded. She crouched down and picked up the pup as a couple sheep ran away from her. "You're not old enough to be a pasture dog yet, sweetie. Be good."
"You are what you were created to be." Xandor said as he pet Amare in Alexis' arms. He quickly glanced at Alexis then turned around to check out the sheep in the pen. He hoped she didn't catch the double meaning. When he realized that Alexis didn't, Xandor rolled with it.
"And speaking of Jacob Neal, go figure that Amare would chase Jacob sheep." Xandor smiled as he related his knowledge of farm animals. Alexis just smiled as Amare's eyes sized up one of the smaller sheep. "A farmer in the village my parents used to ministered to in Mexico bred Jacob sheep. They are a rare breed of sheep much like Neal is a rare breed of Canadian wrestling."
Alexis snorted and laughed. "You're comparing Jacob Neal to a sheep?! Oh my god, that is hilarious!" Even Amare seemed to find this comment funny.
Xandor smiled and chuckled himself. "I'm serious. I'm not trying to be funny on purpose, but it's true." Alexis leaned back on one of the pen posts with an amused nod. "This I have to hear."
Xandor attempted to let go of the amusing analogy and got serious.
"My mother used to tell me a parable about a newborn lamb. When it first would open its eyes, it viewed the world with pure eyes." Xandor began. "Being a newborn, it was excited to explore its environment and see if there were others like him out there."
"It found other creatures and assumed that all these other creatures were lambs too." Xandor continued. "It quickly became friends with these other creatures and was so excited to be among them. But soon it realized that there were differences between itself and these other 'lambs.' For example, the lamb was naturally loving. The other creatures were not. They seemed to know what love was, but they didn't understand what it truly was."
Xandor seemed to connect to his past as he retold the story. Alexis liked to see him talk about it since he was reserved about his life before his family was destroyed.
"The lamb mention his thoughts to his friends and they would laugh at him, saying he's talking about strange things again." Xandor continued. "One day in the lamb's journey he met a shepherd. The shepherd guided it toward a lake and the lamb saw its reflection for the first time. He didn't look like the other 'lambs.' He was different. The shepherd smiled and told the lamb that it was OK to be different. The lamb was confused. If he was a lamb, what were his friends?"
Xandor's tone lowered.
"The shepherd told the lamb that it had been born among wolves. It was so new to the world and so excited to be like others that it never realized that it was friends with its mortal enemy. Soon the true instincts of the wolves will emerge and unless the lamb accepts help from a shepherd, it will be a lamb to the slaughter. This is why lambs need a good shepherd to keep them safe from the wolves."
There were tears in Alexis' eyes. The story actually touched her. And she began to make connections.
"You were that lamb to your mother. And the Creator is your shepherd, right?"
Xandor was impressed with Alexis' analysis.
"Very good. My mother used to tell me that I was that lamb born among the wolves. So I know where Jacob Neal is coming from. He wants to be the future of Canadian wrestling. It is a noble cause. Yet, he naively thinks that these 'wolves' of NEW are just 'lambs' like him." Xandor's face showed genuine concern for Neal.
"Most of the wrestlers in NEW could care less about the rising star that Jacob Neal is. If anything, the moment they get the chance these bastards will either stab him in the back or corrupt his soul so profusely that he will become one of them. This is why I came to NEW. I could have stayed away from this business and lived out my life helping you become the NEW World Champion, but that is being short-sided. I need to be the Good Shepherd for those in NEW that truly seek to have success the right way; not the way of that heretic Father Nathan or the Styles Mafia. Jacob and Alisha need people like us, Alexis, that will keep the dangers of this business away long enough for these young ones to learn to fight for themselves."
Alexis was impressed. She hadn't seen Xandor this passionate since he was about to face Judas Dathan for the ACW Ultimate Championship.
"So you want to take these two under our wings as Padawan learners Obi Wan Kenobi?" Alexis asked smiling.
Xandor responded back with a nod.
"I'd prefer if you saw us as Luke and Mara from the expanded universe, but yeah. But only if they decide of their own free will." Xandor said cautiously.
"So what do you plan for Jacob Neal at IGNITE?"
Xandor didn't hesitate to answer. "I'm going to show Jacob Neal why I redeemed ACW and its Ultimate Championship. Judas Dathan used every underhanded trick in the book to retain his title, but it still didn't stop the straight and narrow from taking the title. Good will always defeat evil. I want Jacob Neal to see what is possible if he follows the right path. I'm going to test him at IGNITE and push him like he's never been pushed before. I want to see what he's made of when he's thrown everything at me and I'm still standing in front of him. In the end, I want to see if he can handle humility when falls before the Messiah. If he can, he truly will become the future of Canadian wrestling. If not, I'm sorry but he'll just be another sheep led to the slaughter."
"I don't know if NEW is ready for the Messiah, Xandor." Alexis commented. Xandor gave an apologetic shrug.
"Whether it's ready or not, the Messiah has come to NEW. Salvation has arrived. And woe to those that scoff and meet the Messiah on Judgment Day."
Xandor took Alexis' hand and led her away from the sheep pen. As they walked away, Xandor glanced back at the lonely sheep gazing back at him. As he walked away he thought, "Are what we were created to be. Who are you, Jacob Neal?"
This has been a
Roleplay
Roleplay