I sighed as I tapped Vim's spear with my thumbnail.
My nails were getting longer and sharp again… And my hair too was starting to get a tad out of hand. It was so long now that it reached my tail.
I knew Vim liked it when my hair and nails were grown and a tad unruly… but I really did need to tend to them. If I let them get too wild it'd make it harder for to hide myself amongst humans, which was why even Vim went against his own little desires and rules to ensure I kept them tidy. Though I had not brought my little box for my nails… Since Sap had flown here, I had taken as little as possible. I had almost even left Vim's spear, but it turned out the spear doesn't weigh anything so it had been fine.
Walking through the hallway on the third floor, I headed for one of the rooms with the large windows. So I could again keep an eye on the bear.
It has been roughly a day since the bear had shown up, and Windle had left to go get Vim. The shadow bear, as Lilly called it, had not moved from where it had plopped down upon its arrival. We still weren't sure what it was doing, but we all assud it was just sleeping.
Most of the owl family had cald down, but I still felt strung up. My tail kept twitching wildly, to the point that others had even noticed and comnted on it. It was kind of upsetting that I'd been told several tis already that all would be well, and that I could calm down.
How were they so sure…? Yes, Vim would co. And he would handle it. But… until then…
I an there were so many important people here! Each and every one of them here were precious. Lilly and her family… Lellip and Fly… they were so important to … the re thought of them being in danger was making stressed out beyond reason.
I'd suggested, lightly, that they should all retreat. To leave the Owl's Nest, until Vim could co and handle the bear… and I had been rather shocked at how angrily they had all disagreed. Even those like Seed and her other brothers, Bark and Trunk, had very vocally told that retreating was not an option.
Really…! I know this ho was important, and wonderful beyond asure, but…!
"Ah, Renn."
I rounded a corner and found Fly. The young bird hurried over to , grinning happily as she wrapped her feathered arms around my waist.
For a tiny mont I relaxed, as I made sure to keep the spear out of her way as I accepted her hug and returned it with a pat on her head. "Hey Fly."
She rubbed her face into my stomach for a mont, sothing I'd grown to realize was a way she showed affection… and then she looked up at and smiled. "I like how you don't sll like anything!"
Oh… was that why she rubbed her face against then? Not because she was trying to show her feelings…?
"Would you not do that if I stunk then?" I asked, as to find out.
Fly frowned for a mont, and then smiled. "I probably would, but only because it's you!"
Patting her head, I chuckled as I wondered if my own children would be as affectionate. I personally hoped they would be, but… I an…
Not only would they possibly inherit Vim's stupid hesitation at being openly affectionate, they might also inherit my own traits too… and it wasn't as if I had a long history of being willing or able to touch people so openly. I had probably only hugged my own siblings a handful of tis in my youth… and most of them, if not all, had been with Fellisee.
I paused a mont as Fly dug her face into once more, giggling as she did. I took the mont to collect myself as I realized I'd not thought of my younger sister in a long ti…
Would… would Nory be like her, I wonder…?
"Ah!" Fly then stopped what she was doing, and stepped back a bit though she held onto . "Can I ask a favor, Renn?"
"Hm?" I nodded down at the young girl that had sohow reminded of my sisters. Which was odd, since she was so different. Fly was a bit more like Lilly and her family than not, thus why she was here and not elsewhere in the Society… but she was a far cry from my siblings. They had made Lilly and her family look like feeble wimps.
Fly unhooked her arms and gestured at her back. "I have so feathers that I need to pluck, and I can't reach them… they itch, would you help?"
Oh…? "Of course I will," I said.
Fly smiled happily as she nodded. "Thanks! We can do it later, after everyone's uh…" she glanced around again. "Not so stuffy," she whispered after a mont.
I smiled and nodded as I reached over and patted her on the shoulder. "They're just on guard is all, Fly," I said.
"Hmph… it's like they've never lived near a monster before," Fly said with a small laugh as she turned away. "I'm going to go grab a snack!"
Fly ran off, not even waiting to see if I wanted to join her or not. I sighed a bit, since I would have. I was in the mood for a snack too…
"Renn."
For a tiny mont my heart fluttered, but I cald down as I instantly recognized both the voice and where it was coming from. I walked down the hallway, going farther than Fly had since she had turned a corner… and found Crown in one of the rooms with the large window. She was standing in front of it.
"Crown, you okay?" I asked as I walked in.
She nodded. "Your husband's here," she said with a point to the window.
Hm? I hurried over, and quickly found him. It was early morning, so the world wasn't very well lit up… but I quickly found Vim. He was standing near the bear off in the distance.
