Death and Howls Part Twenty-Six: The Blossom of the Sunshine Daffodils!

Felina:

Father had taken off to help out a village with the adults, my leather jacket floating up in a wild warm gust. Wisty spun up to me in a simple emerald dress shirt and light cotton jet black pants. A deep ruby colored my cheeks, his own doing the same. Wagging his tail, a map bounced off of his palm. This whole bond thing was throwing me off, every part of me enjoying it at the same time. Then again, the cat breed of demons were mentally mature at the young age of three.

“Don’t kill me but I need a pal to sneak off with?” He requested with a million dollar smile, my tail beginning to wag with his. “I take that as a yes!” Dragging me towards Dusk’s stable, it was empty. Disappointment dimmed his features, Dusk tapping the top of his head. Anxiety built within me, the one rule my dad had was not flying her without him around. Dusk rested her snout on mine, her beautiful dragon eye meeting mine.

“Worry not, little one! We won’t be taking off today. However, I will be right behind you.” She promised me with a smoke heart, a shimmer stealing my heart away. “A dragon protects their rider at all costs. Besides, how could I say no to that smile?” Hugging her snout the best I could, our friendship kept me going. Through many of my worsening panic attacks her body had often curled around mine. Wisty embraced me from behind, memories of us growing up together flashed in my head. Stopping short of a wedding, the color drained from my cheeks. Pecking the top of my head in a playful manner, scarlet replaced the lost color. Opening up the map in front of me, the forest outside of the capital greeted me.

“Will we be back by dinner?” I inquired awkwardly, his twinkling eyes meeting mine. “Luna won’t be happy if I am not there.” Promising me with a toothy grin, his fingers traced a poorly drawn path. Dusk took to the sky, her smoke heart doing little to settle my fraying nerves. Crashing through the bustling streets, a strange fog had us skidding to a clumsy tumble. Catching me before my face hit the cold dirt, a flutter bounced around my stomach. Clearing his throat as he helped me to my feet, a couple of pats cleaned off any dirt. Refusing to look at each other, Dusk hovering over us saved us from the rising wave of embarrassment. Hiking deeper into the forest, different animals scurried about. A dragon shaped shadow blocked out the morning sun, a darkness coming over the forest. Wisty attempted to run away with me, a wall of energy blocking us from escaping. Brandishing my dagger, every breath drew shorter. A shrill shriek shattered the still air, Wisty clinging to my arm. Dusk zoomed away to get help, his clammy sweat dripping down my jacket’s sleeve. Pushing him behind a tree, a giant shadow monster lumbered by with a dark haired elf on its back. Her jet black hair floated with every step, the silver spikes dotting her leather gown glistening in the sliver of remaining light. Covering Wisty’s mouth, her sharp ruby eyes darted around the rows of trees. Pinning her pointed ears back, her familiar smirk paralyzed me. Memories of her screaming at me had me sinking to my knees, her glitching familiar snapping its head in my direction. Wisty picked up my mood change, Howleria sliding off her ride.

“Did she hurt you?” Wisty asked while whisking me away, a wall of rocks blocked her from getting to us. “Don’t worry. You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.” Every click of her heels sounded like death to me, Wisty burying me in his body, her icy tone sending chills up my spine.

“Come now, little kitten. Let’s play like the old times.” She taunted cruelly, Wisty’s scent acting like a calming drug. Sinking into a haze, his words faded in and out. A net dropped over us, a glint being the last thing I saw before sweet slumber stole me away.

Stirring awake, silver moonlight blinded me. Wisty buried his head into the nape of my neck, rusty bars blocking a bit of my view. Golden daffodils glowed in the corner of the cave system, a dull panic sinking in. Holding me like his life depended on it, his tail curled around us both. Sliding my hand into the secret compartment into my boot, a soft pop sent my spare dagger dropping into my trembling palm. Squirming out of his grasp, a way out was always possible. Boots clicking to a certain rhythm threatened my composure, Howleria spinning up to the cage in a show boat manner. Snatching me by the collar of my coat, a bruise formed on my cheek upon impact with the bar.

“Look who came back to their master.” She gloated gleefully, her claw tracing my cheek.”Too bad my boss wants to kill you and make you one of his meat puppets. Dar and him have some sort of fucking beef. What can I do?” Spitting on her face, another slam created another bruise. Snatching her keys from her belt, victory was mine.

“Getting played like usual?” I pointed out simply, a sadistic grin twisting her features while I stole the cage’s key. “Sucks to be you.” Yanking me into the bars once more, one swift action had the rest of the keys on her belt. Throwing me into the center with a huff, her fun had run out. Stomping off, success had been granted. Wisty sat up with a groggy yawn, his fists rubbing his eyes. Furrowing his brows at the three new bruises on my cheek, a raise of my finger gave him pause. Popping to my feet, a reach around the bar birthed disappointment. Curse these short arms, the lock taunting me from an inch away. Wisty plucked the key from my hand, his steady hand jamming it in with ease. Twisting it with a grunt, a squeal preceded the door swinging open.

