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As Hazael wandered the city of Damascus with four dogs in tow, he wondered what he had had been thinking by bringing so many dogs with him to market that morning. After all, the pups he had were far too young for such a journey. Having been born just a few months prior, Hazael didn’t believe that they were old enough to be separated from their mother just yet. They still had that streak of wildness within them that only came from a young dog who simply had not had enough of its mother's lessons. If it were up to the Israeli, he would have waited until the next season to begin the process of finding the Salukis homes. That would be the sensible thing to do as the pups would have had a decent amount of training under Hazael’s care.
But that would imply that Hazael had a choice in the matter.
Even though the pups were his dogs, he still lived under his father’s roof and everyone knew in Judea that what father says, goes. Avriam of Mahlon had never particularly liked the idea of Hazael raising dogs; especially as the older man followed what the scriptures said regarding the creatures. Many in their culture looked down upon canines as they were described to be filthy scavengers, good for nothing besides being harbingers of misery. However, the nineteen-year-old had long ago looked past what he was supposed to believe and saw what really lied beneath the fur coats of these brilliant hounds. Hazael saw them for the lifelong companions that they were and at this point, he very simply could not imagine life without a hound by his side.
If only he could apply the same philosophy to the Greeks in his city… that vein of xenophobia drilled into him from a young age was neither here or there.
Either way, Avriam had wanted this batch of pups gone as soon as possible as they were a particularly yappy bunch. Hazael tried to protest and had even promised to work with the dogs on training them to be quiet, but it had fallen on deaf ears. When Hazael returned from his annual trip through the cities with his uncle, all the beautiful pups with dark coats had to be gone. The older man had made this clear in no uncertain terms and Hazael knew full well that even if he did not sell all of the pups, none of them would be allowed to return home.
This is why Hazael was somewhat antsy during his first day in the Damascus market. The distant, scholarly city was the last stop on the trade route for his family before they would return to Israel and there were still two pups left. Normally, this wouldn’t be too much of a problem. In fact, this made selling the pups easier as there was more pressure on prospective buyers with the lack of choice of his brood, but these two pups were a hard sell, to say the very least. They had the dark coats of their mother which made them appealing at first glance, but they were both the rowdiest of their litter and even at the three-month stage, they were squirming and wriggling like no tomorrow. Although Hazael knew that this was just a sign of their playfulness, making them ideal matches for anyone with children, others saw this as signs that they were too much trouble for what they worth. Hazael was struggling to convince anyone to take the pups and he was worried that he would either have to lower his standards of prospective owners or lower his prices to get rid of them. The boy didn’t honestly know which option was worse for him morally; possibly giving his pups to a home that they would not thrive in or returning home to his father with less money than he should have in his pockets.
He still had a little time though. He was in Damascus for three days and hopefully, someone with the proper means to care for the pups would appear. If they didn’t, well then Hazael would have to make the hard choices… but not today at least. Thank Yahweh.
All of this was on Hazael’s mind as he wandered through the market, leading all four of the dogs with him (Bracha; his own dog, Dafna, the pups’ mother; and the two pups themselves) in the hopes that some curious passerby might inquire about the pup’s beautiful dark coats. However, the two little whirling dervishes seemed to be conspiring against the poor Judean as they were excitedly running about, pulling on their leads, and just generally causing a ruckus that earned the Israeli a few dirty stares from the merchants nearby. Luckily for Hazael, his own failing eyesight meant that he couldn’t see them, but he knew from past experience that they were staring at him all the same.
“ Kelev!” Hazael chastized at one point, trying desperately to bring the pups to heel, “ Settle!” Even though he was using the command words that they knew in an effort to get the dogs to calm down a bit, there were just too many sights and smells for the young pups to take in. Not to mention the lack of a calming presence that had come from their siblings had done nothing to help. They were too excited and far too jumpy for any of that. Hazael couldn’t even hold them for very long either as the dogs would soon wriggle out of his grasp. This day was just turning out to be a disaster and Hazael had half the mind to bring all the hounds back to his lodging and try again at a different point.
But as he would soon learn, some of the street boys had other plans.
Naturally, the sight of two rowdy pups was intriguing to anyone, but to the urchins of Damascus who knew no discipline… it was too tempting not to pass up. From the moment that Hazael had entered the market, a large group of them had their eyes on the pups and were just waiting for the right moment to swoop in and have some “ fun” with the pups.
That moment came when Hazael was distracted by a nearby merchant who was attempting to sell the Israeli treats for the dogs. The eighteen-year-old was politely attempting to turn down his offer (as a reward for this behavior was the last thing that they needed at this moment) when he felt a violent tug at the leashes in his hands and a harsh slap come down on his arm, forcing the boy to let go of the dog’s leads. Hazael spun around on his feet, trying to see with his blurry vision what had just happened, but by then it was too late. All of the dogs were gone… including Bracha; his best friend and seeing-eye dog.
A startled yell left his lips that quickly transformed into a shout, alerting those around him to the crime that had just been committed, “ My dogs! They just stole my dogs!” The boy frantically looked around for any sign of where the thieves had gone, but everything was a blur of color and without Bracha by his side, Hazael was afraid to even take a single step after them as he knew he would get lost or trip over something that Bracha would normally guide him around.
He needed help, that much was clear by the continued shouts proclaiming the boys to be thieves… but would anyone aid the Israeli boy touting around creatures that were associated with sin in their culture?
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As Hazael wandered the city of Damascus with four dogs in tow, he wondered what he had had been thinking by bringing so many dogs with him to market that morning. After all, the pups he had were far too young for such a journey. Having been born just a few months prior, Hazael didn’t believe that they were old enough to be separated from their mother just yet. They still had that streak of wildness within them that only came from a young dog who simply had not had enough of its mother's lessons. If it were up to the Israeli, he would have waited until the next season to begin the process of finding the Salukis homes. That would be the sensible thing to do as the pups would have had a decent amount of training under Hazael’s care.
But that would imply that Hazael had a choice in the matter.
Even though the pups were his dogs, he still lived under his father’s roof and everyone knew in Judea that what father says, goes. Avriam of Mahlon had never particularly liked the idea of Hazael raising dogs; especially as the older man followed what the scriptures said regarding the creatures. Many in their culture looked down upon canines as they were described to be filthy scavengers, good for nothing besides being harbingers of misery. However, the nineteen-year-old had long ago looked past what he was supposed to believe and saw what really lied beneath the fur coats of these brilliant hounds. Hazael saw them for the lifelong companions that they were and at this point, he very simply could not imagine life without a hound by his side.
If only he could apply the same philosophy to the Greeks in his city… that vein of xenophobia drilled into him from a young age was neither here or there.
Either way, Avriam had wanted this batch of pups gone as soon as possible as they were a particularly yappy bunch. Hazael tried to protest and had even promised to work with the dogs on training them to be quiet, but it had fallen on deaf ears. When Hazael returned from his annual trip through the cities with his uncle, all the beautiful pups with dark coats had to be gone. The older man had made this clear in no uncertain terms and Hazael knew full well that even if he did not sell all of the pups, none of them would be allowed to return home.
This is why Hazael was somewhat antsy during his first day in the Damascus market. The distant, scholarly city was the last stop on the trade route for his family before they would return to Israel and there were still two pups left. Normally, this wouldn’t be too much of a problem. In fact, this made selling the pups easier as there was more pressure on prospective buyers with the lack of choice of his brood, but these two pups were a hard sell, to say the very least. They had the dark coats of their mother which made them appealing at first glance, but they were both the rowdiest of their litter and even at the three-month stage, they were squirming and wriggling like no tomorrow. Although Hazael knew that this was just a sign of their playfulness, making them ideal matches for anyone with children, others saw this as signs that they were too much trouble for what they worth. Hazael was struggling to convince anyone to take the pups and he was worried that he would either have to lower his standards of prospective owners or lower his prices to get rid of them. The boy didn’t honestly know which option was worse for him morally; possibly giving his pups to a home that they would not thrive in or returning home to his father with less money than he should have in his pockets.
He still had a little time though. He was in Damascus for three days and hopefully, someone with the proper means to care for the pups would appear. If they didn’t, well then Hazael would have to make the hard choices… but not today at least. Thank Yahweh.
All of this was on Hazael’s mind as he wandered through the market, leading all four of the dogs with him (Bracha; his own dog, Dafna, the pups’ mother; and the two pups themselves) in the hopes that some curious passerby might inquire about the pup’s beautiful dark coats. However, the two little whirling dervishes seemed to be conspiring against the poor Judean as they were excitedly running about, pulling on their leads, and just generally causing a ruckus that earned the Israeli a few dirty stares from the merchants nearby. Luckily for Hazael, his own failing eyesight meant that he couldn’t see them, but he knew from past experience that they were staring at him all the same.
“ Kelev!” Hazael chastized at one point, trying desperately to bring the pups to heel, “ Settle!” Even though he was using the command words that they knew in an effort to get the dogs to calm down a bit, there were just too many sights and smells for the young pups to take in. Not to mention the lack of a calming presence that had come from their siblings had done nothing to help. They were too excited and far too jumpy for any of that. Hazael couldn’t even hold them for very long either as the dogs would soon wriggle out of his grasp. This day was just turning out to be a disaster and Hazael had half the mind to bring all the hounds back to his lodging and try again at a different point.
But as he would soon learn, some of the street boys had other plans.
Naturally, the sight of two rowdy pups was intriguing to anyone, but to the urchins of Damascus who knew no discipline… it was too tempting not to pass up. From the moment that Hazael had entered the market, a large group of them had their eyes on the pups and were just waiting for the right moment to swoop in and have some “ fun” with the pups.
That moment came when Hazael was distracted by a nearby merchant who was attempting to sell the Israeli treats for the dogs. The eighteen-year-old was politely attempting to turn down his offer (as a reward for this behavior was the last thing that they needed at this moment) when he felt a violent tug at the leashes in his hands and a harsh slap come down on his arm, forcing the boy to let go of the dog’s leads. Hazael spun around on his feet, trying to see with his blurry vision what had just happened, but by then it was too late. All of the dogs were gone… including Bracha; his best friend and seeing-eye dog.
A startled yell left his lips that quickly transformed into a shout, alerting those around him to the crime that had just been committed, “ My dogs! They just stole my dogs!” The boy frantically looked around for any sign of where the thieves had gone, but everything was a blur of color and without Bracha by his side, Hazael was afraid to even take a single step after them as he knew he would get lost or trip over something that Bracha would normally guide him around.
He needed help, that much was clear by the continued shouts proclaiming the boys to be thieves… but would anyone aid the Israeli boy touting around creatures that were associated with sin in their culture?
As Hazael wandered the city of Damascus with four dogs in tow, he wondered what he had had been thinking by bringing so many dogs with him to market that morning. After all, the pups he had were far too young for such a journey. Having been born just a few months prior, Hazael didn’t believe that they were old enough to be separated from their mother just yet. They still had that streak of wildness within them that only came from a young dog who simply had not had enough of its mother's lessons. If it were up to the Israeli, he would have waited until the next season to begin the process of finding the Salukis homes. That would be the sensible thing to do as the pups would have had a decent amount of training under Hazael’s care.
But that would imply that Hazael had a choice in the matter.
