Death and Howls Part Four: An Impressive Show!

Acer:

Sitting by my favorite stained glass window, the image of dark haired hero with golden eyes mesmerized my five year old self. His dragon had me hoping for mine, my father approaching me with his false grin. His ornate silver suit shimmered in the moonlight, his sage eyes flitting between the window and me. Running his hand through his dark orange silky waves, his ears pinned back with a quiet rage. Someone had a bad day and I was to be the punching bag.

“How come you worship this future soldier and not me?” He queried with another false smile, my alarm bells ringing in my mind. Staring down at my hands, the simple white blouse and wool pants matched that of my hero. Refusing to answer him, his eyes darkened the moment his fingers curled around my throat. Lifting me off the stone window sill, he smashed my head into the wall several times. Silent tears stained my cheeks, this behavior becoming more common by the day. Waking up from his trance, apology after apology flooded from his lips. Fighting the urge to run into his open arms, his rage returned. Noticing the symptoms, my fluffy orange hair bounced with every footfall down the hall. Coming around the corner, his hand snatched my ankle. Pinning me to the wall, the color drained from my cheeks. Swallowing the lump in my throat, it took everything for me not to scream at his inky eyes. Raising his fists, my mother called for me. Dropping me onto the floor, a coughing fit had blood spraying the floor. My old man had burst an organ, my fingers clawing for the bench. Fishing around my pocket for my healing potion at the same time, a wave of relief came over me at the glass grazing my fingertips and the bench helping me to my feet. Popping the cork off, the thick liquid coated my throat. Collapsing onto the seat, a tiny girl bounced around the corner. Her lovely pink hair floated up, her rosy pink eyes meeting mine. Grinning ear to ear, my trembling fingers shoved the vial into the crack. Spinning up to me, she bowed with a flutter of her breathtaking wings. Losing myself in her beauty, her dress made of ivory leaves floated up. 

“Do you want to play?” She giggled adorably, my breath hitching once more. “I can go if you don’t want t-” Shouting out a desperate no, her falling smile returned to her gorgeous smile. The left side of her lips hung higher than the right, her hands resting on her hips. Popping to my feet clumsily, her arms caught me. Scarlet painted my cheeks, her steady hand guiding me to the bench. Pecking my cheeks, a deeper scarlet flushed my cheeks. Going on about her ride here, the warmth of her presence was all I needed. 

Sucking in a deep breath, the kingdom of the fairies came into view. Instead of gazing upon the city with wonder like I expected him to, his uncomfortable look of concern had my temper flaring for a moment. Choosing not to ask, it was almost as if he understood. Flying over the kingdom for a couple of hours, the orange rays of the day painted the capital in a warm light. Descending towards the twisted tree castle, the thick branches had to be new towers. A cloud of dirt obscured our landing, Darwin not gazing upon the lovely sight with wonder. His pensive expression frightened me, the wind blowing his hair all about. Attendants approached our dragons, Helios taking a second to calm down. His scales matched the stained glass window, my hero standing in front of me. Closing my eyes for a moment, images of Rose’s body tangled in mine had me smiling softly to myself. Basking in the moment, a hand on my shoulder had me punching the air. The only thing was that the air turned out to be Darwin’s face, his twitching brow and snarl causing me to apologize profusely. Picking up on my honest reaction, his snarl relaxed into his genuine smile. Rubbing his jaw, his smile fell at the black shadow flying over the capital. His fear was founded, the giant black falcon screaming its battle cry. Ruby eyes caught our dragons, both of them rearing their heads. Hopping on without another wasted second, Darwin shot into the sky. Hopping onto Snowy, we weren’t far behind him. Darwin shot up into the clouds, horror rounding my eyes at the necromancer’s marks lining the falcon’s body. My heart broke for the bird,  a closer look paralyzing me. The marks belonged to my father, silent tears splashing onto Snowy’s scales. The one way out was killing this thing for good and blessing it with my magic, my ears pinning back at the sight of Darwin zooming down by himself with his scythe in his hand. The elvish god of death supported him, my jaw dropping at the missing god. No wonder he was on that window, Darwin was essentially a living god. Golden lightning crackled across the sky, his scythe picking up speed in his palm. Raising it over his head, the boom of his strike had Snowy flying into the clouds to get out of the danger zone. Helios blasting the bird from underneath had the sky glowing a crimson red, the smell of burning feathers and flesh had the food from tea time coming up my throat. The light show died down, an exhausted Darwin waved up at me. The charred corpse dangled in Helios claws, his finger pointing to an empty lush field. Snowy flew towards the field, the next part being on me. Landing gracefully next to Helios, Darwin struggled to stand. Throwing up blood, his hand cupped his stomach. Motioning for me to purify the carcass, his retching had me wanting to do it myself. Rubbing my palms together, a warm orange light glowed to life. Making my way to the carcass, the orange light bathed the poor creature the moment my palms touched it. Sighing deeply, Darwin slid down Helios’ scales before passing out. Focusing back on the task at hand, the carcass broke into a flurry of orange leaves. Rushing over to Darwin, shock rounded my eyes at his dragon speaking to me. 

