"So, here's my theory," Vim said as he held the baby shadow bear before .
I nodded as I focused on the bear's mouth. Or snout? Jaw? I suppose mouth was a fine word to use, but it felt a tad odd since the bear's snout was so long and oddly shaped. A long dark tongue was wildly coming in and out of it as I held up the bowl of milk. It kept trying to lean forward, as if to dunk its whole head into the bowl, but Vim kept it steady. We kept it close enough to let it drink, but not so close it could knock the bowl out of my hands or spill anything. Or at least, not spill more than it did just by drinking.
It really was a ssy eater! I'd say about a quarter of the milk it'd tried to drink so far was everywhere but it's stomach. The milk instead was covering its face, and my forearms instead.
"The bear noticed its mind being altered. Afflicted. So it abandoned its den… as to not harm its cubs. It instinctively knew that it needed to stay away from them, less it killed them," Vim explained his theory.
"And once you cleared its mind, it went to head back to the den. To feed its babies," I said.
"Rather it had likely already done so. I think I had killed it after it had left," he said.
Although it was sad to think that Vim had killed the creature and thus orphaning these cubs… I knew better than to doubt his decision. He had made it very clear that the bear had beco too dangerous. That it would harm Lilly and her family if we had left it alone, if he had left it alone, and so I didn't fault him for his actions.
But it still was sad…
"So… why do we think these ones won't get the sa affliction, Vim?" I asked as so of the milk splashed again. I smiled as the thing went from licking up the milk in the bowl to licking my wrist instead.
It really was cute… even if it had multiple eyes, extra limbs, and slled a tad odd. It slled like old moss.
"We don't. It's a risk, but one that I'm going to let Lilly and her family decide to make or not. They're not as connected to the remnant divinity in the ground, in this forest, but they're connected enough that if we leave them alive the darkness will last that much longer. Which will in turn keep the Owl's Nest safe," Vim said.
I humd as I nodded… and glanced behind . Off in the distance, near the house, were the other two cubs… and the rest of the owl family who were likewise feeding them as I and Vim were this one.
On the side of the house was a small barn, one that had been basically empty for years I was told. Occasionally they had horses and stuff, but now they were going to let the bear cubs stay in it. The owl family was all sitting outside of the barn, feeding and studying the other cubs.
Vim and I had stepped aside, both to have a private conversation… but also because Vim wanted to verify sothing with the runt of the litter.
The smaller bear made tingle. When I touched it, at least. The sensation was gentle and almost not even noticeable, but when I had told Vim he had frowned and grown serious over it.
It turned out he didn't sense a heart inside the cub, even though I tingled when touching it as if it had one. This of course made one think that the bear had no heart, since Vim in theory should know far better than anyone else… However, I didn't tingle when touching the other cubs… even though they were both bigger than this one.
Plus Sap had said she had tingled too.
"Would we really sense what you can't, Vim?" I asked as I tipped the bowl a tad. It had drank, and spilled, about half of the milk so far so I now needed to angle the bowl at bit as to let it easily drink from it.
"In theory, no. But at the sa ti yes. As I've told you, I don't have a heart. My thod of sensing divinity is a tad different than yours or Sap's. So… it's possible that you're sensing what I can't. Or maybe, what I think is happening, is you're sensing sothing else," Vim said.
"Hm…? Like what? A heart forming or sothing?" I asked.
"If it was to have a heart, it would be ford already. The only…" Vim then went quiet as he frowned, and as he did so he had lowered the bear a bit… which caused it to let out a small cry of annoyance as it was lowered far enough that it could no longer comfortably drink from the bowl.
I smiled as I lowered the bowl a bit more, to let it go back to drinking.
Sadly the reason we had to feed it like this was because of its rough drinking. We had originally tried to just let it drink from a bucket, but it had knocked it over within monts and spilled it all. The bears were simply so hungry that they couldn't contain themselves, and as such we had to feed them this way.
"The only what, Vim?" I asked as I watched the bear slurp loudly. Gosh it was cute… especially with milk stains all over its face.
"It's… possible it ate a heart. Recently. And is absorbing it. It would explain why you and Sap sense it, and I can't. Especially if it was a small heart of not much power," he said.
Oh…? "I thought you could sense such things," I said.