Even though the pups were his dogs, he still lived under his father’s roof and everyone knew in Judea that what father says, goes. Avriam of Mahlon had never particularly liked the idea of Hazael raising dogs; especially as the older man followed what the scriptures said regarding the creatures. Many in their culture looked down upon canines as they were described to be filthy scavengers, good for nothing besides being harbingers of misery. However, the nineteen-year-old had long ago looked past what he was supposed to believe and saw what really lied beneath the fur coats of these brilliant hounds. Hazael saw them for the lifelong companions that they were and at this point, he very simply could not imagine life without a hound by his side.
If only he could apply the same philosophy to the Greeks in his city… that vein of xenophobia drilled into him from a young age was neither here or there.
Either way, Avriam had wanted this batch of pups gone as soon as possible as they were a particularly yappy bunch. Hazael tried to protest and had even promised to work with the dogs on training them to be quiet, but it had fallen on deaf ears. When Hazael returned from his annual trip through the cities with his uncle, all the beautiful pups with dark coats had to be gone. The older man had made this clear in no uncertain terms and Hazael knew full well that even if he did not sell all of the pups, none of them would be allowed to return home.
This is why Hazael was somewhat antsy during his first day in the Damascus market. The distant, scholarly city was the last stop on the trade route for his family before they would return to Israel and there were still two pups left. Normally, this wouldn’t be too much of a problem. In fact, this made selling the pups easier as there was more pressure on prospective buyers with the lack of choice of his brood, but these two pups were a hard sell, to say the very least. They had the dark coats of their mother which made them appealing at first glance, but they were both the rowdiest of their litter and even at the three-month stage, they were squirming and wriggling like no tomorrow. Although Hazael knew that this was just a sign of their playfulness, making them ideal matches for anyone with children, others saw this as signs that they were too much trouble for what they worth. Hazael was struggling to convince anyone to take the pups and he was worried that he would either have to lower his standards of prospective owners or lower his prices to get rid of them. The boy didn’t honestly know which option was worse for him morally; possibly giving his pups to a home that they would not thrive in or returning home to his father with less money than he should have in his pockets.
He still had a little time though. He was in Damascus for three days and hopefully, someone with the proper means to care for the pups would appear. If they didn’t, well then Hazael would have to make the hard choices… but not today at least. Thank Yahweh.
All of this was on Hazael’s mind as he wandered through the market, leading all four of the dogs with him (Bracha; his own dog, Dafna, the pups’ mother; and the two pups themselves) in the hopes that some curious passerby might inquire about the pup’s beautiful dark coats. However, the two little whirling dervishes seemed to be conspiring against the poor Judean as they were excitedly running about, pulling on their leads, and just generally causing a ruckus that earned the Israeli a few dirty stares from the merchants nearby. Luckily for Hazael, his own failing eyesight meant that he couldn’t see them, but he knew from past experience that they were staring at him all the same.
“ Kelev!” Hazael chastized at one point, trying desperately to bring the pups to heel, “ Settle!” Even though he was using the command words that they knew in an effort to get the dogs to calm down a bit, there were just too many sights and smells for the young pups to take in. Not to mention the lack of a calming presence that had come from their siblings had done nothing to help. They were too excited and far too jumpy for any of that. Hazael couldn’t even hold them for very long either as the dogs would soon wriggle out of his grasp. This day was just turning out to be a disaster and Hazael had half the mind to bring all the hounds back to his lodging and try again at a different point.
But as he would soon learn, some of the street boys had other plans.
Naturally, the sight of two rowdy pups was intriguing to anyone, but to the urchins of Damascus who knew no discipline… it was too tempting not to pass up. From the moment that Hazael had entered the market, a large group of them had their eyes on the pups and were just waiting for the right moment to swoop in and have some “ fun” with the pups.
That moment came when Hazael was distracted by a nearby merchant who was attempting to sell the Israeli treats for the dogs. The eighteen-year-old was politely attempting to turn down his offer (as a reward for this behavior was the last thing that they needed at this moment) when he felt a violent tug at the leashes in his hands and a harsh slap come down on his arm, forcing the boy to let go of the dog’s leads. Hazael spun around on his feet, trying to see with his blurry vision what had just happened, but by then it was too late. All of the dogs were gone… including Bracha; his best friend and seeing-eye dog.
A startled yell left his lips that quickly transformed into a shout, alerting those around him to the crime that had just been committed, “ My dogs! They just stole my dogs!” The boy frantically looked around for any sign of where the thieves had gone, but everything was a blur of color and without Bracha by his side, Hazael was afraid to even take a single step after them as he knew he would get lost or trip over something that Bracha would normally guide him around.
He needed help, that much was clear by the continued shouts proclaiming the boys to be thieves… but would anyone aid the Israeli boy touting around creatures that were associated with sin in their culture?
Thaddeus loved his home. It was beautiful, engrossing, and overall a rush. It was perfect, and while he didn’t mind traveling too far away, he’d hoped the city would always be his home. He was walking around town that day, admiring the hustle and bustle of the market. It was his favorite pastime, and he was mostly in his head, not saying a word as he moved through the crowds. He was minding his own business as he heard a yell, and he paused. He couldn’t quite hear the entire message, but what he could hear made his heart drop in worry. The words ‘stole my dogs’ rang through his ears as Thaddeus immediately sprang into reaction. He started moving continuously before stepping up his fast to a full sprint towards the source of the yell. He skidded to a halt when he realized he didn’t know where he was going, and That looked around frantically? “Where are…” Thaddeus focused in on what seemed like a panicked man, and he ran to catch up with him. “Hey!” Thaddeus called out. Finally, he reached him, and he extended his arm to tape on Hazael's shoulder.
“Did you say dogs?” He asked, panting as he was still out of breath from such fast paced running. He wasn’t used to it. He looked over at Hazael’s eyes, searching for an answer. “Someone stole… your dogs?” He said, his voice oozing with worry. Those poor animals! He loved all Yahweh’s creatures… including dogs. He believed anyone who harmed a dog committed sin. They were innocent, pure, and only deserved pets and cuddles! If he had his own, Thaddeus would never get any work done… which is probably why he had never asked for one. Amiti wouldn’t like it living in their home, anyways…
“I can get them back for you, save them. I love dogs!” He didn’t know what it’d take, or where they went but… they were sweet dogs… “I can do it, no problem.” He was trying to have Hazael trust him, even though they were complete strangers. “My name is Thaddeus of Tzephaniah. Yours?” He started moving away from Hazael, trying to gesture to the other that he was motivated. “I can not believe someone would steal dogs.”
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This character is currently a work in progress.
Check out their information page here.
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Thaddeus loved his home. It was beautiful, engrossing, and overall a rush. It was perfect, and while he didn’t mind traveling too far away, he’d hoped the city would always be his home. He was walking around town that day, admiring the hustle and bustle of the market. It was his favorite pastime, and he was mostly in his head, not saying a word as he moved through the crowds. He was minding his own business as he heard a yell, and he paused. He couldn’t quite hear the entire message, but what he could hear made his heart drop in worry. The words ‘stole my dogs’ rang through his ears as Thaddeus immediately sprang into reaction. He started moving continuously before stepping up his fast to a full sprint towards the source of the yell. He skidded to a halt when he realized he didn’t know where he was going, and That looked around frantically? “Where are…” Thaddeus focused in on what seemed like a panicked man, and he ran to catch up with him. “Hey!” Thaddeus called out. Finally, he reached him, and he extended his arm to tape on Hazael's shoulder.
“Did you say dogs?” He asked, panting as he was still out of breath from such fast paced running. He wasn’t used to it. He looked over at Hazael’s eyes, searching for an answer. “Someone stole… your dogs?” He said, his voice oozing with worry. Those poor animals! He loved all Yahweh’s creatures… including dogs. He believed anyone who harmed a dog committed sin. They were innocent, pure, and only deserved pets and cuddles! If he had his own, Thaddeus would never get any work done… which is probably why he had never asked for one. Amiti wouldn’t like it living in their home, anyways…
“I can get them back for you, save them. I love dogs!” He didn’t know what it’d take, or where they went but… they were sweet dogs… “I can do it, no problem.” He was trying to have Hazael trust him, even though they were complete strangers. “My name is Thaddeus of Tzephaniah. Yours?” He started moving away from Hazael, trying to gesture to the other that he was motivated. “I can not believe someone would steal dogs.”
Thaddeus loved his home. It was beautiful, engrossing, and overall a rush. It was perfect, and while he didn’t mind traveling too far away, he’d hoped the city would always be his home. He was walking around town that day, admiring the hustle and bustle of the market. It was his favorite pastime, and he was mostly in his head, not saying a word as he moved through the crowds. He was minding his own business as he heard a yell, and he paused. He couldn’t quite hear the entire message, but what he could hear made his heart drop in worry. The words ‘stole my dogs’ rang through his ears as Thaddeus immediately sprang into reaction. He started moving continuously before stepping up his fast to a full sprint towards the source of the yell. He skidded to a halt when he realized he didn’t know where he was going, and That looked around frantically? “Where are…” Thaddeus focused in on what seemed like a panicked man, and he ran to catch up with him. “Hey!” Thaddeus called out. Finally, he reached him, and he extended his arm to tape on Hazael's shoulder.
“Did you say dogs?” He asked, panting as he was still out of breath from such fast paced running. He wasn’t used to it. He looked over at Hazael’s eyes, searching for an answer. “Someone stole… your dogs?” He said, his voice oozing with worry. Those poor animals! He loved all Yahweh’s creatures… including dogs. He believed anyone who harmed a dog committed sin. They were innocent, pure, and only deserved pets and cuddles! If he had his own, Thaddeus would never get any work done… which is probably why he had never asked for one. Amiti wouldn’t like it living in their home, anyways…
“I can get them back for you, save them. I love dogs!” He didn’t know what it’d take, or where they went but… they were sweet dogs… “I can do it, no problem.” He was trying to have Hazael trust him, even though they were complete strangers. “My name is Thaddeus of Tzephaniah. Yours?” He started moving away from Hazael, trying to gesture to the other that he was motivated. “I can not believe someone would steal dogs.”
The few moments that Hazael spent screaming about his dogs being taken seemed like several excruciating hours to the young Israeli boy. The panic that held his chest in a vice grip of anxiety seemingly had the power to slow time as the precious seconds passed him by. He knew full well that every moment that he wasn’t reunited with Bracha and the others, the further the urchins could get from him and thus making it less likely that Hazael would ever see the canines again… but the fates were cruel in how there was nothing that the boy could do to track the hounds down himself. He was essentially blind with no real way to discern obstacles and dangers that could stand in his way from all the other unfamiliar colorful blobs that made up the crowded streets. He couldn’t run through the streets or risk injuring himself. If that happened, he would never see the hounds again. But staying here was also not an option. He desperately needed help.
However, the people of Damascus were not so eager to help the screaming Israeli boy in their market. He was a stranger to them and even though he was clearly in distress, it was also just as likely to them that he was some sort of ruse. Anyone who helped him would surely be robbed. He could almost hear the older ladies mulling about and twittering about themselves like a bunch of self-absorbed mother hens they were. To them, it seemed almost incredulous that a strapping young man of Hazael’s age couldn’t give chase after the thieves himself; so the market-goers knew instinctively that there was something wrong with the boy. Though, Hazael doubted that any of them even stopped to consider that the young boy was attempting to hide a disability from everyone around him. It appeared by how almost no one approached him that he did almost too good of a job of obscuring the truth.
