《Mortem Comedenti(Death Eater)》Chapter 10: Partings(R)
Advertisement
Dion had revealed himself to his master just before the first true snowfall came. He had been around much longer than that. He hid in the stocks of the plane, slinked in the shadows of the long night, and leaned on the perimeter.
There was something in the air. It alarmed the canine inside of his blood. Spiked the unease of a guard. When he was sure whatever danger wasn’t around. He tracked it, found it, and then doubled back to the farmstead. He knew the winter would be safe, and for the duration of that time, he pieced together enough preparation that he afforded something akin to assurance. It felt like scraps, but it’s what he had.
Fall ended and winter evaded the space. The farmstead had slowed but the family hadn’t. To the adults, the winter in the homeland was significantly harsher. Greater snow, deeper temperatures, and less food. Kenan didn’t just accept the cold but embraced it. Lucy was the only one hunkered down. Dion would’ve enjoyed longer naps inside the heat of the home, but that wasn’t for him. Not this winter.
The fox stuck to Kenan's side. He followed his master to the horse circle after dinner, done so since he got back and grudgingly copied the behavior in the mornings. Dion felt the absence of the mother. It confused him. His attention was switched and his ears twitched with introduced sound. “Ma going to join us?” Kenan asked.
Dion heard the words. At times nearly comprehended them. Mostly they were discarded and received the instinct of body language. His friend was as uncertain as himself.
“Nope. No, not today.” Doco said. Dion felt his hair bristle. He thought it was the magic that rushed over as a staff was placed in Kenan’s hands. “Start them and listen.” Kenan did start the odd dance he performed every night. The fox thought it was some silly thing for sentients and never really paid attention to it. “The snow is low right now and the next storm is off until next week. If not a fortnight.”
Dion looked at his master’s uncle. The fox’s head twisted as he tried to understand. There was something in the words. Sadness. Similar but not accurate. Remorse seemed better. An ugly regret. Dion was perplexed.
Doco continued. “I’m leaving for the village tomorrow. I've gotten a letter. An old friend is back in town. And… ahh… Kenan stop.” The emotion radiated off of him. Dion stood and sniffed the air. The fox froze and his hackles rose. No. It couldn’t be. “It’s hard to lie to you now. You know that?”
Kenan put the end of his staff down and then leaned on it. “What're you saying?” Dion very nearly growled. It wasn’t the right time, it was too soon. The fox lost all interest in the conversation.
Advertisement
“I’m saying that there is a conscript in the village. I’m going back to the army, Ken.”
‘What?! Why?!”
“Because they would take you. We're at war Ken. Shio is pulling out all the stops. If they take me, they’ll leave you alone. I’ll be fine. I’ve done this before.”
“What about us? Me?! You're just gonna leave?!”
Doco scoffed. His face formed annoyance and then bounced to a warmth. “No choice nephew. You're almost fourteen. In another two years, you’ll be a man. I’ll be back by then. I promise. Besides, you’ll forget I’m even gone. Your hands will be too full being a big brother.”
“What?” Kenan paused. Confusion followed more confusion that morphed into something of excitement. “Wait wait wait….
Dion used that moment to slip under a fence beam and bound away. Time was what he needed. He feared he didn’t have much of it.
***
The fox sat on the floor. Ever since the night before last, he had been restless. He watched the slow rise and fall of Kenan’s chest, he slept like the dead. He was thankful for that but cursed it at the same time. Dion wished he could curl up on his master's chest and pretend everything was all right. Another part of him hoped that Kenan would wake up suddenly and catch onto his schemes. For as much as he could alert him, Dion wouldn’t. The Fate's silver threads were intertwined. That was a mess the fox couldn’t get out of, much less his master.
The time was here. A rising problem that wasn’t to be ignored. The fox wanted, yearned for a final scratch behind the ear. Just a little bit more time perched on Kenan’s shoulder. Dion shook his head. He hadn’t the time to despair, his best friend hadn’t the time either. The danger was close now. Fire. Ash. Death.
The timing had to be right. Had to be perfect. A debt was to be paid tomorrow.
Dion dived under the darkness of the bed. He pulled out the old tan book followed by Coaxing Fire. A path had already been made and accepted for the transfer. Lately, as the snow started to wane. Kenan invited the cold even more and opened his window each night. As quiet as his kind was, Dion put the tan tome in his maw and jumped out of the room, careful not to drop the book he clutched.
He took his time to not alert the chickens. In his mind, they were finicky creatures that cared too much about what was around them. They were prey after all. The pigs were better but sometimes the horses were testy. He didn’t mind either of them too much if they didn’t mind him. Regardless of that fact, he took the extra precaution and stealth past them.
