He stopped chewing and swallowed the last bit of the sandwich whole. His entire body straightened from the hunched position he was in. "That's enough resting." He got off the log and barked in Lowell's direction. "Get on your feet and let's go."
Lucian rubs his hands on his pants and helps me up using his enormous hand. I get off the log on feet made of jelly and turn to him.
Now's the time to turn up the charm and turn down the sarcasm."Um…I still have questions. But first I'd like to apologise for last night. From my understanding, I hurt you pretty badly. I'm sorry."
"..."
Lucian regards me with a tilted head and nods simply before letting go. I miss it. I touch my fingertips and ghost over the warmth he had left there. Familiar but not.
This is so weird.
I shiver and look for my coat. Packed deep under my jars of milk was a single fur coat. Harley. Best sister ever. I yank it out and pull it over me in a hurry. I feel like a snowball but I'm a lot warmer.
Lowell stands up and cracks all of his bones noisily. "Let's go." His lanky limbs moved in my direction but a certain someone had other plans. His fingers wrap around my neck and pluck me from the solid ground.
"..."
Lowell glares at him and Lucian meets his gaze. So began our journey into the forest.
"Nox?"
"Yes?"
"Why does he call you, Ria?"
For convenience I was again put into a sling and carried by Lucian. I raised my head from it's place on his back and thought of an answer. Although the question was a little out of the blue I answered it all the same. "It's one of my nicknames. My brother usually calls me that."
No one actually calls me Nox though. For both my safety and yours I'd like to keep it that way. For now my identity should remain a secret.
I like Lucian. He smells nice and he's doing a nice thing, leading me to the Hawthornes' house. Which is why I have to take caution. He could be someone bad. Someone who'd love to toe the line of morality in exchange for coin or...someone worse.
Telling lies that aren't lies to protect myself is my specialty. Because everyone lies. It's the one thing about people that you can count on.
I just like to wrap my lies in a pretty bow that says honesty.
Since we're trading questions. "Why do you live in the forest?" Without a pack.Although it wasn't perhaps very appropriate to just blurt it out like that, it is a fair question.Werewolves, as far as I know, are very social. They can't stand solitude and crave structured living. Naomi's an example of that. Although she's normally pretty reserved, I've noticed how much she sticks to Mei Xue.
Kinda like I am now. I comb his hair with my fingers inadvertently. Softer at the roots. He has split ends near the bottom though.
Lucian chews on the question for a bit. "It's quieter. Less chaotic. More space to move around."
I nod and play with his hair. It's in a badly cut mullet. I think he literally took a blade and chopped it up himself. I could snip here and here. I make scissors with my hands and snip at the strands that bother me.
"Are you usually this touchy or is that just the bond?"
I scowl a bit and snap back without thinking. "The bond I think. What even is it? Does this mean I'm going to develop a crush on you or something? Because that's gross…"I trail off. Oh no.
There it is.
His shoulders tremble for a bit before he barks out a thundering laugh. It vibrates throughout his entire body and it takes a while for him to calm down.
He wipes a tear from his eye and exhales. "That was good girly. No. There will be no crushing. Not that kind of bond."
I heave a sigh of relief. "Then what is it? Why am I so…attached to you?"
"You're well spoken for a baby. What are you exactly?"
I correct him. "I'm not a baby and I thought you knew. A vampire."
He fishes for more detail."That and…?"
"An elf. But barely." I don't specify which kind.
"That's odd. You're usually supposed to be late to the party."
I tug at the ends of his hair and try to get him back on track."Not the point. You didn't answer my question."
He hums and muses over it before speaking. "If I had to place it. It's more of a parent–child bond."
I braid a small section of his hair into a fishtail. "How do you know that?" It unravels and I do it again. His hair is so stubborn and it has spikes hidden in it everywhere. He's lucky he has straight hair. If I ever left my hair alone like he did I'd have to chop it all off.
He responds after a moment of silence."I'm listening."
"To what?"
"Who. Not a what. A who girly."
I freeze. No way. "Someone's in your head too?"
You're walking on thin ice.