"I can, within reason. But… well…"
I glanced up at him, and frowned at the look on his face. He looked upset, which I was more than used to by now… since he had every right to be. He had killed a creature he had not wanted to harm, had learned of bad news from Light's letter, and now we were talking about things he simply hated to talk about. Yet… amidst that emotion was sothing else. Sothing a tad scary to see.
Was that worry? I think it was. That wasn't good.
"What is it, Vim…?" I asked softly.
Vim's eyes softened as he slowly nodded and his shoulders slumped a bit, causing the bear to again let out a tiny whine of complaint as Vim angled it away from the bowl of milk. Why was Vim so negligent? Did he not care that it was trying to eat? Hopefully he was more mindful with our own child once the ti ca…
"It's possible you're not sensing a heart at all, Renn. You and Sap might just be feeling its connection with the darkness. With the divinity in the forest around us," he said.
"Oh…? And why would that worry you if so? Isn't that a good thing?" I asked. That ant not only was it not a monarch, not a real one, it also ant it was connected to the darkness… right? So we could use it for the very thing Vim wanted to use it for? To keep the dark around, to replace its mother's purpose?
He slowly nodded. "Yes. It would be a very good thing… but it ans the other two, since they don't make you tingle, don't have the sa connection."
Ah… My own shoulders slumped, but I made sure to not move the bowl I held as I realized what he ant.
If what Sap and I were really sensing was the cub's connection to the darkness… that ant the other two, who we couldn't sense, had no connection to it at all.
Which ant… "If that was the case… what then?" I asked.
"I don't know, Renn. If it was just , I'd not be bothered by them. But no one else is as resilient as I am. These bears, once grown, could easily harm any of those here. Putting them at risk, far more risk than I am willing to allow," he said.
"What stopped their mother from entering this area, Vim?" I asked, hoping to get to the bottom of it.
"Beneath the tree is the heart of the owl. The one who had originally lived here, before even the darkness ca," he said.
My ears shifted at that. "Really…?" I asked as I glanced down at my feet. I hadn't, and couldn't, feel it at all! It must be really deep…
"If I removed that heart, the darkness would take over this area too. The monarch, the bear monarch from before, had been able to venture into this place… which is why I had slain it originally. But none of that monarch's descendants have ever crossed into the light. At least not for more than a few seconds at best. They fear it the sa way one would a mighty predator or threat, they instinctively just fear it."
"What about the cubs?" I asked as I reached over to pet the bear on the head. It didn't even acknowledge as it kept on slurping the milk.
"Too young. They likely feel the sensation of fear, but are too young and hungry to really recognize it. As they grow older, if we allow them to do so, they'll start to grow uncomfortable and begin to keep their distance from this place," he said.
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"And if they don't…?"
"Then I'll kill them, as I did their mother."
Right…
I sighed at him as I watched the bear drink up the last bit of milk in the bowl I held. "If the other two have no connection to the darkness… what then?"
"Then they're useless, in my opinion."
Frowning, I looked to my left at Lilly… and wondered when she had shown up. I hadn't even noticed her!
I glanced at Vim, who looked calm, and the bear he held. It was likely the bear, both its cuteness that had held my focus and its strange stink that had kept from noticing Lilly's approach.
Wonder how long she had been listening.
"I've not confird it yet, Lilly," Vim said simply.
"Hard to think of any other reason, Vim. At least it's sothing we can partly verify on our own, what with Sap and all," Lilly said.
He nodded at that as the bear started to gnaw on the edge of the bowl, since it was out of milk. It was a tad odd to see its teeth, since they were a glossy black. They kind of looked like those shiny black rocks one could find in rivers occasionally.
"As long as you're willing to risk it, and do so carefully… it'll be on you to figure it out, Lilly. I'll not be able to stay and help with this, not for a ti at least," Vim said.
"It's okay. This is more than enough, Vim… it's a chance. And you know how I am about at least having a chance," Lilly said.
Vim smirked at that and nodded… and then he put the cub down. I bent down a bit alongside him, but not to pick it up. Instead I went ahead and allowed the bear to keep chewing on the bowl, since it was so focused on it. It went to chewing and licking it, as if to draw out every drop of milk from it. Even the stuff that had soaked into the wood.