Thank his lucky stars, someone did approach him.
Hazael almost started crying tears of relief when the slightly older man seemed to be genuinely concerned about the Israeli’s plight. “ Yes. Some street urchins. They hit me and took my dogs.” He hurriedly exclaimed as he reached towards the arm and rubbed at the spot where the offending boy had slapped him. The action didn’t pain him too much as it was meant to be a distraction more than anything, but still… Hazael wouldn’t be surprised if he would wake up tomorrow with a nasty bruise. Not that it would matter what would happen tomorrow if he didn’t get the dogs back. Hazael had had Bracha for nearly half of his life. He depended on her to help him get around. Hazael very simply didn’t know what to do without her.
“ They took four of them. Two pups and two adults. The little ones are dark, like their mother. The other one is gold.” The description of his dogs practically poured out of the boy’s mouth as he turned towards the direction where he thought the boys had run off in as he said in the same breakneck pace that everything else had been, “ I think they went that way.”
Thaddeus, as the other had now identified himself, surely had to be a miracle sent to him by Yahweh. Hazael could not deny that. The man was eager to help a total stranger in a task that others had passed off as a rouse that would end in a robbery. He was so grateful that if the situation wasn’t so dire, Hazael had half the mind to go to the nearest temple to give his thanks to Yahweh for having mercy on the boy. However, that could wait in favor of Hazael expressing his sincere gratitude as he wiped a single tear from his eyes, “ Thank you. Thank you so much, you have no idea what these dogs mean to me.”
Suddenly realizing that he had never provided his name, the young man said in a somewhat shaky voice, “ Hazael of Avriam. Israel.” He was worried that the revelation of him not being from Damascus would have the man turn his back on him. The citizens of this city-state were not known for their hospitality after all, but Hazael didn’t want to waste any more time on small talk and formalities when they had a small window of time to get the dogs before the boys got away. “ Please, we don’t have much time. I need to get my dogs back.”
His plea to hurry seemed to do the trick as Thaddeus began to move through the crowd, leaving Hazael behind. The worry lodged in his chest as the man slowly grew blurrier the further he moved from the Israeli boy. “ Wait!” He cried out as he tentatively tried to follow after the man. He needed to look down at his feet to make sure that there was nothing that he could trip over. As a result, Hazael’s pace was slow so he was sure that when Thaddeus appeared in front of him again, the man had turned around at his call to see what was the matter.
It was then that the tears really started to flow as he realized that he would never be able to keep up with the lanky gait of the man whose face Hazael couldn’t even see. Before the man could question him though, the Israeli boy forced himself to choke out the reason why he had called the man back and why he couldn’t go after the dogs himself; “ I… I can’t… can’t see.”
It was an almost impossible thing for the young man to say. For so long he had hidden his disability from those in his life so he would not be judged for it. Not even his own family knew how bad it was as they all thought that he was just simply daft or clumsy with how often he tripping over his own two feet. He very rarely let himself acknowledge the reality he had been forced to adapt to, so saying as much to a stranger? It tore the boy apart inside, but he didn’t have a choice. If Thaddeus didn’t know, he would run off and Hazael would never find him again.
Disabilities were not looked kindly upon in their culture. Hazael knew that. He was a stranger in this man’s land with a flaw that many would see as a curse. Hazael silently prayed that the man wouldn’t decide that the boy wasn’t worth the trouble and head off on his way to avoid any strife that he may have caused.
Thaddeus wouldn’t do such a thing, would he?
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This character is currently a work in progress.
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The few moments that Hazael spent screaming about his dogs being taken seemed like several excruciating hours to the young Israeli boy. The panic that held his chest in a vice grip of anxiety seemingly had the power to slow time as the precious seconds passed him by. He knew full well that every moment that he wasn’t reunited with Bracha and the others, the further the urchins could get from him and thus making it less likely that Hazael would ever see the canines again… but the fates were cruel in how there was nothing that the boy could do to track the hounds down himself. He was essentially blind with no real way to discern obstacles and dangers that could stand in his way from all the other unfamiliar colorful blobs that made up the crowded streets. He couldn’t run through the streets or risk injuring himself. If that happened, he would never see the hounds again. But staying here was also not an option. He desperately needed help.
However, the people of Damascus were not so eager to help the screaming Israeli boy in their market. He was a stranger to them and even though he was clearly in distress, it was also just as likely to them that he was some sort of ruse. Anyone who helped him would surely be robbed. He could almost hear the older ladies mulling about and twittering about themselves like a bunch of self-absorbed mother hens they were. To them, it seemed almost incredulous that a strapping young man of Hazael’s age couldn’t give chase after the thieves himself; so the market-goers knew instinctively that there was something wrong with the boy. Though, Hazael doubted that any of them even stopped to consider that the young boy was attempting to hide a disability from everyone around him. It appeared by how almost no one approached him that he did almost too good of a job of obscuring the truth.
Thank his lucky stars, someone did approach him.
Hazael almost started crying tears of relief when the slightly older man seemed to be genuinely concerned about the Israeli’s plight. “ Yes. Some street urchins. They hit me and took my dogs.” He hurriedly exclaimed as he reached towards the arm and rubbed at the spot where the offending boy had slapped him. The action didn’t pain him too much as it was meant to be a distraction more than anything, but still… Hazael wouldn’t be surprised if he would wake up tomorrow with a nasty bruise. Not that it would matter what would happen tomorrow if he didn’t get the dogs back. Hazael had had Bracha for nearly half of his life. He depended on her to help him get around. Hazael very simply didn’t know what to do without her.
“ They took four of them. Two pups and two adults. The little ones are dark, like their mother. The other one is gold.” The description of his dogs practically poured out of the boy’s mouth as he turned towards the direction where he thought the boys had run off in as he said in the same breakneck pace that everything else had been, “ I think they went that way.”
Thaddeus, as the other had now identified himself, surely had to be a miracle sent to him by Yahweh. Hazael could not deny that. The man was eager to help a total stranger in a task that others had passed off as a rouse that would end in a robbery. He was so grateful that if the situation wasn’t so dire, Hazael had half the mind to go to the nearest temple to give his thanks to Yahweh for having mercy on the boy. However, that could wait in favor of Hazael expressing his sincere gratitude as he wiped a single tear from his eyes, “ Thank you. Thank you so much, you have no idea what these dogs mean to me.”
Suddenly realizing that he had never provided his name, the young man said in a somewhat shaky voice, “ Hazael of Avriam. Israel.” He was worried that the revelation of him not being from Damascus would have the man turn his back on him. The citizens of this city-state were not known for their hospitality after all, but Hazael didn’t want to waste any more time on small talk and formalities when they had a small window of time to get the dogs before the boys got away. “ Please, we don’t have much time. I need to get my dogs back.”
His plea to hurry seemed to do the trick as Thaddeus began to move through the crowd, leaving Hazael behind. The worry lodged in his chest as the man slowly grew blurrier the further he moved from the Israeli boy. “ Wait!” He cried out as he tentatively tried to follow after the man. He needed to look down at his feet to make sure that there was nothing that he could trip over. As a result, Hazael’s pace was slow so he was sure that when Thaddeus appeared in front of him again, the man had turned around at his call to see what was the matter.
It was then that the tears really started to flow as he realized that he would never be able to keep up with the lanky gait of the man whose face Hazael couldn’t even see. Before the man could question him though, the Israeli boy forced himself to choke out the reason why he had called the man back and why he couldn’t go after the dogs himself; “ I… I can’t… can’t see.”
It was an almost impossible thing for the young man to say. For so long he had hidden his disability from those in his life so he would not be judged for it. Not even his own family knew how bad it was as they all thought that he was just simply daft or clumsy with how often he tripping over his own two feet. He very rarely let himself acknowledge the reality he had been forced to adapt to, so saying as much to a stranger? It tore the boy apart inside, but he didn’t have a choice. If Thaddeus didn’t know, he would run off and Hazael would never find him again.
Disabilities were not looked kindly upon in their culture. Hazael knew that. He was a stranger in this man’s land with a flaw that many would see as a curse. Hazael silently prayed that the man wouldn’t decide that the boy wasn’t worth the trouble and head off on his way to avoid any strife that he may have caused.
Thaddeus wouldn’t do such a thing, would he?
The few moments that Hazael spent screaming about his dogs being taken seemed like several excruciating hours to the young Israeli boy. The panic that held his chest in a vice grip of anxiety seemingly had the power to slow time as the precious seconds passed him by. He knew full well that every moment that he wasn’t reunited with Bracha and the others, the further the urchins could get from him and thus making it less likely that Hazael would ever see the canines again… but the fates were cruel in how there was nothing that the boy could do to track the hounds down himself. He was essentially blind with no real way to discern obstacles and dangers that could stand in his way from all the other unfamiliar colorful blobs that made up the crowded streets. He couldn’t run through the streets or risk injuring himself. If that happened, he would never see the hounds again. But staying here was also not an option. He desperately needed help.
However, the people of Damascus were not so eager to help the screaming Israeli boy in their market. He was a stranger to them and even though he was clearly in distress, it was also just as likely to them that he was some sort of ruse. Anyone who helped him would surely be robbed. He could almost hear the older ladies mulling about and twittering about themselves like a bunch of self-absorbed mother hens they were. To them, it seemed almost incredulous that a strapping young man of Hazael’s age couldn’t give chase after the thieves himself; so the market-goers knew instinctively that there was something wrong with the boy. Though, Hazael doubted that any of them even stopped to consider that the young boy was attempting to hide a disability from everyone around him. It appeared by how almost no one approached him that he did almost too good of a job of obscuring the truth.
Thank his lucky stars, someone did approach him.
Hazael almost started crying tears of relief when the slightly older man seemed to be genuinely concerned about the Israeli’s plight. “ Yes. Some street urchins. They hit me and took my dogs.” He hurriedly exclaimed as he reached towards the arm and rubbed at the spot where the offending boy had slapped him. The action didn’t pain him too much as it was meant to be a distraction more than anything, but still… Hazael wouldn’t be surprised if he would wake up tomorrow with a nasty bruise. Not that it would matter what would happen tomorrow if he didn’t get the dogs back. Hazael had had Bracha for nearly half of his life. He depended on her to help him get around. Hazael very simply didn’t know what to do without her.
“ They took four of them. Two pups and two adults. The little ones are dark, like their mother. The other one is gold.” The description of his dogs practically poured out of the boy’s mouth as he turned towards the direction where he thought the boys had run off in as he said in the same breakneck pace that everything else had been, “ I think they went that way.”
Thaddeus, as the other had now identified himself, surely had to be a miracle sent to him by Yahweh. Hazael could not deny that. The man was eager to help a total stranger in a task that others had passed off as a rouse that would end in a robbery. He was so grateful that if the situation wasn’t so dire, Hazael had half the mind to go to the nearest temple to give his thanks to Yahweh for having mercy on the boy. However, that could wait in favor of Hazael expressing his sincere gratitude as he wiped a single tear from his eyes, “ Thank you. Thank you so much, you have no idea what these dogs mean to me.”