Advertisement
There was a long dragging look towards the coop that Dion had to peel away from. The fox would deal with his greed later. Now wasn’t the time for his own needs.
After some time he slipped into the stables and pattered carefully into Jefned's stall. The tall black and white beast was already awake. Saddled too. The smart colt threw a raging fit when Kenan tried to unsaddle it after he rode him to the Crest Tree and back.
The two shared a look. Desperation was shared and kindness was given. The fox broke it off when he jumped onto Jefned's back. After several awkward attempts, he clawed one of the saddlebags open and dropped the book inside. There was a repeat process for the red fire tome. The second trip almost sent the entire plan into a catastrophic meltdown when a labor horse was almost alerted. Jefned had enough pull in the equine hierarchy to quell the short outrage.
It was a long struggle. It frustrated the small fox’s brain to the point he would’ve just chewed through the wood of the stable. He fell more than once. The latch kicked back down too many times to count. Not that Dion could. And caught innumerable splinters on his tail. Eventually, the step came to fruition as the fox successfully unlocked Jefned's stall. Dion jumped on the back of the black horse and the two rode away from the homestead. Out in the greater planes, the insidious smell lessened.
Each animal decided enough was enough. Jefned bowed and let Dion off. Both fox and horse passed a stare between each other. Remembrance, somber emotion, and regret. Then the tiny head of the small canine touched the huge snout of the colt. The goodbye was said.
Dion raced back to the farmstead. He did a perimeter and found a good hiding place. He lay there and waited.
***
The cocks in their coup howled their angry yells at the soon-to-come sun. Kenan felt that his companion was gone. Off to do whatever foxes did in the morning. He stood, stretched. The muscles protested but their rebellion broke down when his body felt limber and optimal. After that, he lightly worked all of his easily accessible tissue.
Like usual he awoke before the rest of his family. Kenan put on some clothes and had the determination to do his morning session without his uncle. Then, if possible, get some chores in before breakfast. The plan was shambled a bit when he found Doco on a saddled horse, halfway out the stable.
“Uncle,” Kenan said.
“Nephew.” Doco smiled.
“No goodbyes?”
“No. Never good at them anyway.” The smile on Doco’s face was the same. But its foundation crumbled and felt weak. “Do your chores. Train. Start the red book of yours. Eat a lot. If you see any girl that’s in your fancy make sure they see you with your shirt off. Done deal.”
‘Uh, what?”
“Never mind that.” A true grin came back for a moment. “Any other good uncle advice I’m missing?”
“Get sleep?”
“Yes, get plenty of sleep. Well, little Kenny…”
“I can go.”
“I said ill-what did you say?”
Kenan clenched his fist. “I-I… uncle I can see it. You won’t tell me. Tell any of us. But I know how you wake up at night. I see your sad stares. Whenever you get surprised I know how you reach for your belt. I know that your hand trembles after. Uncle, I don’t think you can go through it again. And…” He paused. “I don’t think I’m going to be the only son anymore.”
Doco looked at his nephew. The meaning of the last words cut deeper than Doco expected. Hurt worse than he thought he could feel. He got off of his horse and walked in front of Kenan. Another part of him was shocked, or maybe there was a truth he hadn’t seen before. But the fourteen-year-old matched his uncle’s look with the confidence of Ava and the stoicism of Tyris.
“Aye. My boy. War changes people and not often for the better. My heart sometimes drifts back to the battles. I don’t know… nephew.” He grabbed Kenan’s shoulders. “Not a day will go by when I won't think of what you're willing to give. But just because your offering doesn’t mean I’m going to take it.” Doco hugged him. It came as a surprise to both. It was the first time Doco had shared one in a long, long time. “You will be stronger than me one day, your father too. You have a lot of decisions to make and you can do anything you want.” He pulled away. “Right now. I have to abide by mine. Do you know what I mean? I’m older than your father.”
Kenan’s eyes widened, it didn’t take long for them to fill with liquid. Doco backed up and got on the horse. “Uncle?”
“Ken?”
“Not fair.”
Doco smiled. He spurred the horse forward and it started to trot away. “See you later, nephew!”He waved behind him as his ride increased its speed to a gallop.
“Goodbye uncle.” Kenan watched the silhouette of Doco get smaller and smaller. He waited there. Shook as driblets streamed from his face. He couldn’t get rid of the feeling that he just watched his uncle die.
Advertisement
Two Times Perfect?
Thomas Freeman -- a simple child born into a world of swords and sorcery. Common looks. Common wealth. Of common status. A common enough existence. At least until he started remembering a past life as Thomas Faraday. Thomas Faraday -- a modern child, born in the modern era. Or was he? Maybe he's just a dream of Tomas's that never really existed. It's not like his previous knowledge actually was any help in his current life. Or is it? Read it and find out for yourself. Two Times Perfect -- The tale of one man trying to reconcile the memories of two lifetimes into one memorable existence. Rated: M[18+] Contains (or will contain in the future) sex, nudity, rape, violence, gore, and lots of goodly evilness and evilish goodness!