He started it. What if he's like us? Can you tell?
He stops. "You sure you're an elf? Cause you sound like a wolf to me. Yeah I got someone. A wolf that won't stop yapping. You?"
I say somewhat dispiritedly."It's a bird."
An annoying bird that works for a broken system. Something tells me yours is just the result of a chemical imbalance or an unhappy childhood.
You're probably correct. I don't sense any foreign energy from this one but you should still err on the side of caution. His...abrupt change in attitude is a cause for concern.Although you are often needlessly paranoid—
Hey!
This man is very suspicious.
"A bird? That's new. Never heard that before. What's it saying?"
"Mostly threats not to tell anyone about it. Some insults. The usual being that I can't tell the truth, I'm emotionally stunted, mistrustful, and that I'm lots of trouble. Everything's my fault and I'm pathetic."
"..."
I never said that.
Didn't you? Learn some self-control?
…
Lowell chimes in."What are you talking about?"
"Birds."
"..."
Lowell turns back to reprimand us with crazy eyes. He's not doing too good. I thought dryads liked forests. Maybe he hasn't slept in a while. "If you see one leave it alone. We don't want to anger the protectors of this forest."
I snicker. He thinks I'm hungry for birds? Nope. I could go for something else…No. Don't even think about it. That's what got us in this mess in the first place.
My stomach growls and I pray that no one heard it.
My prayers go unanswered because god hates me.
His mocking tone comes from in front of me."You're still hungry girl?"
I blush ashamed of my sudden appetite. "Sorry."
The teasing continues."Don't be sorry. You gotta say something though. Don't starve yourself."
I don't mean to. I try to keep a healthy stock of food around me at all times so I don't have to ask. I'm sorry.
Tears leave my eyes again and I try to keep them from hitting his back. Stop it. What is wrong with you? Why am I so emotional these days? It's embarrassing.
Lucian sniffs the air. "Hey. Are you crying over there?"
I choke it back. "No. Not really."
That's a lie and it makes me feel guilty already. Lucian throws his head back and sighs before reaching behind him with his large hand. I try to avoid it but he grabs hold of me and swings the sling around until I'm resting on his chest.
He tries to get my attention and I look anywhere else but at him.
"Girly. Look at me. Don't avoid me."
I grimace and look up. He's staring at me head on with those glacier eyes of his. "It's nothing for you to be ashamed of. You're a baby. You get hungry. It's normal. Stop crying."
He offers his wrist to me and I salivate. The smell coming from it isn't as strong before, but it's still quite appealing. My stomach gurgles and my fangs descend. I look up at him for permission and he shoves his wrist closer.
My eyes dilate and instinct takes over. Fangs slice through layers of skin, flesh, and muscle like butter. Flavor explodes on my tastebuds and I gulp it down unable to waste even a single drop. Stop. Don't take too much.
I know that. But I can't stop.
If anything that realization just makes me cry more. What is happening to me? I'm not a real child. So why am I crying at the drop of a hat these days? Is it this stupid fledgling thing?
Are vampires crybabies?
I'm not sure. Besides the sudden increase in hormones last night, everything today says you're normal.
Lucian curses and outright accuses Lowell."That's it. Yo kid! Why is she such a mess? You do something to her?"
Lowell stops in his tracks and looks behind him at Lucian like he's crazy. "Who me? Me?! No. I'm not in charge of her anyway. You want answers, ask her parents or her brother when we get to that house. How much further?"
"You're not in charge of her. Yet you're alone with her in these woods. Tell me how that makes sense?"
Lowell comes up with another lie on the spot."Her…aunt. Was supposed to come with us. But as we were arriving something happened...I think her kids were involved."
I unlatch from Lucian's wrist and try to turn around, "What! Are you talking about the triplets or my actual aunt's kids?"
Lowell gives me a look but I ignore it. "Which one?" The distinction is important. Azrian's children are most likely Eric's age, but the triplets are real kids. Please let it be Azrian's kids.