It really was cute when it was just sitting there… but it was also dangerous. It had huge, sharp, teeth and claws. The kind that would cut into , or anyone and anything for that matter, easily if we weren't careful. When Vim had first returned with the cubs he had a bunch of cuts and puncture wounds from them, since they had not liked him carrying them all together as he had done. He now of course had no wounds to be seen, but parts of his clothes still had stains from the blood they had drawn from him.
"How uh… how long would it take for it to grow? Or at least not need attention? If you guys kept them?" I asked.
"Only a few years," Vim answered.
Oh? That wasn't too bad then.
"If it turns out only this one has the darkness ability, then only this one will be kept. Raising one, even sothing as dangerous as this, won't be too difficult," Lilly said.
My tail squird, but I didn't say anything. Even if hearing the truth, that it was possible the other cubs would be put to death as their mother had been, made want to whine.
They were just babies… but I knew, as Vim and the rest had said, they would grow up into things that would and could hurt our own babies. So… I understood, but at the sa ti…
"They'll need constant food. They're unnatural creatures, but not ones with divinity. Not true divinity, at least. They'll need constant food and drink, more than you likely want to provide," Vim told Lilly.
"Sap's already promised to stay and raise them herself, Vim. She can hunt and gather for them well enough on her own, and I'll help when I have to," Lilly said.
Right… with her wings Sap was likely a phenonal hunter.
Vim sighed as he nodded. "That's one way to keep the parliant close," he said.
Lilly shifted and I glanced at her, and didn't like the sad look on her face… so I looked away. Had Vim said that on purpose? He was looking down at the bear, and looked as if he hadn't even realized what he had just said or how deeply his words had bothered her.
"What of us, Vim?" I asked him, to hopefully keep him from saying anything more that would cause Lilly discomfort.
He glanced up, then frowned and nodded. "Yes… we too must go. In fact we should be rushing, in this instance," he said.
"Does she need to go, Vim…?" Lilly asked softly.
Again I glanced at Lilly, and again I found her with a sad look.
"I of course do not need her help in dealing with Tor… but what I will need help with is the aftermath. Or maybe the rest of it. If this is all sourced from prophecies, there is no doubt there will be far more to deal with afterward. Renn's assistance will be very helpful in that case," Vim said calmly.
I nodded slowly, both to agree with him and to let Lilly know it was okay. "No matter what I won't let him keep away long, Lilly. Not only do I want to co back, I have a lot to handle at SilverCreek," I said.
"You're telling ? Just when Crown was finally getting active again… I swear Vim, if Renn leaving right now causes issues I'll be very upset with you," Lilly warned Vim.
He smirked at that. "Duly noted. I uh… would like to leave imdiately, but actually why don't we wait a bit? How about we wait till next morning?" he asked .
Huh…? "You sure, Vim?" Tor's betrayal is serious, wasn't it…? We were at least a week, if not two, from Tor's Village. Shouldn't we hurry there?
"Her letter. Say it again," he said.
I blinked. "Tor will betray us," I repeated Light's letter from mory. Had he forgotten such a simple sentence already…? Surely not, right? Or was his dislike of prophecies so strong that he even blocked out sothing as simple as a few words?
He nodded. "Will. Not has, or is betraying us. Though she had only used a few words, they had been full of aning and importance. She chose to phrase it that way on purpose. It is sothing that is about to happen, not has happened. And we will hurry there, but I want to make sure before we do," he said.
"Make sure of what?" Lilly asked.
Vim glanced down, and as we did too… I smiled as I found it now grabbing at Vim's left leg. It wasn't doing so strongly, or with seemingly any real purpose… it almost looked like it was trying to rub its face against Vim's leg more than it was climb or hurt him. Maybe it was trying to mark him with its scent, or wipe its face off from all the milk…? Maybe I should give it a bath…?
"I want a few hours to monitor these things… Ideally I'd do so for days, if not weeks, but I can't afford much more than that. I'm sorry, Lilly."
Lilly shook her head. "It's fine, Vim. Even if these things did go wild and try to attack us… they're not so dangerous I can't handle them without harm," she said.