“Turns out that I am not totally useless.” He joked lightly, his crooked grin causing my heart to skip a beat. “Cat got your tongue?” Sticking out my tongue, getting home was going to be our next goal. No, defeating that evil elf had to be it. Tapping my chin, a weakness had to be presented in the year she trained me. Flipping through the files in my mind, one item stood out. Any source of good magic burned her, the daffodils catching my eyes. Approaching them cautiously, one flick sent enough pollen into the air to make an elephant sneeze. Coating my dagger in seconds, a massage guaranteed it soaking into the metal.

“Killing her is the only solution.” I admitted brokenly, mixed emotions swimming in my eyes. “The capital is at risk. After that, we need to gather a few of these daffodils. Are you listening?” Tracking where he was looking, her familiar growled at the top of the stairs. Shifting into a giant dog, Wisty struggled to stand tall. Sucking in a deep breath, Wisty required a distraction. Hell, I needed a distraction.

“Gather the daffodils for me.” I choked out with a twitching grin, a single tear staining my cheek. “Please.” Kicking a random bag into his hands, he didn’t need to see this. Flipping the dagger over my fingers, his protests fell on deaf ears. Climbing the cage with precision, the angles of potential attacks played out in my mind. Jumping off the top step, steam curled into the air with every violent clash. Not close enough, I yelled in my head. A flash of silver fur captured my attention, a large wolf smashing her into the wall. Teeth and ash blasted around the room, an all out battle taking place in front of me. Recognizing Luna’s scent, guilt ate at me. Clawing away at the body until a heart throbbed in her paw, a chill shot up my spine. Ripping it out with her fangs, a gulp had it exploding into a cloud of ash. Too stunned to speak, piles of ash landed onto her fur. Shaking it off, her motherly gaze sent me into uncontrollable sobs. Sliding down the cage, Wisty caught me at the bottom. Burying myself into her fur, her paw cupped my shoulder. Dragging Wisty into an embrace, his weeping seeming twice as loud as mine. The door blew open, Howleria screaming out in sheer emotional agony.

“You fucking bitch! Die for your sin!” She screeched with a reddening face, Luna plucking us out of her fur. Cocking her head to the left, her snout parted into a sadistic grin. Crouching down low, a powerful growl rumbled in her throat.

“Who are you calling a bitch!” She barked impatiently, her fur bristling for a second. “No one harms my daughter and lives after that. The bruises are from you, right?” Shocked by her calling me her daughter, a warm fuzzy feeling crashed through me. Waves of energy spread out from underneath her paws, Howleria stepping back from honest fear. Spinning on her heels to run, Luna wagged her tail. The hunt was on. Boy, did a wolf love their hunts!

“Get to safety, my darlings.” She pleaded with a nuzzle of her head against our cheeks. “See you soon.” Pounding after her, the sheer force blew our hair back. Pinning our ears back, something felt off. Nudging a numb Wisty, a bit of life returned to his eyes. Pointing to the smaller tunnels above the caves, bewilderment contorted his features.

“Trust me.” I pleaded with my real smile, a tiny okay tumbling from his lips. Scaling the cage, loose rocks cracked as I climbed into the entrance. Wiggling my hand, his fingers curled around mine with earned hesitation. One tug had him laying on top of me, a deep ruby painting our cheeks. Rolling off of me, he motioned for me to go ahead. A splash of blood mixed with Luna’s scent, alarm bells ringing in my head. Crawling towards it with renewed strength, time couldn’t move any faster. Time slammed to a rough halt, Luna’s limp body laying in a heap by a ledge. Swinging myself down, a flick of my wrist sent the dagger into her throat. Grasping at it while stumbling back, nausea wracked me as her skin bubbled. Dissolving into a puddle of black ooze, a numbness came over me. Wisty lowered himself down clumsily, his hands shaking my shoulders not registering as quick as it should. Snapping his fingers in front of my face, wheezing whipped me back into reality. Crashing to Luna’s side, hundreds of cuts lined her side. Mumbling no while applying pressure, familiar footfalls had me looking up. Father crouched down next to me, his leather jacket hovering around his waist. Hovering his hands over her myriad of wounds, a bright glow blinded me. Crawling into his arms, despair soaked the top of my head. The light died down to reveal a slumbering Luna, one swift swing covering her with his jacket. Scooping up her human form, his hand covered my mouth before an apology could escape my tongue.