Suddenly realizing that he had never provided his name, the young man said in a somewhat shaky voice, “ Hazael of Avriam. Israel.” He was worried that the revelation of him not being from Damascus would have the man turn his back on him. The citizens of this city-state were not known for their hospitality after all, but Hazael didn’t want to waste any more time on small talk and formalities when they had a small window of time to get the dogs before the boys got away. “ Please, we don’t have much time. I need to get my dogs back.”
His plea to hurry seemed to do the trick as Thaddeus began to move through the crowd, leaving Hazael behind. The worry lodged in his chest as the man slowly grew blurrier the further he moved from the Israeli boy. “ Wait!” He cried out as he tentatively tried to follow after the man. He needed to look down at his feet to make sure that there was nothing that he could trip over. As a result, Hazael’s pace was slow so he was sure that when Thaddeus appeared in front of him again, the man had turned around at his call to see what was the matter.
It was then that the tears really started to flow as he realized that he would never be able to keep up with the lanky gait of the man whose face Hazael couldn’t even see. Before the man could question him though, the Israeli boy forced himself to choke out the reason why he had called the man back and why he couldn’t go after the dogs himself; “ I… I can’t… can’t see.”
It was an almost impossible thing for the young man to say. For so long he had hidden his disability from those in his life so he would not be judged for it. Not even his own family knew how bad it was as they all thought that he was just simply daft or clumsy with how often he tripping over his own two feet. He very rarely let himself acknowledge the reality he had been forced to adapt to, so saying as much to a stranger? It tore the boy apart inside, but he didn’t have a choice. If Thaddeus didn’t know, he would run off and Hazael would never find him again.
Disabilities were not looked kindly upon in their culture. Hazael knew that. He was a stranger in this man’s land with a flaw that many would see as a curse. Hazael silently prayed that the man wouldn’t decide that the boy wasn’t worth the trouble and head off on his way to avoid any strife that he may have caused.
Thaddeus wouldn’t do such a thing, would he?
The market was where Thaddeus usually went to, to either do errands or spend his free time. He liked talking to different people, hearing stories, and thinking about faraway problems and lands. Not that he would ever really leave far away from his home, but… hearing people speak of places unlike his own made his life seem less boring. Like he was apart of something bigger. He minded his own business when he heard a panicked voice, and Thaddeus instinctively went into action. He widened his eyes at the other man's words, glancing around as if to see any clues as to where the dogs went. "Street urchins… they hurt you?" Thaddeus reached to touch his shoulder, to see if he was hurt severely. This wasn't good. This definitely isn't good. Thaddeus looked at the arm Haz was rubbing and shook his head. "They won't get away with this." It was a sin to steal, and even worse to attack someone. Of course, Thaddeus didn't even know what the dogs looked like to help him, and the dark-haired man nodded as Haz answered. Dark… and gold? Thaddeus paused at the colors. He hadn't heard any animal description like that, but his pause didn't last long. The innocent creatures needed to be saved!
"Four of them got it," Thaddeus said, his voice full of anticipation of the mission ahead. He had already decided that he was going to help the other. He wasn't sure how but he had to at least try. The other was a complete stranger, but Thaddeus understood that everything was Yahweh's creation and there wasn't any way that Thad was going to turn his attention away from this. He gave a smile as the other seemed incredibly grateful, but in Thad's mind he just… simply needed to help. There was no question. "Your dogs are going to be okay." Thaddeus responded softly, needing Hazael to think positively. Anything negative would only get in the way at this point. He smiled even brighter as Haz provided his name, and Thadeus lifted his hands up. "Wonderful! Well, nice to meet you Hazael of Avriam." He felt better now that he knew the man, which made Thaddeus even more connected to the problem. Thaddeus heard the others plea and started off towards the direction Haz had pointed to earlier. Save the dogs, save Hazael… Easy. Right? Thaddeus was able to quickly slip through the crowd, unknowing that he was leaving the man he was trying to help behind. Thad just assumed the other would keep up. Thankfully, he heard Haz's voice and he slid to a stop in the dirt.
Thaddeus stopped and looked around, before waiting for Hazael to catch up with him. He raised a brow, wondering what the matter was. They didn't have time, they needed to find the dogs… Thaddeus noticed the tears and turned towards the man, now extremely concerned and confused. Haz was clearly upset, but why? Thaddeus cocked his head to the side as the other spoke, and narrowed his eyes in deep thought. He couldn't see? That didn't make sense.
Thaddeus, in his sheltered life, hadn't come across anyone who was blind. Or, it was never pointed out to him. He looked at Hazael for a long time, not really *knowing* how to react. He didn't know what to do. After what seemed like ages, Thaddeus grabbed Hazeal's arm without a word and connected his arm to his, pulling the other to his side. "Just keep up." Thaddeus spoke, before basically dragging Hazael with him. The other couldn't see well… That would be his guide. The other man was willing to carry him if needed but… as long as the other moved his legs they'd be fine. Thaddeus weaved through the crowds with Hazael, careful not to let anything run into the blind man.
They reached some steps where he could *feel* that it was the direction that the street urchins had gone, and Thaddeus glanced towards the man. "There are three steps here." He said, wondering what he could actually see… if he could see anything. "I think we're close, I can feel it." In the distance, he could faintly hear barking….
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The market was where Thaddeus usually went to, to either do errands or spend his free time. He liked talking to different people, hearing stories, and thinking about faraway problems and lands. Not that he would ever really leave far away from his home, but… hearing people speak of places unlike his own made his life seem less boring. Like he was apart of something bigger. He minded his own business when he heard a panicked voice, and Thaddeus instinctively went into action. He widened his eyes at the other man's words, glancing around as if to see any clues as to where the dogs went. "Street urchins… they hurt you?" Thaddeus reached to touch his shoulder, to see if he was hurt severely. This wasn't good. This definitely isn't good. Thaddeus looked at the arm Haz was rubbing and shook his head. "They won't get away with this." It was a sin to steal, and even worse to attack someone. Of course, Thaddeus didn't even know what the dogs looked like to help him, and the dark-haired man nodded as Haz answered. Dark… and gold? Thaddeus paused at the colors. He hadn't heard any animal description like that, but his pause didn't last long. The innocent creatures needed to be saved!
"Four of them got it," Thaddeus said, his voice full of anticipation of the mission ahead. He had already decided that he was going to help the other. He wasn't sure how but he had to at least try. The other was a complete stranger, but Thaddeus understood that everything was Yahweh's creation and there wasn't any way that Thad was going to turn his attention away from this. He gave a smile as the other seemed incredibly grateful, but in Thad's mind he just… simply needed to help. There was no question. "Your dogs are going to be okay." Thaddeus responded softly, needing Hazael to think positively. Anything negative would only get in the way at this point. He smiled even brighter as Haz provided his name, and Thadeus lifted his hands up. "Wonderful! Well, nice to meet you Hazael of Avriam." He felt better now that he knew the man, which made Thaddeus even more connected to the problem. Thaddeus heard the others plea and started off towards the direction Haz had pointed to earlier. Save the dogs, save Hazael… Easy. Right? Thaddeus was able to quickly slip through the crowd, unknowing that he was leaving the man he was trying to help behind. Thad just assumed the other would keep up. Thankfully, he heard Haz's voice and he slid to a stop in the dirt.
Thaddeus stopped and looked around, before waiting for Hazael to catch up with him. He raised a brow, wondering what the matter was. They didn't have time, they needed to find the dogs… Thaddeus noticed the tears and turned towards the man, now extremely concerned and confused. Haz was clearly upset, but why? Thaddeus cocked his head to the side as the other spoke, and narrowed his eyes in deep thought. He couldn't see? That didn't make sense.
Thaddeus, in his sheltered life, hadn't come across anyone who was blind. Or, it was never pointed out to him. He looked at Hazael for a long time, not really *knowing* how to react. He didn't know what to do. After what seemed like ages, Thaddeus grabbed Hazeal's arm without a word and connected his arm to his, pulling the other to his side. "Just keep up." Thaddeus spoke, before basically dragging Hazael with him. The other couldn't see well… That would be his guide. The other man was willing to carry him if needed but… as long as the other moved his legs they'd be fine. Thaddeus weaved through the crowds with Hazael, careful not to let anything run into the blind man.
They reached some steps where he could *feel* that it was the direction that the street urchins had gone, and Thaddeus glanced towards the man. "There are three steps here." He said, wondering what he could actually see… if he could see anything. "I think we're close, I can feel it." In the distance, he could faintly hear barking….
The market was where Thaddeus usually went to, to either do errands or spend his free time. He liked talking to different people, hearing stories, and thinking about faraway problems and lands. Not that he would ever really leave far away from his home, but… hearing people speak of places unlike his own made his life seem less boring. Like he was apart of something bigger. He minded his own business when he heard a panicked voice, and Thaddeus instinctively went into action. He widened his eyes at the other man's words, glancing around as if to see any clues as to where the dogs went. "Street urchins… they hurt you?" Thaddeus reached to touch his shoulder, to see if he was hurt severely. This wasn't good. This definitely isn't good. Thaddeus looked at the arm Haz was rubbing and shook his head. "They won't get away with this." It was a sin to steal, and even worse to attack someone. Of course, Thaddeus didn't even know what the dogs looked like to help him, and the dark-haired man nodded as Haz answered. Dark… and gold? Thaddeus paused at the colors. He hadn't heard any animal description like that, but his pause didn't last long. The innocent creatures needed to be saved!
"Four of them got it," Thaddeus said, his voice full of anticipation of the mission ahead. He had already decided that he was going to help the other. He wasn't sure how but he had to at least try. The other was a complete stranger, but Thaddeus understood that everything was Yahweh's creation and there wasn't any way that Thad was going to turn his attention away from this. He gave a smile as the other seemed incredibly grateful, but in Thad's mind he just… simply needed to help. There was no question. "Your dogs are going to be okay." Thaddeus responded softly, needing Hazael to think positively. Anything negative would only get in the way at this point. He smiled even brighter as Haz provided his name, and Thadeus lifted his hands up. "Wonderful! Well, nice to meet you Hazael of Avriam." He felt better now that he knew the man, which made Thaddeus even more connected to the problem. Thaddeus heard the others plea and started off towards the direction Haz had pointed to earlier. Save the dogs, save Hazael… Easy. Right? Thaddeus was able to quickly slip through the crowd, unknowing that he was leaving the man he was trying to help behind. Thad just assumed the other would keep up. Thankfully, he heard Haz's voice and he slid to a stop in the dirt.
Thaddeus stopped and looked around, before waiting for Hazael to catch up with him. He raised a brow, wondering what the matter was. They didn't have time, they needed to find the dogs… Thaddeus noticed the tears and turned towards the man, now extremely concerned and confused. Haz was clearly upset, but why? Thaddeus cocked his head to the side as the other spoke, and narrowed his eyes in deep thought. He couldn't see? That didn't make sense.
Thaddeus, in his sheltered life, hadn't come across anyone who was blind. Or, it was never pointed out to him. He looked at Hazael for a long time, not really *knowing* how to react. He didn't know what to do. After what seemed like ages, Thaddeus grabbed Hazeal's arm without a word and connected his arm to his, pulling the other to his side. "Just keep up." Thaddeus spoke, before basically dragging Hazael with him. The other couldn't see well… That would be his guide. The other man was willing to carry him if needed but… as long as the other moved his legs they'd be fine. Thaddeus weaved through the crowds with Hazael, careful not to let anything run into the blind man.