"Vim…" I said his na with a little of relief, but also with a bit of annoyance. Had he already killed the thing?
"I'm not sure how long he's been there. I just noticed him," Crown said.
"Hmph… I'll go see him. Let your mother know he's here, would you?" I asked as I went to the nearest stairwell.
Like Fly had just done to , I hadn't waited to hear Crown's response. I hurried downstairs and out of the house before I even realized what I was doing. I didn't even realize I was barefoot until I was half way to Vim and the bear.
Slowing as I approached them… I gripped his spear a tad harder as I watched Vim kneel down next to the bear, near its head.
What was he doing…? The bear was still breathing; I could see it clearly thanks to how huge it was. The thing's massive back was going up and down and…
I ca to a stop as the bear suddenly moved. I went still as the bear lifted its mighty head… right up to Vim. I half expected the thing to try and bite at Vim, or for its head to disappear in a flash of wind and sound like how Tim's head had disappeared once, but… nothing happened.
A soft voice made my ears flutter as I watched Vim reach over and pat the thing on the nose. "Go on, go ho," Vim whispered to it.
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The bear's massive eyes held Vim's… and then it lurched upward. I shifted back a step as I felt its heavy footsteps, even from a distance, as it stood up and shook itself. Vim remained kneeling in his spot as the bear then noisily turned, huffing loudly as if in great strain and annoyance… as it then turned away and began to walk back to the darkness nearby.
My heart thumped alongside the bear's massive footsteps. They were heavy, solid and deep. They left huge divots in the grass, and its huge claws left gouges… though it didn't seem to be doing such damage on purpose. It was just simply that heavy. That big.
Too unnatural…
Vim sighed as he stood as the thing kept walking away. It didn't hurry, but it also didn't stop. It kept walking, leaving us behind as it headed for the wall of darkness.
I waited until the thing was near the darkness before stepping forward… and then I waited until it had actually stepped beyond the boundary of the Owl's Nest and back into the dark before speaking. "Does it actually understand you?" I asked him.
He softly shook his head. "No… it's just a basic creature, not like you or I. But all things can understand instinctively so things."
"So you threatened it," I said, understanding what he ant.
"Yes… I sadly fear I will have to end it. It's being… affected by sothing. As if it's not in its right mind," Vim said as he crossed his arms. "Pitiful creature. Born without a heart, yet not natural. And now being manipulated by the very things that wronged it so…" he added softly as he shook his head.
I gulped at that. How did Vim so quickly realize such things…? He was saying it was acting unnaturally because of the gods, right…? How had he noticed? Was it sothing to do with the divinity he felt? But… it had none, right? So…?
Glancing away from the darkness, where the bear had slipped through it, I looked to my husband and… found he was rather lacking. Usually when he showed up from sowhere else he had a bunch of bags on his person, yet right now he only had the stuff at his waist. Had he hurried here maybe?
"Windle got to you quickly, did he?" I asked, carefully choosing not to bring up what he had just ntioned. Both because it was scary, and to be gentle with him.
"No. I encountered him on the way here myself. He shouldn't be too far behind, I rushed ahead," he said.
Oh…? "You were heading this way already?" I asked, surprised to hear so.
He nodded slowly… and then looked over at . And as he did, he smiled. "You look good. Why is it you look so lovely when I'm not around, Renn? It's not fair," he said.
My face got hot, yet before I could say or do anything sothing, or rather soone, landed next to us. Sap chuckled as she folded up her wings and stepped near . "So you like it when she's tousled and ssy?" Sap asked, teasing without hesitation.
"Disheveled would be a better term, but yes it looks good on her. Doesn't it…?" Vim asked, unafraid to keep saying so.
"Gosh…" I groaned at the two as I reached up to brush my hair a bit. Was it really that ss…? Yes it was really long right now, but I hadn't figured it was ssy…
"Did you hurt it Vim?" Sap then asked, changing topics luckily.
"No… but I will have to. The fact it even dared to co here is telling. It's no longer sothing we can abide," Vim said simply.
"That's too bad… mother was hoping you could have fixed it without killing it," Sap said, sounding regretful.
I nodded, agreeing. "Will the darkness disappear, Vim? Once you kill it?"
Vim shifted ever so slightly as he frowned. "Yes… it will. In ti, at least," he said softly.
Ah…
So movent drew my attention away from him, and I found Lilly hurrying over. She was alone, but beyond her still at the house were others. I saw Branches and Lellip at the door, but they weren't in a hurry to join us. Likely because they knew Vim would, and had, handled whatever he needed to do.