“Don’t apologize. She was doing what parents are meant to do.” He promised me, his wet eyes meeting mine in a fatherly manner. “How about Wisty spending the night with us? I think that it would be a great treat for you both. You did great today.” Hearing him say that, his hand ruffling my hair warmed up my soul, a grunt preceding him lifting me onto his back. Wisty sulked behind us, his ears pinning back repeatedly. Not knowing what to say, the hike back home was simply awkward. Setting me down at the door, father excused himself to gather after tucking in Luna. Wisty lingered by the door, neither of us knowing what to say. Running off to get the playing cards, his ears perked up. There we go, I thought hopefully to myself.

“Do you want to play a few games until we can calm down?” I offered with a bright smile, his head nodding feverishly. “Please have a seat at the table.” Making his favorite snack and drink in the kitchen, a kick had the playing cards flipping into my mouth. Spinning into the room, Wisty drummed away at the table in a way to get rid of his newfound trauma. How do I fix this? Presenting the treasures with a wag of my tail, a strained huh flopped off of his tongue.

“Can you tell me how it is so easy for you to take care of things?” He choked out between sniffles, no answer arriving at the tip of my tongue. “How am I supposed to help you?” Touched by his concern, silence became a thorn in both of our sides. Father entered with the twins, exhaustion wearing on his face. Sinking into an available chair, giggles twinkled in the air.

“How do you play?” He inquired with a twinkle in his eyes, his steady hands tucking them into their slings. “How are you holding up, Wisty? Your parents said that you could spend the night. Something about the two of you being friends proving to be nice and all.” Pulling out his bun, his hair cascaded halfway down his back. Annoyance flashed in his eyes, clues leading me to believe that he wanted to cut it. Raising his hands, excitement swirled around Wisty’s aura with the rules of the card game. Absorbing the information, my old man was doing all of this to cheer him up. What a wonderful guy, his genuine smile winning him over. Fun hours passed rather swiftly, laughter lightening the air. Cleaning up after the last game, Wisty yawned with the cutest smile. Preparing my bed in the dining area, Wisty flipped over the chair. Plopping onto the bed, the sound of father cleaning up granted me the courage to lay down next to him. Rolling over to face me, his scent swept me into a gentle slumber.

Tall grass swayed, the golden strands tickling my face. Running around with a couple of twirls, a couple of jolts shocked my body. The strands began to shrink, sheer panic causing my breathing to grow shallow. Cursing under my breath, a growth spurt was about to happen. Begging for it to stop, my breath hitched at a much taller Wisty waving at me on the other side of the grass. Rustling with every step, long ivory waves flowed behind me. Smashing into his body, the slenderness hid muscular form well. Towering over my five foot seven height by a good five inches, his chin rested on my head.

“How are we going to explain this to our parents?” He mused between laughs, his finger lifting up my chin. “So pretty. Our kind do tend to grow rather quickly. Imagine the shock on their faces.” Gazing into his loving gaze, our bond might have sped up the process. A scream frayed the edges of the dream, his embrace getting stronger as life ripped us out of whatever this was.

Sitting up with a big jerk, elegant hands greeted my vision. Feeling my body, Luna’s frantic words went in one ear and out the other. Patting my body, an ample bosom had an unknown red flushing my cheeks. Father peered down at me, his finger tapping his chin. Noticing one of his shirts covering me, Wisty fussed with another one of his blouses.

“Calm down, Luna. If my research is correct, this is perfectly natural. They find their mate. Boom, they grow up.” He explained with a twitching smirk, Wisty scratching at the back of his neck. “Fair question. Do you need to satisfy that itch, if you catch my drift?” Shaking my head, that was never a problem. Heats of that nature never occurred until the age of nineteen, a sigh of relief drawing from both of our lips.

“Thank goodness for that.” He breathed out loud, his boots groaning as he crouched down to my level. “You can still come to me at any time. Believe me when I say that I will always be your father.” Mouthing I know, Luna buried me in a bear hug from behind. Mumbling something about being proud, happiness glowed in my soul. Basking in the moment, the wistful expression in Wisty’s eyes shattered my heart. Popping to my feet, my old man tossed him one of his pants. Tugging them on, there was no way our boots would fit. Screw it! Tugging a belt around my small waist, the shirt was enough of a dress. Our tails twisted together as we ran out together, the pink rays of the sunrise stealing our breath away. So many of my fellow assassins spoke of such a moment, the day it happened allowing them to run away from their duties. Spinning on my heels to face him, a strange shyness overtook me. Pressing our foreheads together, his scent mixed wonderfully with mine.

“Count on me to help you out from now on. Dar will train me with my own scythe.” He assured me gently, my heart skipping a beat. “Fel, let’s discover our bond together.” Melting into his arms, his presence was all I needed.