Lowell confirms my fears."The triplets. The Pixies ran into them a couple of times and gave me a rundown of what happened. Little stowaways escaped before we entered, and your aunt went to go look for them. We didn't know until you lost it and we had to leave the carriage. After that you couldn't be reasoned with so we were forced to run into the forest."
"So the triplets are here too? Alone?"
"Well not alone. Their mom is with them. Hopefully."
What?! How can you just say that? "We have to go get them."
Lowell rejects that idea directly. "No. Absolutely not. We need to go to the witches and then request help."
I frown and turn away from him. Why did they come anyway? And where are they? I hope they're safe.
Lowell retained a scowl for the next couple of hours.
Luckily for me he retained it far away where Lucian and I could barely hear it. His boots crushed and treaded lightly on dead leaves as we traveled away from the peaceful part of the forest and into the darker, creepier part. Instead of small glowing sprites and colorful mushrooms. Birds of all kinds and dense vegetation became more frequent. Trees grew much taller until they crowded most of the light coming from the night sky.
Caw!
Every few minutes a bird called out in the dark and was greeted with a cacophony of greetings. Is it just me or does it feel like they're kind of staring at us.
I tried to read their thoughts for practice but it wasn't as simple as I hoped it would be.
Lucian was enough to keep most of the vultures at bay. His glowing eyes and mine met in the dark as he entertained me while keeping an eye out for anything.
He instructs me carefully."So you got to focus on one sound at a time. Think of one thing and then search for it. Over and over. Until you get the knack for holding onto one thing."
I nod and turn my sense of hearing back on again.
SNAP.
It's easier now that I'm full. Apparently I was suffering from quite a few health deficiencies before. Starvation, hunger, a bad reaction to wolf's blood, sprains, fractures, and a small case of hypothermia. All treatable with a simple health potion though.
Anyway. Focus. One sound.
Pick something. Something close and easy to identify.
Well. How about that? Beating like a drum on the left side of his chest is Lucian's heart. It flutters constantly and races whenever he picks up his pace. I don't know how he's not tired yet. He's been walking for ages.
Focus. One sound.
Block out everything else. No birds. No footsteps. Not even the sound of your eyelashes as you blink.
One sound.
It thrums and continues to keep to its steady rhythm. It's like a lullaby. With every beat there's a smaller sound. Like waves crashing against a shore. Woosh. Woosh.
Unmistakable. Then theres two others. Joining to make a symphony of sounds. Mine. Yours. Lowells.
Why is his so slow though? Is that normal?
I call out."Lowell?"
A thud is all the answer I get. Lucian quickens his pace and bends down to check on Lowell. His poor face is bloodless and he looks like how I felt before. Which isn't good.
"Kid, wake up. You can't sleep out here."
By now we're deep in the forest and far from Lucian's cabin. We really can't sleep out here. On our little stroll Lucian had told me about pheromones. The markers of a scent.
His pheromones are the reason we can just walk in the forest relatively unharmed and unthreatened. However, when someone is sleeping, sick, or they've passed out. They give off this pheromone.
It's a little sweet and salty. Kind of like tears or sweat.
Lowell is radiating it right now. The equivalent of a dinner bell in the middle of a forest teeming with creatures and people just like Lucian. Perhaps even worse.
Don't get me wrong. He's nice. But he was definitely ready to eat us last night according to Penguin. So what changed? Why is he being so nice to us now? What does he want?
Lowell whimpers. That's it. I'm not telling anyone but I need to give him the health potion.
Fine. Just make a good story or say nothing at all.
"Take out the bottle with red liquid from my bag. Hurry!"
Lucian doesnt question me and digs it out. He opens it up and rears back. Oh god. The smell. Yeah. That's…phew!
His nose scrunches up with disgust and he holds it far away from him. Even in a sealed container we could smell it. Herbal, sweet, and sour. Yuck!
I pound on his chest."Give it to him. Quick."
Lucian slaps Lowell awake and forces him to chug the rest of the potion down his throat. A twig snaps to my right and I look towards it. In the darkness three sets of eyes stare directly at me.
"..."
Lowell coughs and retches from the force feeding. "What happened? What the—blergh?" He hacks up the red potion and attempts to spit it out.