Chapter 26: Coping
Erin was still sniffing, as Lysander hugged him tighter. The blonde boy didn't like the witch's hut. He didn't like the blood stains on the floor. He wanted to go home. Back to the hut, which Belle gave him and Ly. Back to safety.
"Ly, what if I hurt someone nice?" Lysander sighed at the question. How was he to answer that?
"The people who will make you turn into a dragon won't be nice," Lysander tried to reason with Erin, but the blonde was shaking in place.
"But what if they are?" Erin let out a sob, and buried his face into Lysander's nape.
"Then, I will be there to stop you. You didn't want to hurt me, did you?" Lysander asked. Erin let out another sob.
"But I did. Before, when I was eating Goldana, when you came. I did want to eat you too, but then I shouted to myself that you are Ly, and that I love you, Ly," Erin said. Lysander sighed once more. This was a mess.
Just how did Erin end up with a dragon shifter heritage? Surely, if the boy's parents had been like him, then they would have shifted into dragons during the attack. Yet, Lysander didn't want to point out this to Erin right now. His world was shaken enough. It just wouldn't do, to pull the foundations from underneath the blonde's feet.
"Think about it this way: the witch must have eaten plenty of children. She would have eaten you too. Don't cry, Rin. You didn't do bad, you did good," Lysander said, as he patted Erin on the back.
"Mama always said, that only judges and jury get to decide who gets punished," Erin protested between sobs. Lysander ran a hand through Erin's damp blonde locks. They really should dry off. Out of all the nights for a final snowfall, why did it have to be on this night?
"In a perfect world, she would be right," Lysander said. In a perfect world, people won't call him a demon, when he was only a half a demon. "But the world isn't perfect. But, cheer up! You are a dragon, Rin. That is tons cooler than anything else."
"I don't want to be a dragon," Erin sobbed. By now, Lysander's cloak was drenched in snot and tears. Not that the wanderer cared all that much. He wasn't going to be the first to let go. No, Erin needed him, and he will provide a shoulder, on which the blonde could cry on. "Dragons kill."
"Well, wanderers kill too," Lysander reasoned. "And humans kill, and animals kill. It is just the thing to do, if one wants to survive, princeling. I am not saying that we should go around killing everyone, but, if it is a monster or us, we should defend ourselves."
Erin pulled away from Lysander, and his wide blonde eyes stared into Lysander's golden ones. The blonde boy couldn't believe what Lysander was saying. Sure, Erin knew that Lysander was a survivor, but never had he thought that the wanderer won't feel guilt about killing.
"But, aren't you sad? When you have to kill a bunny for a stew, or, when a squirrel gets caught in one of your traps?" Erin asked.
"You and your squirrels," Lysander said, a bit peeved, that Erin was still not letting him live down that one squirrel stew, two months ago. "I promised not to hunt them, didn't I?"
"Sorry, Ly," Erin said. He remembered that Lysander wasn't as picky about food, as he himself was. If left to Lysander, all the cute things in the forest were going to end up as pottage. Which was why, Erin watched him like a hawk when the raven-haired boy loaded the traps.
"Look, the important thing is, that we get to live another day. Now, let me introduce you to someone. Rin, this is Paul, Paul, this is Erin," Lysander pointed at the wolf pup, which was sniffing at the bloody spot on the ground. When the puppy saw that the two boys were paying it attention, it began to wiggle its tail.
"It is so fluffy," Erin said, as he finally let go of Lysander. Lysander was glad that the distraction had worked. If Erin had cried longer, maybe, they'd attract something worse than the witch. "Can I pet him?"
"He is not trained," Lysander said. Even he wouldn't want to pet a puppy, which was not trained. Besides, they didn't have mittens and padding, to begin training it. "It listens to me. Let me just try to pet it first, and if I can't, you'll know to keep your hands by your side."
Lysander made a couple of steps towards the puppy, and extended his hand. He knew it was important to not show fear. For, if he did show fear, Paul was going to pounce on him.
"Good, Paul," Lysander said, as the puppy sat down before him. "I'll give you a bone from the mammoth when we get back. Now, let me just..."
Paul growled, as Lysander's hand neared his head. His little eyes narrowed up at Lysander, and he bared his teeth.
"Or, maybe not," Lysander pulled away his hand, not keen on losing fingers. Erin's head bowed, when he realized that there was no petting the puppy in store for him.
"Look, Belle will wake, when the first leaves grow," Lysander said. "She'll give us mittens for sure. When that happens, we will teach Paul to shake hands, let himself be petted, and even roll around."
"Will he follow us home? Where did you find him?" Erin asked, curious.
Lysander smiled, glad that he has distracted Erin from his dark thoughts, and then began to retell his adventure. As he did so, he began to search the hut for anything of value.
All laws about honor duels stated that the victor got all the spoils. Granted, what Erin had done was not an honor duel feet, but that didn't mean the witch needed any of her stuff, anymore. As Lysander talked, he stripped the hut bare, and stashed everything in the bottomless bag. By the time he was done with his tale, Erin was looking at him with wide eyes.
"Ly, you are the bravest," Erin said. He was still wide-eyed, when Lysander turned around to face him. The wanderer was blushing.
"I was just sure it will work, that is all," Lysander protested. Yet, he enjoyed the hero worship in Erin's eyes.