“Don’t relax yet.” His deep voice warned me intensely, a snarl showing off his impressive set of fangs. “Your father approaches and my master needs his rest. Protect him like the friend you wish to be.” The wall keeping outsiders out glitched, my heart stopped beating for a minute. Helios shoved me closer to the edge, my blade bouncing off my leg. Pure hatred mixed with rage, his cold inky eyes meeting mine. His hair color matched mine, his hands brushing off his ornate onyx black suit briskly. Pursing his lips, a low growl of frustration rumbled in his throat. 

“How dare you let the hero stay!” He barked viciously while banging on the wall of energy. “I should have killed you when you were a baby.” Pacing back and forth, my quivering eyes tracked his every movement. Black energy swirled around him, endless waves of it smashing into the wall. Wondering if he saw that Darwin harbored our god of death, his cold gaze snapped in my direction. Pointing his onyx straight blade in my direction, the silver branch hilt glinted in the early morning sun. Grinning slyly, another chill shot up my spine. Taking a step back, his insults grew more frequent. A throat cleared behind me, a busted version of Darwin marched up to the wall. Flipping him off, surprise rounded everyone’s eyes.  

“If Lottie taught me anything, it is that you never let your enemy have the last word. Try and harm my friend and I am going to have to lay a serious beat down on you.” He threatened coolly, the dirt crunching as he leaned forward with his scythe resting on his shoulders. “I would go before the fairy army descends upon you or do you want to kill them all again like the monster you are.” Clutching his chest, the fairy army was clanging his way. Cursing under his breath, a jet black dragon scooped him up. Shooting into the approaching storm clouds, Darwin collapsed onto the dirt. Calling for help, a couple fairies grunted the moment they picked him up. Carrying him to the medical tree, healing fairies went to work at healing my friend. Shoving me out, the gust of wind had me stumbling forward. Fairies walked by with bowls of meat for our rides, Obsidian popping up in front of me had me leaping ten feet into the air. Someone looked less than pleased with me, his throat clearing. Landing clumsily, his hand steadied me. Expecting him to have a look of disgust, the pride in his eyes had bewilderment written all over my face.  

“Well done, my dear boy.” He shouted with a hearty shake of my shoulders, his arm draping around my shoulder. “You did a number on that fowl beast.” The credit wasn’t mine to be had, an anxious well flooding from my lips. Seconds from spilling the secret, a gravely injured Darwin staggered out to cover my mouth. Mustering what energy he could, his bright grin would be telling until to anyone who knew him. 

“He did quite a bit!” He lied flawlessly, his cheeks puffing up and down with fresh blood. “I landed a devastating blow. We both know that if he didn’t purify the carcass, we would still be dealing with the problem.” Cupping his mouth, blood oozed through his fingers. Turning his head away, a quick spit had his blood splattering onto the dirt. Hating to see my friend in such a state, his hand covered his mouth again. Stumbling back into the medical hut, Obsidian motioned for us to take a walk. Donning my most polite smile, our child was going to be his grandchild. 

“Never let go of Darwin. He is a valid friend to cover for you. You know what is funny, his aura smells like the lost god of death.” He pointed out simply, my lack of an answer presenting the truth. “I see. He was the lost boy who disappeared around the year you were born. My medical fairies will work on him.” Pressing his lips into a thin line, he leaned forward with a big grin. Reminding me of Rose’s quirky personality, dirt crunched as he danced in front of me. A loud daddy had my ears perking up, Luna and Rose waving in the distance. Opening up my arms, Rose’s body smashed into mine. Spinning her around, Luna took a step back with a worried grimace. Brushing past us, Darwin met her at the door of the medical wing. Flashing her a playful grin, fresh blood dribbled off of his chin. Berating him with realistic concern, her thumbs wiped his blood away. Waving away her worries, she wouldn’t take it. Lowering Rose, both of us smiled towards each other. Lifting up her chin with his finger, his lips brushed against hers tenderly. Sliding his hands down to her bump, the vest she wore showed it off magnificently. The flowing emerald pants had been my mother’s, the blouse looking like Darwin’s. Getting on his knees, his lips kissed her bump feverishly. Pinning her ears back with a tender blush, Obsidian placed his hands on his hips. 