"Yes. Though their claws are sharp, and they're stronger than they look, I too think I could handle them if I had to. Even without your spear, Vim," I said. They were, after all, in the end simple cubs. Large, dangerous cubs… but only cubs. They couldn't even walk yet, they crawled and even sotis rolled around.
"Hmph. All the sa. Daybreak is only a handful of hours away anyway, Renn," Vim said.
I frowned at him. "You just said that as if I was complaining," I said. Plus a handful of hours…? The sun was about to rise in a few monts. That ant he did not an the upcoming sunrise, but the next one. Tomorrow, not today.
Maybe he was doing this on purpose…
Lilly chuckled at that. "Right? He had."
Vim ignored us as he bent down and grabbed the cub. He did so by grabbing it by the back of its neck, which I figured would make it complain or whine… but instead it just went slightly limp in his grip. He held it up, and since it had gone limp it now looked kind of silly… like a really big, fat, cat that was being carried by its parent. He lifted it until he could stare it in the eye, and it him, and he glared at it.
If the bear even recognized Vim's glare, or the seriousness of it, it didn't show it. It just… hung there.
"I think it's a girl," he said after a mont.
Oh? Was that what he had been doing? "Is that why she's smaller?" I asked. Here I had thought it had just been younger, or worse off physically from a lack of food compared to its siblings.
"She's just a runt," Lilly said.
Vim nodded. "Your family… they're okay with them?" Vim asked Lilly.
"Hm? Yes. Even the faint of heart Seed is doting over them, you should hear her," Lilly said with a small gesture towards the house.
How nice. Maybe I should sneak over there to hear such a thing…
"Hmph… one step forward, two back. Such is life," Vim said… and then he stepped away. He carried the bear as I would a basket, or a bag, at his side as he headed for the house… leaving Lilly and I behind.
"Shouldn't it be the other way around in this instance?" I asked Lilly as I bent down to pick up the bowl. It now had gnaw marks all over it.
"To him likely not."
I sighed at him. "I'm not sure if I should praise him for staying his hand, or chastise him," I admitted to her. Vim had likely heard , since he wasn't too far away… but he didn't show if he had or not. He just kept walking.
"I'm glad for the opportunity… but yes. A part of thinks we should cull them before they can do more harm than good. But sotis risks must be taken, Renn," Lilly said.
Right… I figured she'd think like that. "Should I worry over his sudden lack of wanting to hurry to Tor? He had been so upset over it that he had thrown that spear as if to kill a god, and now he's acting all lazy or sothing," I said.
Lilly crossed her arms. "Not sure… He gets like that sotis, Renn. Honestly I had expected him to do such a thing the mont he had seen the bear, not wait almost a whole day to kill it as he had," she said.
Yes… that was a tad weird. Maybe he had not wanted to kill it near Lilly's ho?
Plus he had also had us gather its remnants. Lilly and the rest of us had gathered not just its claws, teeth and pelt but even so bones and organs. Lilly had not wanted anyone to eat its at, surprisingly, but she had been interested in gathering stuff like its heart. Or rather, hearts. It had not had any strange orbs within it, but it had three large organs that had been or at least looked like hearts. Lilly had gathered each of them; though I wasn't sure what she wanted them for. If not to eat, what purpose did an organ like that have…? Certain organs could be used for so things, such as for water skins and whatnot… but hearts?
Even ones as big and weird as the bear's, I couldn't imagine their purpose.
Lilly then reached over and patted on the back. "Co on. Let Vim have his hours of settling his mind. While he does we can ready you for your journey," she said.
"Ready ?" I asked. What'd she an…? I only had a small bag with right now, since I had only brought a few essentials here. Sap had carried here on the wing, so I had not brought my usual bags. And it had seed Vim had only brought a few bags too.
Lilly grinned at as we both headed back to the house. "Like I'll let a fellow owl leave our branches without a full belly and clean feathers. Even if you're okay with it, and Vim obviously prefers it, I'll not be shad so," she said.
Ah… I smiled at that as my tail happily wiggled. I knew she was partly teasing , but I also knew a part of her wasn't. To her, in her eyes… we were family. As if I was in fact an owl just as she. And such a thing made my heart warm and full. Enough so to almost burst.
"I do need to wipe off the stink of that silly bear now," I agreed.
Lilly smirked, but didn't laugh. "They do kind of stink, don't they…"
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