They reached some steps where he could *feel* that it was the direction that the street urchins had gone, and Thaddeus glanced towards the man. "There are three steps here." He said, wondering what he could actually see… if he could see anything. "I think we're close, I can feel it." In the distance, he could faintly hear barking….
From the moment that the words tumbled out of his mouth, Hazael knew that revealing that he was blind had been a mistake. It always was, no matter the circumstances. The people of Judea were not known to be particularly kind to those who had some sort of disability. Not when such defects were seen to be curses from Yahweh upon those who were unworthy to stand his light. After all, why else would their god take away from his perfect creation?
Hazael wondered what he had done to displease Yahweh enough for the deity to slowly steal his eyesight. It was a question that often kept him up at night as he replayed every sin he had knowingly committed in his short nineteen years. Was it him turning his back on a member of the poor when he was thirteen? Or those sweets he nicked from his father’s shop at six? Could it have been him speaking back to his father during a heated argument? Hazael didn’t know. He couldn’t think of anything that he had done that would have warranted such a cruel punishment such as this. It didn’t matter either way -- even if knew what he had done to displeasure Yahweh so greatly, it wouldn’t restore his eyesight. Even a fool like him knew it to be true.
So, when he admitted to Thaddeus that he was blind, Hazael had expected that the kind stranger would quickly turn his back to the frantic boy. Haz was afraid that the older man would be so nervous about displeasing Yahweh in the same way that the Israeli had that he would want to put as much distance between himself and the son of Avriam. That’s what the xenophobic boy would do if he wasn’t the one who couldn’t see. The Damascus man surprised him thought by not reacting with condemnation, but instead understanding?
Hazael looked at the man with a sheer look of disbelief bordering on shock as Thaddeus reached out to steer the boy through the streets. However, this look was quickly wiped off of Haz’s face when he was given the simple instruction of ‘Just keep up’ before the boys took off. As Thaddeus pulled him through the crowd, Hazael’s eyes drifted down to his feet as he tried to make sure that there wasn’t anything that other man would miss and the Israeli wouldn’t accidentally trip over. Haz knew that he should do this and instead trust this stranger to guide him as he would look around frantically for any signs of the dogs -- but he couldn’t. Not fully at least. Hazael had just spent so many years trying to overcompensate for his poor eyesight that he just couldn’t trust someone else with being his guide -- not when he had to do it himself for so long.
Which was a good thing, as Hazael quickly discovered when the pair came across their first obstacle. Even before Thaddeus skidded to a stop, the Israeli could see the steps up ahead as the stone was a different depth and color than the pathway surrounding it. “ I know. I can see colors. I can’t see the details.” Hazael quickly said as he scamped down the steps. It was true -- even though his vision was not darkened, it was still poor enough that Hazael could not navigate his surroundings safely. Everything that crossed his field of vision was just a great big blur unless Hazael’s nose was practically upon whatever he was trying to see. That was the only instance where he could see anything clearly.
He was sure that Thaddeus had questions. Most people did on the rare occasion that Haz revealed that there was anything wrong with his eyesight, to begin with. However, the boys didn’t have time to dissect what the Israeli could or could not see; especially if Thaddeus got it in his head to ask how many fingers he was holding up. (Yahweh be good, Hazael hated when people did that.)
Haz lucked out though as before Thaddeus even got the chance, the boy heard the faint barking coming from up the street. His head instantly swiveled in time to see a small blur of black fur dart around a corner. Even with his god-awful eyesight, Hazael knew what the mass of darkness had been.
“ Dafna!” Hazael called out as he threw all his previous caution to the wind as he tried to take off after the mother of the two pups he had been trying to sell here in Damascus. It was a foolish thing to do as the Israeli had barely made it halfway there, with Thaddeus close on his heels, before a loose rock that was the same dusty shade as the road found itself under Hazael’s foot. Without so much as a warning, Haz crumpled to the ground, having been tripped by the stone. He cried out as he fell, but more than shock than anything which was shown by the boy immediately trying to stumble to his feet while calling out to Thaddeus “ I’m fine! I’m fine! Don’t let them get away!”
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From the moment that the words tumbled out of his mouth, Hazael knew that revealing that he was blind had been a mistake. It always was, no matter the circumstances. The people of Judea were not known to be particularly kind to those who had some sort of disability. Not when such defects were seen to be curses from Yahweh upon those who were unworthy to stand his light. After all, why else would their god take away from his perfect creation?
Hazael wondered what he had done to displease Yahweh enough for the deity to slowly steal his eyesight. It was a question that often kept him up at night as he replayed every sin he had knowingly committed in his short nineteen years. Was it him turning his back on a member of the poor when he was thirteen? Or those sweets he nicked from his father’s shop at six? Could it have been him speaking back to his father during a heated argument? Hazael didn’t know. He couldn’t think of anything that he had done that would have warranted such a cruel punishment such as this. It didn’t matter either way -- even if knew what he had done to displeasure Yahweh so greatly, it wouldn’t restore his eyesight. Even a fool like him knew it to be true.
So, when he admitted to Thaddeus that he was blind, Hazael had expected that the kind stranger would quickly turn his back to the frantic boy. Haz was afraid that the older man would be so nervous about displeasing Yahweh in the same way that the Israeli had that he would want to put as much distance between himself and the son of Avriam. That’s what the xenophobic boy would do if he wasn’t the one who couldn’t see. The Damascus man surprised him thought by not reacting with condemnation, but instead understanding?
Hazael looked at the man with a sheer look of disbelief bordering on shock as Thaddeus reached out to steer the boy through the streets. However, this look was quickly wiped off of Haz’s face when he was given the simple instruction of ‘Just keep up’ before the boys took off. As Thaddeus pulled him through the crowd, Hazael’s eyes drifted down to his feet as he tried to make sure that there wasn’t anything that other man would miss and the Israeli wouldn’t accidentally trip over. Haz knew that he should do this and instead trust this stranger to guide him as he would look around frantically for any signs of the dogs -- but he couldn’t. Not fully at least. Hazael had just spent so many years trying to overcompensate for his poor eyesight that he just couldn’t trust someone else with being his guide -- not when he had to do it himself for so long.
Which was a good thing, as Hazael quickly discovered when the pair came across their first obstacle. Even before Thaddeus skidded to a stop, the Israeli could see the steps up ahead as the stone was a different depth and color than the pathway surrounding it. “ I know. I can see colors. I can’t see the details.” Hazael quickly said as he scamped down the steps. It was true -- even though his vision was not darkened, it was still poor enough that Hazael could not navigate his surroundings safely. Everything that crossed his field of vision was just a great big blur unless Hazael’s nose was practically upon whatever he was trying to see. That was the only instance where he could see anything clearly.
He was sure that Thaddeus had questions. Most people did on the rare occasion that Haz revealed that there was anything wrong with his eyesight, to begin with. However, the boys didn’t have time to dissect what the Israeli could or could not see; especially if Thaddeus got it in his head to ask how many fingers he was holding up. (Yahweh be good, Hazael hated when people did that.)
Haz lucked out though as before Thaddeus even got the chance, the boy heard the faint barking coming from up the street. His head instantly swiveled in time to see a small blur of black fur dart around a corner. Even with his god-awful eyesight, Hazael knew what the mass of darkness had been.
“ Dafna!” Hazael called out as he threw all his previous caution to the wind as he tried to take off after the mother of the two pups he had been trying to sell here in Damascus. It was a foolish thing to do as the Israeli had barely made it halfway there, with Thaddeus close on his heels, before a loose rock that was the same dusty shade as the road found itself under Hazael’s foot. Without so much as a warning, Haz crumpled to the ground, having been tripped by the stone. He cried out as he fell, but more than shock than anything which was shown by the boy immediately trying to stumble to his feet while calling out to Thaddeus “ I’m fine! I’m fine! Don’t let them get away!”
From the moment that the words tumbled out of his mouth, Hazael knew that revealing that he was blind had been a mistake. It always was, no matter the circumstances. The people of Judea were not known to be particularly kind to those who had some sort of disability. Not when such defects were seen to be curses from Yahweh upon those who were unworthy to stand his light. After all, why else would their god take away from his perfect creation?
Hazael wondered what he had done to displease Yahweh enough for the deity to slowly steal his eyesight. It was a question that often kept him up at night as he replayed every sin he had knowingly committed in his short nineteen years. Was it him turning his back on a member of the poor when he was thirteen? Or those sweets he nicked from his father’s shop at six? Could it have been him speaking back to his father during a heated argument? Hazael didn’t know. He couldn’t think of anything that he had done that would have warranted such a cruel punishment such as this. It didn’t matter either way -- even if knew what he had done to displeasure Yahweh so greatly, it wouldn’t restore his eyesight. Even a fool like him knew it to be true.
So, when he admitted to Thaddeus that he was blind, Hazael had expected that the kind stranger would quickly turn his back to the frantic boy. Haz was afraid that the older man would be so nervous about displeasing Yahweh in the same way that the Israeli had that he would want to put as much distance between himself and the son of Avriam. That’s what the xenophobic boy would do if he wasn’t the one who couldn’t see. The Damascus man surprised him thought by not reacting with condemnation, but instead understanding?
Hazael looked at the man with a sheer look of disbelief bordering on shock as Thaddeus reached out to steer the boy through the streets. However, this look was quickly wiped off of Haz’s face when he was given the simple instruction of ‘Just keep up’ before the boys took off. As Thaddeus pulled him through the crowd, Hazael’s eyes drifted down to his feet as he tried to make sure that there wasn’t anything that other man would miss and the Israeli wouldn’t accidentally trip over. Haz knew that he should do this and instead trust this stranger to guide him as he would look around frantically for any signs of the dogs -- but he couldn’t. Not fully at least. Hazael had just spent so many years trying to overcompensate for his poor eyesight that he just couldn’t trust someone else with being his guide -- not when he had to do it himself for so long.
Which was a good thing, as Hazael quickly discovered when the pair came across their first obstacle. Even before Thaddeus skidded to a stop, the Israeli could see the steps up ahead as the stone was a different depth and color than the pathway surrounding it. “ I know. I can see colors. I can’t see the details.” Hazael quickly said as he scamped down the steps. It was true -- even though his vision was not darkened, it was still poor enough that Hazael could not navigate his surroundings safely. Everything that crossed his field of vision was just a great big blur unless Hazael’s nose was practically upon whatever he was trying to see. That was the only instance where he could see anything clearly.
He was sure that Thaddeus had questions. Most people did on the rare occasion that Haz revealed that there was anything wrong with his eyesight, to begin with. However, the boys didn’t have time to dissect what the Israeli could or could not see; especially if Thaddeus got it in his head to ask how many fingers he was holding up. (Yahweh be good, Hazael hated when people did that.)
Haz lucked out though as before Thaddeus even got the chance, the boy heard the faint barking coming from up the street. His head instantly swiveled in time to see a small blur of black fur dart around a corner. Even with his god-awful eyesight, Hazael knew what the mass of darkness had been.
