Like the day we said goodbye

Extra Chapter: The Owl that guides you back home

"So, what do you think?" My maker said as she had me on her hands, I ruffle my feathers to remove the remains of sawdust and some chips that were still left after the carving process.

"Awww Eda, he's such a cutie!" The woman in front of my maker said, she was looking directly at me with starry big red eyes, she reached her hand to me and at first I thought she would try to take me in her hands, but what she did was start to scratch the top of my head carefully. It was a nice feeling, and I couldn't help but get closer.

"Stop it Cam, you're going to spoil him," my maker moved me away from her companion, and placed her head on the other woman's legs, "Here, to that to the cuter owl".

The woman just laughed at my maker's behavior, but also began to stroke her hair while she relaxed. I slipped out of the hands of my maker, then made my way by skipping back to where they could both see me, "Looks like someone wants some attention too." She saw me, I made a small hoot to answer affirmatively, she in response extended one of her hands for me to climb, and after doing so she brought me to her shoulder where she began to pet my head.

"So Cam, have you already thought about the shape of your Palisman?" My maker, Eda, said while she was enjoying the cares from the other woman, Cam.

"I'm still not totally sure, my mother keeps insisting that I should make a snake like any "respectable" healer," She stopped caressing both of us for a second to make quotes with her fingers, but she immediately continued, "But I want to do something more personal, something that goes more with myself".

"Don't listen to her babe, if you want you can totally take the bird theme like me".

"But Eda, didn't you say that birds where something just your family do?"

"Exactly, and it is precisely for that reason that you can do it too" Eda winked as her cheeks turned pink, Cam understood what she said after a few seconds and her cheeks took on a similar but darker tone, her ears kept fluttering from side to side just as she bent down to both connect their faces together. I looked away, better waiting for the caresses on me to continue.

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"How do you say this little pie was called?" We were sitting under a big tree on the middle of the forest, just some days after Eda made me, Cam finally decided the form she wanted her Palisman to have.

"Her name is Bébinn" The woman was holding a small, winged fawn with antlers covered by the same vegetation that formed her wings. Bébinn looked very cheerful, hopping in circles on the hands of her maker.

Cam began to pet the little fawn on the back, she responded by lightly rubbing her head against the hand of her maker. Cam came a little closer to Eda, resting on her side leaving the fawn to meet her like I do with her some days ago. "So, have you decided what name give to our little friend here?" She said as she began to scratch my head just in the right spot.

"Its Owlbert" Eda said as she played with the fawn on her big hands.

"You named an Owl Owlbert?" Cam answered with a small grin and a raised eyebrow while looking at my maker.

"And he loves it" No, I didn't, but it was better than Wonder Beak or Talonsy, "And you know how I'm with names, you'll see, in a day I won't even remember how this cutie pie is named".

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Today we were again with Cam under the tree, but this time she was completely alone, and she cried after telling Eda something. Now we were returning to the old house where we live. "Hey Owlbert," She unscrew me from the interlock and let me fly to her shoulder, "I know that you and Bébinn like to play a lot and that you enjoy Camille company as much as I do... But..." She let herself sit on the floor, hugging her own knees as she looked up at the dirty ceiling. "Bébinn its not going to be around for a long time buddy, and in some days neither Cam... It would be just you and me for a while, but I know we can do it, don't you think so?" Eda's smile was forced, the sadness in her eyes seemed to consume her. Still, she made a positive hoot and started rubbing my head against her cheek. "I don't know what I would do without you Owlbert, thank you."

It was one of the few moments when Eda put aside her sarcasm and tough woman appearance, not counting the ones she was with Cam of course. The moment was interrupted by a large piece of wood that fell off the ceiling and nearly hit her on the head. "You know, I think I need a better house." She said after a few seconds of silent contemplation, to which I responded with another positive hoot.

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Eda was sitting on the ground leaning her back on the door that we used to go to the human world, seeing that she did not move except to breathe, I unhooked myself from the interlock of her cane and flew to get on her knees. A little hoot and she slowly raised her head to see me, "He..Hey Owlbert..." She tried to smile, but the complete sadness on her face didn't let her, "Go... Good news buddy, now its completely just you and me, no more dates or long flight sessions, just the good old' Eda & Owlbert doing criminal stuff!".

Her breathing was heavy, and although she kept trying to smile, tears were visible in the corners of her eyes. I looked at her with the same sadness that she had, it was obvious that Cam had left and probably would never return, I made a silent hoot and leaned closer to hug her face with my wings. This finally broke her, and the rest of the night Eda cried like she had never seen her do. I didn't leave her side at any time.

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Eda no longer liked going to the human world, not only because her curse no longer allowed her to resist too much in a world without magic, but because she didn't want to enter the world where Cam was, knowing that she would look for her without hesitation. For all that, now I was in charge of making the trips to gather the merchandise that would be sold all week. Eda insisted to King, our new partner, to accompany me, but after almost being caught by an old man who he believed him to be some exotic animal, he refused to return without at least one member of his army to watch his back.

So there I was, like for many years in the forest looking around for something that looked valuable, there were not too many houses nearby, but those that did always had something good inside their metal buckets.

While returning to the cabin that served as an intermediate point between both worlds, I noticed that in the house closest to this there were two people who were not there on my first round, I remember that some years ago I saw some people in that same house, but the ones there now were different, much younger. Not to mention the fact that they were witches with illusion spells on them.

I didn't recognize the youngest, but the oldest who at that moment seemed to say goodbye seemed extremely familiar. Was... Was that Cam? I couldn't get closer to see her because at that moment she got on a strange metallic creature, but the youngest left something in the metal bucket before saying goodbye and that I noticed it was a book. I thought fast, if really this was Cam then maybe I could take her to see Eda, but I didn't know if she would come back soon or if she even would, but I had another option; the girl seemed to be close to her so maybe taking her with me to the isles that would also bring Cam. I picked up the book just before she turned to look for it again, and intentionally let her see me just before running back to the door instead of flying so she could keep up with me.

If I was right, Eda would be happy like she hadn't been in years, but just in case I was wrong, I wouldn't tell her about the illusion spell on the girl's earrings, after all, everyone has the right to keep their secrets. I can't wait to see Eda's face, and I hope this ends well.