I stepped back a bit to let Lilly comfortably step into our little circle. She glanced around, notably at the spot where the bear had just been, and then frowned at Vim. "Windle?" she asked.
My left ear twitched as I happily smiled. See! I knew she loved him! Worrying about him before anything else was so adorable!
"He'll be shortly behind . I hurried, just in case," Vim explained.
Lilly nodded at that. "Did you hurt it? I don't see or sll any blood," she asked. Now that she knew her husband was fine she was focusing on the next most important thing.
"No, but I'm going to have to. I'm sorry, Lilly, but I will have to slay the creature… it is no longer trustworthy. It breaching the light is a sign it is no longer safe," Vim said.
Lilly's expression softened, but not much more than that as she nodded. "I understand Vim. We knew this would happen eventually…"
Had we…?
Vim sighed as he glanced at the darkness beyond. "What a sha," he said simply.
I studied him for a mont, since the look of actual disappointnt was so pure and real… it almost made want to cry.
It wasn't often Vim showed such pure emotion. But was he showing such a thing for the bear itself, or for the aftereffects its death would bring?
"So… is it safe now?" I asked carefully.
"Hm…? Yes. For now," Vim said with a nod.
Sap sighed in relief and nodded, glad to hear so.
"I'll go let the rest know," Lilly said as she turned and left, heading back to the house.
"Whew… I can finally take a nap!" Sap said happily as she also stepped away. It seed she planned to walk back to the house with her mother. A cute gesture since she normally flew such distances.
Being left behind, I smiled gently as I glanced at Vim… who was staring at .
"Long ti no see," I said to him after a mont.
He blinked at . "Don't lie, you've likely not thought of once since you got here… or even during the flight here either," he said.
I smirked at him. "Hey, don't sell short! I've thought of you at least twice, for sure," I said, teasing him.
He smirked at that and nodded. "Likely only because soone was teasing you about sothing, I'm sure," he said.
Hmph! And here I was going to offer him a kiss! "Keep that up and I'll make you sleep in the birdhouse!"
Vim frowned at that, then looked upward… over to the tree itself.
Ah… "It was a joke, Vim," I said softly. Had he actually thought they had a house up in the tree sowhere?
"Hm… it hadn't used to be," he said softly.
My grip on the spear tightened, since I realized I'd just brought up sothing a tad sad.
He was right. I'd been told already that Lilly used to live up in the tree. Actually up in it, like… so high it was silly. Back when she had her wings…
Gulping softly, I glanced over at the house and was glad to see Lilly and Sap already back at it. They were walking through the front door.
They likely hadn't heard , since there looked busy talking to everyone else. Likely updating them on what Vim had said and done.
"They'd not be offended, Renn…" Vim said softly, obviously noticing my gaze and thoughts.
"I know… but I've decided to stop reminding people of sad things. Since it hurts so much," I said.
"Hm… when'd you decide this?"
"A few months ago. Before we ca back north," I said. I had decided it upon reading the prophecies. The ones rit and I had found under Telmik.
I myself did not want to be constantly reminded that I was supposed to have been here, with Vim and in the Society, hundreds of years ago. Such knowledge hurt. So much so that it made want to weep even now. So… I too didn't want to remind others of similarly sad things, since I now so readily understood the pain such knowledge brought.
A gentle hand placed itself on my shoulder, making shift as I glanced at the man who had a sad smile on his face. "You're supposed to be happy, Renn… not lancholic," he said.
"lons?"
He frowned at . "You don't know that word?"
Darn. "I do… I was just trying to liven up the mont, I guess…" I said, a tad embarrassed over being caught so readily.
Vim studied for a mont, and then chuckled… but only for half a second. Before I even realized it, he pulled closer thanks to his hand on my shoulder and gave a kiss.
A tad stunned, I barely got to enjoy it as he leaned back and licked his lips. "What were you eating?" he asked.
I groaned at him. "Last thing I had was honeyed tea…" I hadn't eaten anything yet this morning.
"Hm," he frowned but nodded, telling that was indeed what he had tasted on my lips.
Licking my own lips, I wondered why I couldn't taste it myself. It was kind of rude that I couldn't, especially since… "You know your kisses never taste like anything," I told him as we started to head back to the house.
"They don't?"
"How would I know?" I asked him, doing my best to keep the wry smirk that wanted to wiggle itself onto my face.
"You just brought it up…"
I elbowed him gently as he took my hand. "You don't even kiss often enough for to find such things out, Vim!"
He flinched, but not from my elbow. He had walked right into that one.
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