“ Dafna!” Hazael called out as he threw all his previous caution to the wind as he tried to take off after the mother of the two pups he had been trying to sell here in Damascus. It was a foolish thing to do as the Israeli had barely made it halfway there, with Thaddeus close on his heels, before a loose rock that was the same dusty shade as the road found itself under Hazael’s foot. Without so much as a warning, Haz crumpled to the ground, having been tripped by the stone. He cried out as he fell, but more than shock than anything which was shown by the boy immediately trying to stumble to his feet while calling out to Thaddeus “ I’m fine! I’m fine! Don’t let them get away!”
Thaddeus had never, in his sheltered life, met anyone who couldn’t see. There was no time to dwindle on it, though, and Thaddeus didn’t want to waste any time. The dogs were still nowhere to be found, and he was still determined to help the other, blind or not. All he could think about was the dogs… Thaddeus reached over to Hazael, intent on getting to the dogs with the other. Even if he had to drag the other, he’d do it. Thaddeus started to move faster, picking up his feet as they zig zagged through the crowds as he gripped Hazael, hoping the other would follow his words and keep up. Thaddeus took a brief look towards Hazael as the other spoke, and the noble nodded. “No details? Well thank Yahweh that you can at least see color.” He was actually happy for him that he was able to see color- at least he could see one type of what he considered to be beauty in the world. It would be tragic if the other could only see darkness. Thaddeus did have other questions- but he recognized that this wasn’t the right time or place for that. He continued forward, his eyes turning over his surroundings, zipping this way and that for the dogs. They had to be close….
Thaddeus glanced as he heard the other call one of the dogs' names, and Thaddeus stopped. It was obvious that Hazael saw the dog before him, and it took a moment for the noble to find where the other saw what they were looking for. And then he saw the black dog, there in the middle of the rush of people. Thaddeus started to breath hard as he started to sprint towards the dog- unfortunately forgetting Hazael was even there. He felt the man hit the floor, and Thaddeus instinctively jumped back to help the other man. He nodded as the other shooed him off, and started back towards Dafna. “Don’t worry! I won't!” Thaddeus yelled back as he started to just run. And run he did. He didn’t exactly have a fully calculated plan on how to get the dog back but he wasn’t about the fact that he was out of ideas to stop him. Thaddeus got close to the dog, and while her kidnappers were not looking, Thaddeus launched behind a wall. He felt his heart beating rapidly, and he panted as he frantically searched for a good plan in his mind. He couldn’t think. He was out of breath, worried, and a bit scared… He realized every second he waited, the more of a chance he wouldn’t be able to get the dogs back. And so… he had no choice to act.
Thaddeus jumped out from the wall, and sprinted towards Dafna. With a pull, he somehow got the dog loose from the captor’s grips, and with a snap, the leash broke. “RUN DAFNA RUN!” Thaddeus screamed, and Dafna took off- hopefully towards where he had left Hazael. Of course, the dog taking off did not make people happy, and the ones who had taken the dogs started to surround Thaddeus. They yelled out names towards Thaddeus, but they didn’t act. It was as if they were worried about laying a hand on a Tzephaniah boy. Thaddues glared at one of the younger dog kidnappers and snapped at them. “Where is the gold dog?” He yelled, and all he got was laughter. “Already gone.” Once he got such a response, he could tell in the other’s voice that the dog wasn’t gone, and the man broke from the dog kidnappers circle, running off again. The gold dog, along with the two pups were around here somewhere….
“Stop right there!” Thaddeus yelled, when he finally found the other dogs. The man who were holding them to chained leashes looked less friendly then those who had the black dog, but…. Thaddeus couldn’t give up now. He had to get the second dog, no matter what. “Give me those dogs!” Thaddeus caught up to the sinner, and he pointed to the dogs. “I need those dogs. I will pay you…. Anything…” He couldn’t leave empty handed. He couldnt go back to Hazael without the dogs…
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Thaddeus had never, in his sheltered life, met anyone who couldn’t see. There was no time to dwindle on it, though, and Thaddeus didn’t want to waste any time. The dogs were still nowhere to be found, and he was still determined to help the other, blind or not. All he could think about was the dogs… Thaddeus reached over to Hazael, intent on getting to the dogs with the other. Even if he had to drag the other, he’d do it. Thaddeus started to move faster, picking up his feet as they zig zagged through the crowds as he gripped Hazael, hoping the other would follow his words and keep up. Thaddeus took a brief look towards Hazael as the other spoke, and the noble nodded. “No details? Well thank Yahweh that you can at least see color.” He was actually happy for him that he was able to see color- at least he could see one type of what he considered to be beauty in the world. It would be tragic if the other could only see darkness. Thaddeus did have other questions- but he recognized that this wasn’t the right time or place for that. He continued forward, his eyes turning over his surroundings, zipping this way and that for the dogs. They had to be close….
Thaddeus glanced as he heard the other call one of the dogs' names, and Thaddeus stopped. It was obvious that Hazael saw the dog before him, and it took a moment for the noble to find where the other saw what they were looking for. And then he saw the black dog, there in the middle of the rush of people. Thaddeus started to breath hard as he started to sprint towards the dog- unfortunately forgetting Hazael was even there. He felt the man hit the floor, and Thaddeus instinctively jumped back to help the other man. He nodded as the other shooed him off, and started back towards Dafna. “Don’t worry! I won't!” Thaddeus yelled back as he started to just run. And run he did. He didn’t exactly have a fully calculated plan on how to get the dog back but he wasn’t about the fact that he was out of ideas to stop him. Thaddeus got close to the dog, and while her kidnappers were not looking, Thaddeus launched behind a wall. He felt his heart beating rapidly, and he panted as he frantically searched for a good plan in his mind. He couldn’t think. He was out of breath, worried, and a bit scared… He realized every second he waited, the more of a chance he wouldn’t be able to get the dogs back. And so… he had no choice to act.
Thaddeus jumped out from the wall, and sprinted towards Dafna. With a pull, he somehow got the dog loose from the captor’s grips, and with a snap, the leash broke. “RUN DAFNA RUN!” Thaddeus screamed, and Dafna took off- hopefully towards where he had left Hazael. Of course, the dog taking off did not make people happy, and the ones who had taken the dogs started to surround Thaddeus. They yelled out names towards Thaddeus, but they didn’t act. It was as if they were worried about laying a hand on a Tzephaniah boy. Thaddues glared at one of the younger dog kidnappers and snapped at them. “Where is the gold dog?” He yelled, and all he got was laughter. “Already gone.” Once he got such a response, he could tell in the other’s voice that the dog wasn’t gone, and the man broke from the dog kidnappers circle, running off again. The gold dog, along with the two pups were around here somewhere….
“Stop right there!” Thaddeus yelled, when he finally found the other dogs. The man who were holding them to chained leashes looked less friendly then those who had the black dog, but…. Thaddeus couldn’t give up now. He had to get the second dog, no matter what. “Give me those dogs!” Thaddeus caught up to the sinner, and he pointed to the dogs. “I need those dogs. I will pay you…. Anything…” He couldn’t leave empty handed. He couldnt go back to Hazael without the dogs…
Thaddeus had never, in his sheltered life, met anyone who couldn’t see. There was no time to dwindle on it, though, and Thaddeus didn’t want to waste any time. The dogs were still nowhere to be found, and he was still determined to help the other, blind or not. All he could think about was the dogs… Thaddeus reached over to Hazael, intent on getting to the dogs with the other. Even if he had to drag the other, he’d do it. Thaddeus started to move faster, picking up his feet as they zig zagged through the crowds as he gripped Hazael, hoping the other would follow his words and keep up. Thaddeus took a brief look towards Hazael as the other spoke, and the noble nodded. “No details? Well thank Yahweh that you can at least see color.” He was actually happy for him that he was able to see color- at least he could see one type of what he considered to be beauty in the world. It would be tragic if the other could only see darkness. Thaddeus did have other questions- but he recognized that this wasn’t the right time or place for that. He continued forward, his eyes turning over his surroundings, zipping this way and that for the dogs. They had to be close….
Thaddeus glanced as he heard the other call one of the dogs' names, and Thaddeus stopped. It was obvious that Hazael saw the dog before him, and it took a moment for the noble to find where the other saw what they were looking for. And then he saw the black dog, there in the middle of the rush of people. Thaddeus started to breath hard as he started to sprint towards the dog- unfortunately forgetting Hazael was even there. He felt the man hit the floor, and Thaddeus instinctively jumped back to help the other man. He nodded as the other shooed him off, and started back towards Dafna. “Don’t worry! I won't!” Thaddeus yelled back as he started to just run. And run he did. He didn’t exactly have a fully calculated plan on how to get the dog back but he wasn’t about the fact that he was out of ideas to stop him. Thaddeus got close to the dog, and while her kidnappers were not looking, Thaddeus launched behind a wall. He felt his heart beating rapidly, and he panted as he frantically searched for a good plan in his mind. He couldn’t think. He was out of breath, worried, and a bit scared… He realized every second he waited, the more of a chance he wouldn’t be able to get the dogs back. And so… he had no choice to act.
Thaddeus jumped out from the wall, and sprinted towards Dafna. With a pull, he somehow got the dog loose from the captor’s grips, and with a snap, the leash broke. “RUN DAFNA RUN!” Thaddeus screamed, and Dafna took off- hopefully towards where he had left Hazael. Of course, the dog taking off did not make people happy, and the ones who had taken the dogs started to surround Thaddeus. They yelled out names towards Thaddeus, but they didn’t act. It was as if they were worried about laying a hand on a Tzephaniah boy. Thaddues glared at one of the younger dog kidnappers and snapped at them. “Where is the gold dog?” He yelled, and all he got was laughter. “Already gone.” Once he got such a response, he could tell in the other’s voice that the dog wasn’t gone, and the man broke from the dog kidnappers circle, running off again. The gold dog, along with the two pups were around here somewhere….
“Stop right there!” Thaddeus yelled, when he finally found the other dogs. The man who were holding them to chained leashes looked less friendly then those who had the black dog, but…. Thaddeus couldn’t give up now. He had to get the second dog, no matter what. “Give me those dogs!” Thaddeus caught up to the sinner, and he pointed to the dogs. “I need those dogs. I will pay you…. Anything…” He couldn’t leave empty handed. He couldnt go back to Hazael without the dogs…
Hazael couldn’t believe how foolish he had been to allow this to happen. His dogs were in danger. He may very well never see Bracha or Dafna again and the only way to prevent that was keeping pace with the boys that had taken them. The Israeli had been so cautious thus far by enlisting the help of this Thaddeus fellow, but at the moment where it had counted most, Hazael had been so stupid that he had been bested by a stupid rock.
He wanted to scream in frustration as the nineteen-year-old urged the noble to give chase instead of him. How on earth could he have been so stupid? Hazael had made a whole big fuss about not being able to see and yet somehow thought it was a brilliant idea to go running after Dafna when he caught sight of her! He was such a fool and Hazael wasn’t so sure if he deserved to ever see his hounds again as he was too large of a numbskull to consider that if he stepped away from the Jaffe’s protective watch that he was going to trip. Now there was a chance that he was never going to see Thaddeus or his dogs again and it would be entirely his fault for being so careless. If he had just stopped to think for a moment, this could have been avoided.