Chapter 26: Coping
Erin was still sniffing, as Lysander hugged him tighter. The blonde boy didn't like the witch's hut. He didn't like the blood stains on the floor. He wanted to go home. Back to the hut, which Belle gave him and Ly. Back to safety.
"Ly, what if I hurt someone nice?" Lysander sighed at the question. How was he to answer that?
"The people who will make you turn into a dragon won't be nice," Lysander tried to reason with Erin, but the blonde was shaking in place.
"But what if they are?" Erin let out a sob, and buried his face into Lysander's nape.
"Then, I will be there to stop you. You didn't want to hurt me, did you?" Lysander asked. Erin let out another sob.
"But I did. Before, when I was eating Goldana, when you came. I did want to eat you too, but then I shouted to myself that you are Ly, and that I love you, Ly," Erin said. Lysander sighed once more. This was a mess.
Just how did Erin end up with a dragon shifter heritage? Surely, if the boy's parents had been like him, then they would have shifted into dragons during the attack. Yet, Lysander didn't want to point out this to Erin right now. His world was shaken enough. It just wouldn't do, to pull the foundations from underneath the blonde's feet.
"Think about it this way: the witch must have eaten plenty of children. She would have eaten you too. Don't cry, Rin. You didn't do bad, you did good," Lysander said, as he patted Erin on the back.
"Mama always said, that only judges and jury get to decide who gets punished," Erin protested between sobs. Lysander ran a hand through Erin's damp blonde locks. They really should dry off. Out of all the nights for a final snowfall, why did it have to be on this night?
"In a perfect world, she would be right," Lysander said. In a perfect world, people won't call him a demon, when he was only a half a demon. "But the world isn't perfect. But, cheer up! You are a dragon, Rin. That is tons cooler than anything else."
"I don't want to be a dragon," Erin sobbed. By now, Lysander's cloak was drenched in snot and tears. Not that the wanderer cared all that much. He wasn't going to be the first to let go. No, Erin needed him, and he will provide a shoulder, on which the blonde could cry on. "Dragons kill."
"Well, wanderers kill too," Lysander reasoned. "And humans kill, and animals kill. It is just the thing to do, if one wants to survive, princeling. I am not saying that we should go around killing everyone, but, if it is a monster or us, we should defend ourselves."
Erin pulled away from Lysander, and his wide blonde eyes stared into Lysander's golden ones. The blonde boy couldn't believe what Lysander was saying. Sure, Erin knew that Lysander was a survivor, but never had he thought that the wanderer won't feel guilt about killing.
"But, aren't you sad? When you have to kill a bunny for a stew, or, when a squirrel gets caught in one of your traps?" Erin asked.
"You and your squirrels," Lysander said, a bit peeved, that Erin was still not letting him live down that one squirrel stew, two months ago. "I promised not to hunt them, didn't I?"
"Sorry, Ly," Erin said. He remembered that Lysander wasn't as picky about food, as he himself was. If left to Lysander, all the cute things in the forest were going to end up as pottage. Which was why, Erin watched him like a hawk when the raven-haired boy loaded the traps.
"Look, the important thing is, that we get to live another day. Now, let me introduce you to someone. Rin, this is Paul, Paul, this is Erin," Lysander pointed at the wolf pup, which was sniffing at the bloody spot on the ground. When the puppy saw that the two boys were paying it attention, it began to wiggle its tail.
"It is so fluffy," Erin said, as he finally let go of Lysander. Lysander was glad that the distraction had worked. If Erin had cried longer, maybe, they'd attract something worse than the witch. "Can I pet him?"
"He is not trained," Lysander said. Even he wouldn't want to pet a puppy, which was not trained. Besides, they didn't have mittens and padding, to begin training it. "It listens to me. Let me just try to pet it first, and if I can't, you'll know to keep your hands by your side."
Lysander made a couple of steps towards the puppy, and extended his hand. He knew it was important to not show fear. For, if he did show fear, Paul was going to pounce on him.
"Good, Paul," Lysander said, as the puppy sat down before him. "I'll give you a bone from the mammoth when we get back. Now, let me just..."
Paul growled, as Lysander's hand neared his head. His little eyes narrowed up at Lysander, and he bared his teeth.
"Or, maybe not," Lysander pulled away his hand, not keen on losing fingers. Erin's head bowed, when he realized that there was no petting the puppy in store for him.
"Look, Belle will wake, when the first leaves grow," Lysander said. "She'll give us mittens for sure. When that happens, we will teach Paul to shake hands, let himself be petted, and even roll around."
"Will he follow us home? Where did you find him?" Erin asked, curious.
Lysander smiled, glad that he has distracted Erin from his dark thoughts, and then began to retell his adventure. As he did so, he began to search the hut for anything of value.
All laws about honor duels stated that the victor got all the spoils. Granted, what Erin had done was not an honor duel feet, but that didn't mean the witch needed any of her stuff, anymore. As Lysander talked, he stripped the hut bare, and stashed everything in the bottomless bag. By the time he was done with his tale, Erin was looking at him with wide eyes.
"Ly, you are the bravest," Erin said. He was still wide-eyed, when Lysander turned around to face him. The wanderer was blushing.
"I was just sure it will work, that is all," Lysander protested. Yet, he enjoyed the hero worship in Erin's eyes.