“It seems like the god and him are like one. Did you see that show he put on?” He commented casually, Rose shaking her head. Describing it with waving hands, her eyes widened with wonder with each word. Understanding how much they loved each other, my attention shifted back to Darwin doting on Luna. Grinning slyly as they backed into the medical hut, Rose tugged on my armor. Taking off my helmet, her sweet eyes watched me peel off the rest of my armor. Hugging my waist, the feeling of her bump against my hips had my heart beating out of my chest. Pride had tears glistening in my eyes, her pointed ears bouncing up and down. 

“I can’t stand you with all of that armor on.” She sang jovially, hugging me harder. “We haven’t had time to celebrate the news or talk about it.” Her smile faded at the last words, her head bowing in shame. Obsidian excused himself, his hand lingering on my shoulder in the form of a warning. Yanking me down by my collar, her lips kissed mine hungrily. Time slowed, our hearts beating to the same song. Releasing me from her spell, a goofy grin had me begging for more. Dragging me off to our hiding spot, our temptations won us over. Passing a few hours with our desires, Rose fussed with the hem of her ivory leaf gown. Fixing my hair, Darwin laughed nervously while fixing his messed up hair at the sight of me. A train whistled in the distance, all of us looking up from our tasks. When did a train come from through our world? A tall dark haired man with twinkling eyes waved from the front, Darwin calling out the name Emmie. Hooking his elbow around mine, Rose had no choice but to follow. Throwing us onto the glittering train, a kind ivory haired woman with wolf ears perked up at the sight of him. A lovely scarlet haired woman whose hair first descended into a colorful yellow and then to a deep blue waved at Luna, Luna smashing into her arms. The silver robes of the first woman contrasted the colorful kimono of the red haired one, both of them smiling lovingly in Darwin’s direction. A man with shaggy brown hair and twinkling brown eyes entered in with a well dressed ivory haired man. The man with the shaggy hair had the same outfit as Darwin, the other fixing his silky hair. One inky eye stood out on his face, his wife having the same type of eye with a long scar. Wondering what the hell they went through, Darwin cleared his throat. A couple of half vampire children smashed into his legs. Crouching down to their level, his hand ruffled their inky hair. Ruby eyes glittered with excitement, the one called Emmie calling for them. Entertaining them showed me how fantastic of a father he was going be. Bounding away, eager eyes watched him pace back and forth. Gathering his courage, his fists clenched. 

“Luna and I are with a pup!” He blurted out while grinning ear to ear with pure anxiety, his foot digging at the lush carpet. “Don’t k-” The one dressed like Darwin buried him in a hug, pride swimming in his eyes. The white haired woman smiled softly to herself, her hand taking Luna’s, her next words had my breath hitching with pure surprise. 

“I am glad your heat is over. I am always available to watch the little bundles of joy.” She promised in a motherly tone, the chair groaning as she rose to her feet. Walking over to Darwin, her hand cupped his cheek. Seeing the bond between them reminded me of my relationship with my mother, my heart aching for her. Rose clung to my arm, her quivering eyes darting around the room. 

“I am so proud of you, Darwin!” She gushed freely, the man dressed like him embracing her from behind. “The role of a father was tailored for you. I mean it when I said I would babysit. One more thing! Don’t be so reckless with your powers.” Fishing around her pockets, a clean handkerchief fluttered in her hand. Dabbing at the blood on his face, the friend I knew would deny her but he was at ease around her. Getting the rest of it, her eyes fell on me. Mismatched like the others, a dragon arm caught my eyes. What did she go through? Finding her way over to us, her hand cupped Rose’s. 

“I bless this baby with my realm’s magic. May it be a fruitful one. I am Lottie and the dark haired one is Boran. The white haired guy over there is Soma, and his beautiful wife is Avy. We will keep your little one safe.” She spoke sweetly, Rose blushing while her womb glowed. “You must be Acer. Take good care of my boy. He thinks without reasons at the worst of times. I suppose he gets that from me. If you need me to take care of this one, I am available as well. You are considered family in my eyes.” Touched by her kind outreach, Rose smashed into her. Hugging her back, there was no mystery as to why Darwin was the way he was. Releasing her, an onyx squirrel with an ivory tail leapt onto Darwin’s shoulder. Snuggling into his cheek, tears welled up in Darwin’s eyes.

“Salena wanted an adventure, so give her one.” The woman shouted over the horn, Darwin and Luna rushing over to hug her. The other parents joined in, a fuzzy feeling coming over everyone. Letting them go, our feet hit the dirt. Luna and Darwin sobbed loudly as the train chugged away, guilt eating at me. Brushing past us to go to do something, it was simply  Rose and I. Placing her on my back, her chin rested on my head. Praying to the gods for luck to be on our side, we had to be careful what we wished for.