It took all of his willpower to not angrily curse himself as he peeled himself off the ground and tried to give chase after the other man. Though it wasn’t much of a chase as the lesson Hazael had learned forced him to move as a brisk walk rather run like he would’ve liked to do. He couldn’t make the same mistake again. Not when he was so hopelessly lost in the streets of Judah as he had no idea where Thaddeus could have gone after he turned the first corner that he had seen the bright fabrics of the nobleman’s outfit. He couldn’t see the same blur of color anywhere and the boy’s frustration with the situation only grew to the point where he felt a small sob begin to wrack the coward’s chest. As unfair as it was, Hazael was such an idiot that he deserved this fate. His cursed eyesight wasn’t enough of punishment from Yahweh for whatever crime Hazael had committed. It was only fitting that he took the one thing that made his life as a puppet for his father and a punching bag for his brother bearable; his dogs.
The emotions welling up within him almost threatened to overflow when out of nowhere a dark mass of fur came hurtling at Hazael. The boy barely had a moment to react before a pair of paws were jumping up and onto his chest, knocking him to the ground. Any other person would have reacted with howls of fear, but squeals of happiness were the only thing that escaped the boy as a wet sloppy tongue began to lap at his face. “Dafna! Good Girl! Oh, Yahweh, you’re such a good girl!” Hazael exclaimed as he reunited with the dog he had seen disappear around the corner. He pushed himself off the ground as he threw his arms around the hound, immensely grateful that he had been reunited with her. Happy tears sprung in his eyes as the nineteen-year-old buried his face in her fur. “I thought I lost you.”
After a moment, the boy was able to pull himself together. As soon as he had his wits about him, Hazael reached for the leash so she couldn’t be separated from him again. The Israeli even went as far as to tie it around his wrist. That way he could avoid the same event from happening again. It was in that moment that the boy realized that the leash had been cut. Even though he had no idea what had happened, even the fool of a boy knew that the thieves wouldn’t have a reason to break the leash… but he did know someone who would.
“Thaddeus” Hazael muttered quietly in awe. He had fully convinced himself that after the two had separated that the older man would give up the chase as his obligation to help Hazael was effectively over. However, this was proof that he hadn’t, and given that Thaddeus was nowhere in sight, it was likely that he was still trying to find Bracha. There was still a chance to recover Hazael’s favorite dog and the mere thought of this had the Israeli boy’s face lighting up as he gave the momma dog a command that would hopefully lead the pair to the thieves. “Dafna, Find your pups.”
The boy had his doubts that the dog understood the command perfectly, but it didn’t matter as the Saluki’s maternal instinct kicked in and she sniffed at the air. Hazael didn’t correct her when she suddenly started to tug poor Hazael down the street as she hurriedly gave chase in the direction the second thief had brought Bracha and the pups. It took them a moment to approach as they needed to move slowly for Hazael and Dafna had none of the training to account for this as Bracha did. It took them a moment as Haz bumped into nearly every person they passed but within a few moments the dog and his owner had stumbled across the scene. Hazael was stunned speechless when he heard Thaddeus offer to pay for the dogs returned as he had not expected a stranger to do such a thing and in truth he was touched. He didn’t have the words to convey in the moment how much that meant to him, but he couldn’t allow the nobleman to physically pay for Hazael’s mistake. Not when the boy had the means to do so himself.
“Here,” Hazael said as he pulled out a small cloth satchel from his pocket. The wallet was unassuming on the outside, but it was visibly heavy with silver and bronze coins. It had been all his earnings for the pups’s siblings that he had earned as he passed through the cities. It was a hefty sum and he could see the thief’s eyes light up at the sight of such a heavy purse. However, the boy’s grip on it was ironclad as he listed his terms for handing it over, “You can have the whole thing, if you hand over all the dogs.” Hazael’s eyes narrowed at the sinner, showing that he had no desire to fool around. He just wanted his dogs back and since he already knew that these coins were supposed to go to the Temple, these boys would face their own comeuppance for not only stealing from a blind boy, but also from Yahweh himself. Not that the foolish thieves needed to know that.
Probably imagining that the purse was filled with gold coins, the thief was quick to let go of the leashes and all the dogs scampered over to Hazael as they sought to either reunite with the boy, their mother or simply follow the others. Once all the pups were in the boy’s reach and a quick headcount ensured that no one was missing, Hazael gathered up the leashes and tossed the coin purse at the thief. Their adversary was quick to scoop it up and scamper away. Surely he would be disappointed with the contents as dogs were not nearly worth as much as the thieves seemed to think, but that was something that the Israeli and the nobleman would not have to deal with this day.
Speaking of which, Hazael turned back to Thaddeus and said with his expression soft in gratitude, “Thank you, sir. I never would have gotten these little beasts back without your help.” His words about the dogs being monsters was a joke, of course, highlighted by the fact that Hazael chose that moment to scoop up one of the more feisty dark ones who was lightly yapping at the direction that the thief had run off in. He lightly scratched at the pup’s neck, encouraging the dog to calm down before he spoke to the Jaffe again. “If you want you can pick one of the little ones to take home, as a token of my gratitude.” He didn’t know if the nobleman would take his offer, but it was the least that Hazael could do to show how thankful he was that Thaddeus had stopped to aid Hazael in his time of need. Not many people would have done such a thing.
Now it was only a matter if the older man actually wanted a pup to call his own...
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This character is currently a work in progress.
Check out their information page here.
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Hazael couldn’t believe how foolish he had been to allow this to happen. His dogs were in danger. He may very well never see Bracha or Dafna again and the only way to prevent that was keeping pace with the boys that had taken them. The Israeli had been so cautious thus far by enlisting the help of this Thaddeus fellow, but at the moment where it had counted most, Hazael had been so stupid that he had been bested by a stupid rock.
He wanted to scream in frustration as the nineteen-year-old urged the noble to give chase instead of him. How on earth could he have been so stupid? Hazael had made a whole big fuss about not being able to see and yet somehow thought it was a brilliant idea to go running after Dafna when he caught sight of her! He was such a fool and Hazael wasn’t so sure if he deserved to ever see his hounds again as he was too large of a numbskull to consider that if he stepped away from the Jaffe’s protective watch that he was going to trip. Now there was a chance that he was never going to see Thaddeus or his dogs again and it would be entirely his fault for being so careless. If he had just stopped to think for a moment, this could have been avoided.
It took all of his willpower to not angrily curse himself as he peeled himself off the ground and tried to give chase after the other man. Though it wasn’t much of a chase as the lesson Hazael had learned forced him to move as a brisk walk rather run like he would’ve liked to do. He couldn’t make the same mistake again. Not when he was so hopelessly lost in the streets of Judah as he had no idea where Thaddeus could have gone after he turned the first corner that he had seen the bright fabrics of the nobleman’s outfit. He couldn’t see the same blur of color anywhere and the boy’s frustration with the situation only grew to the point where he felt a small sob begin to wrack the coward’s chest. As unfair as it was, Hazael was such an idiot that he deserved this fate. His cursed eyesight wasn’t enough of punishment from Yahweh for whatever crime Hazael had committed. It was only fitting that he took the one thing that made his life as a puppet for his father and a punching bag for his brother bearable; his dogs.
The emotions welling up within him almost threatened to overflow when out of nowhere a dark mass of fur came hurtling at Hazael. The boy barely had a moment to react before a pair of paws were jumping up and onto his chest, knocking him to the ground. Any other person would have reacted with howls of fear, but squeals of happiness were the only thing that escaped the boy as a wet sloppy tongue began to lap at his face. “Dafna! Good Girl! Oh, Yahweh, you’re such a good girl!” Hazael exclaimed as he reunited with the dog he had seen disappear around the corner. He pushed himself off the ground as he threw his arms around the hound, immensely grateful that he had been reunited with her. Happy tears sprung in his eyes as the nineteen-year-old buried his face in her fur. “I thought I lost you.”
After a moment, the boy was able to pull himself together. As soon as he had his wits about him, Hazael reached for the leash so she couldn’t be separated from him again. The Israeli even went as far as to tie it around his wrist. That way he could avoid the same event from happening again. It was in that moment that the boy realized that the leash had been cut. Even though he had no idea what had happened, even the fool of a boy knew that the thieves wouldn’t have a reason to break the leash… but he did know someone who would.
“Thaddeus” Hazael muttered quietly in awe. He had fully convinced himself that after the two had separated that the older man would give up the chase as his obligation to help Hazael was effectively over. However, this was proof that he hadn’t, and given that Thaddeus was nowhere in sight, it was likely that he was still trying to find Bracha. There was still a chance to recover Hazael’s favorite dog and the mere thought of this had the Israeli boy’s face lighting up as he gave the momma dog a command that would hopefully lead the pair to the thieves. “Dafna, Find your pups.”
The boy had his doubts that the dog understood the command perfectly, but it didn’t matter as the Saluki’s maternal instinct kicked in and she sniffed at the air. Hazael didn’t correct her when she suddenly started to tug poor Hazael down the street as she hurriedly gave chase in the direction the second thief had brought Bracha and the pups. It took them a moment to approach as they needed to move slowly for Hazael and Dafna had none of the training to account for this as Bracha did. It took them a moment as Haz bumped into nearly every person they passed but within a few moments the dog and his owner had stumbled across the scene. Hazael was stunned speechless when he heard Thaddeus offer to pay for the dogs returned as he had not expected a stranger to do such a thing and in truth he was touched. He didn’t have the words to convey in the moment how much that meant to him, but he couldn’t allow the nobleman to physically pay for Hazael’s mistake. Not when the boy had the means to do so himself.
“Here,” Hazael said as he pulled out a small cloth satchel from his pocket. The wallet was unassuming on the outside, but it was visibly heavy with silver and bronze coins. It had been all his earnings for the pups’s siblings that he had earned as he passed through the cities. It was a hefty sum and he could see the thief’s eyes light up at the sight of such a heavy purse. However, the boy’s grip on it was ironclad as he listed his terms for handing it over, “You can have the whole thing, if you hand over all the dogs.” Hazael’s eyes narrowed at the sinner, showing that he had no desire to fool around. He just wanted his dogs back and since he already knew that these coins were supposed to go to the Temple, these boys would face their own comeuppance for not only stealing from a blind boy, but also from Yahweh himself. Not that the foolish thieves needed to know that.
Probably imagining that the purse was filled with gold coins, the thief was quick to let go of the leashes and all the dogs scampered over to Hazael as they sought to either reunite with the boy, their mother or simply follow the others. Once all the pups were in the boy’s reach and a quick headcount ensured that no one was missing, Hazael gathered up the leashes and tossed the coin purse at the thief. Their adversary was quick to scoop it up and scamper away. Surely he would be disappointed with the contents as dogs were not nearly worth as much as the thieves seemed to think, but that was something that the Israeli and the nobleman would not have to deal with this day.
Speaking of which, Hazael turned back to Thaddeus and said with his expression soft in gratitude, “Thank you, sir. I never would have gotten these little beasts back without your help.” His words about the dogs being monsters was a joke, of course, highlighted by the fact that Hazael chose that moment to scoop up one of the more feisty dark ones who was lightly yapping at the direction that the thief had run off in. He lightly scratched at the pup’s neck, encouraging the dog to calm down before he spoke to the Jaffe again. “If you want you can pick one of the little ones to take home, as a token of my gratitude.” He didn’t know if the nobleman would take his offer, but it was the least that Hazael could do to show how thankful he was that Thaddeus had stopped to aid Hazael in his time of need. Not many people would have done such a thing.