8 199Clavomancy
participant in the Royal Road Writathon challenge I'm writing this everyday as a rough draft then I will clean it up Dean Fabre was just a boy when he discovered that all the legends, myths, and fairytales were real. Scouted by the Magic Investigation Bureau he is finally living under a roof with a stable job. He just has to put up with a senior partner that's a living grimoire with a palette for expensive meals and being mistrusted by most magical being.
8 192Medieval Terror
[Trickle! Trickle!] Blood… Pure unfiltered blood. Thick wetness of inhumane variety was drowning the contours of my defiled countenance with crimson slick. My warrior’s mien was brutally decorated with the vile viscera and entrails of the dead. Scattered all around me was a large pile of corpses floating in the bloodthirsty puddle of the afterlife. Accompanying my rest within this detestable domain was a rapacious array of lord Beelzebub’s kin. A swarm of black motile embodiment capable of aerial drifts made my bloody appearance barely visible. [Buzz! Buzz!] I was dead yet living, I could travel between the broken realms of existence and meddle with the vengeful souls. Such was possible by virtue of my life that had succumbed to the Lure of Enigma. The bizarre events that unfolded which brought me to this destitute phase of utter dysphoria was a mixture of tales that will leave a distasteful flavour of doleful buds on your tongue. If you wish to know more about my apocalyptic journey then feel free to turn the pages of my undying path. However, I must warn you, inquisitive readers. My legendary tale might cause your weak constitution to become cripple, hence read at your own peril. (Link to Discord) https://discord.gg/XqY4JAfhcd (Author’s Notes)You can offer your support for Mia Aim’s creativity if you visit the following links below. I’m currently in the process of working on my new LitRPG-Fantasy novel, Word Fu! The latest chapters are published on Patreon along with character artwork. Please offer your support. https://www.patreon.com/MiaAim_Creative_Force https://www.amazon.com/author/miaaim https://www.amazon.com/author/manga-god
8 209The Event Master
It is a reincarnation/transmigration story where the MC can only do magic that is socially condemned, but is protected somewhat by his powerful political station. For as long as he can keep it, anyway. With a little luck and some modern world thinking, perhaps he'll come up with something to change people's minds. Not forcefully though, that would be unethical. ** The MC is not a fighter. He's a gamer. He loves rpgs, movies, modern music, and telling stories. I intend to post at least once a week in the range of 2k words. If work eases up I'll increase the amount again. ((Work has instead intensified to the point where I'm struggling to get a chapter every two weeks. I'll pick it back up properly when I can, but for now it is on temporary hiatus while I still might post every once and awhile. This winter, I plan to go back to regular posts until the story finishes.))
8 168Reincarnated As A Crocodile
There are two types of people in the world. Those who are live strong and free and those who live sacred and weak. Our hero of the story is a mixture of both. All he can remember is going to sleep after winning the lottery and ready for an easy life. Because by god working is such a pain the ass. Now he woke up in a marsh pond as a crocodile. "Noy Jitat! Did why am I in a Jitatin marsh pond!!?"It seemed like this place was a fantasy world where strange-looking beasts ran rampant. And just like in a game, I seemed to be able to check my enemies’ and my ability.Let’s hunt monsters and gather titles in order to level up and evolve into a Strong Beast! And I heard a mysterious voice in my head, “Let’s aim to be the strongest!”But fuck that! I will be so strong so that no one will able to beat me and I will be lazy damnmit! Or just be lazy and hide for the rest of my life.
8 140Time And Thoughts
This a book is where I freely express and convey emotions and my thoughts about topics. It's a place where I spend my TIME putting my THOUGHTS into words in hopes of helping someone. I've written these poems in such a way, so that my viewers can derive their own meaning from them. For me as a person I tend to feel more comforted, when down, by listen to music or reading poems, in which the poem or song is hopeless and gives off the feeling of the protagonist being bluntly hurt. In my poems I write without words of encouragement, but instead comfort the reader through understanding and allowing them to feel.If you ever feel the need to talk to someone or want to know the meaning of one of my poems or just wanna say something feel free to comment or private message me.Please enjoy and be comforted by my book.Highest ranking:#1 poems#1 poembook#2 poemcollection#2 poem#3 poetry#3 poetrycollection#5 sadpoems#5 thoughts#8 emotions#13 freeverse#17 hopeless#20 feelings#24 sadness#36 depressing #44 updating#56 life#70 sad#87 poet
8 158