Now it was only a matter if the older man actually wanted a pup to call his own...
Hazael couldn’t believe how foolish he had been to allow this to happen. His dogs were in danger. He may very well never see Bracha or Dafna again and the only way to prevent that was keeping pace with the boys that had taken them. The Israeli had been so cautious thus far by enlisting the help of this Thaddeus fellow, but at the moment where it had counted most, Hazael had been so stupid that he had been bested by a stupid rock.
He wanted to scream in frustration as the nineteen-year-old urged the noble to give chase instead of him. How on earth could he have been so stupid? Hazael had made a whole big fuss about not being able to see and yet somehow thought it was a brilliant idea to go running after Dafna when he caught sight of her! He was such a fool and Hazael wasn’t so sure if he deserved to ever see his hounds again as he was too large of a numbskull to consider that if he stepped away from the Jaffe’s protective watch that he was going to trip. Now there was a chance that he was never going to see Thaddeus or his dogs again and it would be entirely his fault for being so careless. If he had just stopped to think for a moment, this could have been avoided.
It took all of his willpower to not angrily curse himself as he peeled himself off the ground and tried to give chase after the other man. Though it wasn’t much of a chase as the lesson Hazael had learned forced him to move as a brisk walk rather run like he would’ve liked to do. He couldn’t make the same mistake again. Not when he was so hopelessly lost in the streets of Judah as he had no idea where Thaddeus could have gone after he turned the first corner that he had seen the bright fabrics of the nobleman’s outfit. He couldn’t see the same blur of color anywhere and the boy’s frustration with the situation only grew to the point where he felt a small sob begin to wrack the coward’s chest. As unfair as it was, Hazael was such an idiot that he deserved this fate. His cursed eyesight wasn’t enough of punishment from Yahweh for whatever crime Hazael had committed. It was only fitting that he took the one thing that made his life as a puppet for his father and a punching bag for his brother bearable; his dogs.
The emotions welling up within him almost threatened to overflow when out of nowhere a dark mass of fur came hurtling at Hazael. The boy barely had a moment to react before a pair of paws were jumping up and onto his chest, knocking him to the ground. Any other person would have reacted with howls of fear, but squeals of happiness were the only thing that escaped the boy as a wet sloppy tongue began to lap at his face. “Dafna! Good Girl! Oh, Yahweh, you’re such a good girl!” Hazael exclaimed as he reunited with the dog he had seen disappear around the corner. He pushed himself off the ground as he threw his arms around the hound, immensely grateful that he had been reunited with her. Happy tears sprung in his eyes as the nineteen-year-old buried his face in her fur. “I thought I lost you.”
After a moment, the boy was able to pull himself together. As soon as he had his wits about him, Hazael reached for the leash so she couldn’t be separated from him again. The Israeli even went as far as to tie it around his wrist. That way he could avoid the same event from happening again. It was in that moment that the boy realized that the leash had been cut. Even though he had no idea what had happened, even the fool of a boy knew that the thieves wouldn’t have a reason to break the leash… but he did know someone who would.
“Thaddeus” Hazael muttered quietly in awe. He had fully convinced himself that after the two had separated that the older man would give up the chase as his obligation to help Hazael was effectively over. However, this was proof that he hadn’t, and given that Thaddeus was nowhere in sight, it was likely that he was still trying to find Bracha. There was still a chance to recover Hazael’s favorite dog and the mere thought of this had the Israeli boy’s face lighting up as he gave the momma dog a command that would hopefully lead the pair to the thieves. “Dafna, Find your pups.”
The boy had his doubts that the dog understood the command perfectly, but it didn’t matter as the Saluki’s maternal instinct kicked in and she sniffed at the air. Hazael didn’t correct her when she suddenly started to tug poor Hazael down the street as she hurriedly gave chase in the direction the second thief had brought Bracha and the pups. It took them a moment to approach as they needed to move slowly for Hazael and Dafna had none of the training to account for this as Bracha did. It took them a moment as Haz bumped into nearly every person they passed but within a few moments the dog and his owner had stumbled across the scene. Hazael was stunned speechless when he heard Thaddeus offer to pay for the dogs returned as he had not expected a stranger to do such a thing and in truth he was touched. He didn’t have the words to convey in the moment how much that meant to him, but he couldn’t allow the nobleman to physically pay for Hazael’s mistake. Not when the boy had the means to do so himself.
“Here,” Hazael said as he pulled out a small cloth satchel from his pocket. The wallet was unassuming on the outside, but it was visibly heavy with silver and bronze coins. It had been all his earnings for the pups’s siblings that he had earned as he passed through the cities. It was a hefty sum and he could see the thief’s eyes light up at the sight of such a heavy purse. However, the boy’s grip on it was ironclad as he listed his terms for handing it over, “You can have the whole thing, if you hand over all the dogs.” Hazael’s eyes narrowed at the sinner, showing that he had no desire to fool around. He just wanted his dogs back and since he already knew that these coins were supposed to go to the Temple, these boys would face their own comeuppance for not only stealing from a blind boy, but also from Yahweh himself. Not that the foolish thieves needed to know that.
Probably imagining that the purse was filled with gold coins, the thief was quick to let go of the leashes and all the dogs scampered over to Hazael as they sought to either reunite with the boy, their mother or simply follow the others. Once all the pups were in the boy’s reach and a quick headcount ensured that no one was missing, Hazael gathered up the leashes and tossed the coin purse at the thief. Their adversary was quick to scoop it up and scamper away. Surely he would be disappointed with the contents as dogs were not nearly worth as much as the thieves seemed to think, but that was something that the Israeli and the nobleman would not have to deal with this day.
Speaking of which, Hazael turned back to Thaddeus and said with his expression soft in gratitude, “Thank you, sir. I never would have gotten these little beasts back without your help.” His words about the dogs being monsters was a joke, of course, highlighted by the fact that Hazael chose that moment to scoop up one of the more feisty dark ones who was lightly yapping at the direction that the thief had run off in. He lightly scratched at the pup’s neck, encouraging the dog to calm down before he spoke to the Jaffe again. “If you want you can pick one of the little ones to take home, as a token of my gratitude.” He didn’t know if the nobleman would take his offer, but it was the least that Hazael could do to show how thankful he was that Thaddeus had stopped to aid Hazael in his time of need. Not many people would have done such a thing.
Now it was only a matter if the older man actually wanted a pup to call his own...
Hazael started running, and so did Thaddeus. The man was determined to find the dogs, and he prayed as he moved forward towards where they believed they headed. His legs carried him all the way over to eventually find the sinners, and he ordered them to stop. He needed the dogs back and would do anything. He even offered to pay… Thad glanced over as Hazael caught up to them, and he stepped to the side to be close enough to protect him. They had no idea what the sinners would do. He blinked as Hazael revealed a bag of coins, and Thaddeus did the same. Thaddeus held out his own coins, hoping it’d be enough to incentivize the sinners to give the dogs back unharmed. He smiled when the sinners accepted all the coins and gave a sigh of relief when the dogs ran back to their keeper. Thank Yahweh.
“I am happy I was able to help,” Thaddeus said softly, grinning over to Hazael. The noble placed a reassuring hand on the other’s shoulder. “We are blessed by Yahweh that your dogs are unharmed. Sinners are unpredictable.” Things could have gone a lot worse. He didn’t even want to think about that. He chuckled as Hazael picked up one of the pups, and Thad reached out to touch the blank pup’s fur. He frowned at Hazael’s next words, however, and let out a sigh. “I really wish I could.” He started, before moving his hand away. “My brother doesn’t like animals in the home.” Amiti would never let him keep it. He would be forced to give it away, and that would cause heartbreak. “My brother is getting married soon, though, maybe once that happens, and if you still have puppies I will gladly pay for one. I just can’t right now.” Thaddeus gave the other man a sad grin, before stepping away. “Thank you for your offer though.” He gave the other man a wave. “I must be going. Come to me again whenever you need help!”
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Hazael started running, and so did Thaddeus. The man was determined to find the dogs, and he prayed as he moved forward towards where they believed they headed. His legs carried him all the way over to eventually find the sinners, and he ordered them to stop. He needed the dogs back and would do anything. He even offered to pay… Thad glanced over as Hazael caught up to them, and he stepped to the side to be close enough to protect him. They had no idea what the sinners would do. He blinked as Hazael revealed a bag of coins, and Thaddeus did the same. Thaddeus held out his own coins, hoping it’d be enough to incentivize the sinners to give the dogs back unharmed. He smiled when the sinners accepted all the coins and gave a sigh of relief when the dogs ran back to their keeper. Thank Yahweh.
“I am happy I was able to help,” Thaddeus said softly, grinning over to Hazael. The noble placed a reassuring hand on the other’s shoulder. “We are blessed by Yahweh that your dogs are unharmed. Sinners are unpredictable.” Things could have gone a lot worse. He didn’t even want to think about that. He chuckled as Hazael picked up one of the pups, and Thad reached out to touch the blank pup’s fur. He frowned at Hazael’s next words, however, and let out a sigh. “I really wish I could.” He started, before moving his hand away. “My brother doesn’t like animals in the home.” Amiti would never let him keep it. He would be forced to give it away, and that would cause heartbreak. “My brother is getting married soon, though, maybe once that happens, and if you still have puppies I will gladly pay for one. I just can’t right now.” Thaddeus gave the other man a sad grin, before stepping away. “Thank you for your offer though.” He gave the other man a wave. “I must be going. Come to me again whenever you need help!”
Hazael started running, and so did Thaddeus. The man was determined to find the dogs, and he prayed as he moved forward towards where they believed they headed. His legs carried him all the way over to eventually find the sinners, and he ordered them to stop. He needed the dogs back and would do anything. He even offered to pay… Thad glanced over as Hazael caught up to them, and he stepped to the side to be close enough to protect him. They had no idea what the sinners would do. He blinked as Hazael revealed a bag of coins, and Thaddeus did the same. Thaddeus held out his own coins, hoping it’d be enough to incentivize the sinners to give the dogs back unharmed. He smiled when the sinners accepted all the coins and gave a sigh of relief when the dogs ran back to their keeper. Thank Yahweh.
“I am happy I was able to help,” Thaddeus said softly, grinning over to Hazael. The noble placed a reassuring hand on the other’s shoulder. “We are blessed by Yahweh that your dogs are unharmed. Sinners are unpredictable.” Things could have gone a lot worse. He didn’t even want to think about that. He chuckled as Hazael picked up one of the pups, and Thad reached out to touch the blank pup’s fur. He frowned at Hazael’s next words, however, and let out a sigh. “I really wish I could.” He started, before moving his hand away. “My brother doesn’t like animals in the home.” Amiti would never let him keep it. He would be forced to give it away, and that would cause heartbreak. “My brother is getting married soon, though, maybe once that happens, and if you still have puppies I will gladly pay for one. I just can’t right now.” Thaddeus gave the other man a sad grin, before stepping away. “Thank you for your offer though.” He gave the other man a wave. “I must be going. Come to me again whenever you need help!”