When A Life Is Lost (NaNoWriMo 2013)

Chapter 18

Chapter 18

For the next few days, they didn't do much. Ania was tired of moving about, and they needed a few days to get used to Eoius, and to get to know him. The cottage was hidden enough, so they did not fear the Guard finding them, although Ania caught Malus on more than one occasion 'standing guard' rather than sleeping. She would not stand for it, so she sat outside with him and refused to fall asleep until he did.

As they spent practically every night together for the three days, they grew much closer and became practically inseparable. They went flying every morning, just talking about anything. Both Ania and Malus still had secrets, but they knew that the other would not reveal them until they felt safer.

The first day was pretty uneventful. They woke early, with Malus and Ania grabbing some breakfast and flying off to eat it. They spent a couple of hours doing this, before flying down for lunch. There was something relaxing about being in the air, especially as she was not as alone as she once thought she was. Being up there with anyone - especially Malus - was the best feeling.

Even though nothing ever happened, the talking made Ania want to stay up there all day.

However, they spent the rest of the day helping Alykana and Eoius. They needed help sorting out wildflowers for the next market. Alykana told Ania about the process which she collected them, and it usually took the best part of a week. Even so, due to how she cut them, they were still as fresh on the last day as they were on the first, and all lasted at least 10 days once sold.

It was something about Alykana's presence that made the flowers want to grow and stay healthy - once her flowers had been sold and given to new 'owners', her influence faded from them and they only lasted the ten days.

"I once kept a bunch that I would have sold, for myself," she had told Ania, "They lasted well over a month until they finally started to wilt."

The next day was a day they all spent relaxing. They just spent the entire day talking with each other. As the weather was not the greatest, they all sat inside Alykana's hut, wrapping themselves in blankets. Ania and Malus would have gone out regardless, but Alykana's angry gaze was something they did not want to see when they got back.

They decided to follow her advice and stayed inside.

They chatted for hours and hours, eating breakfast and lunch without really moving. About halfway through the day, the rain stopped, but the wind was still strong. Ania and Malus knew that they would have to work very hard to fly in the wind, and practically impossible to hear each other, let alone talk.

Alykana came out to see the two of them looking towards the sky.

"I hope you're not thinking of going out in this weather," she scolded, "It's ridiculously windy."

They both shook their heads in unison.

"Of course not," they both replied sincerely, "We'd end up hurting ourselves."

They looked at each other and laughed - they had both replied at the same time and with exactly the same words. It turned out that they knew each other more than they thought.

Alykana looked reproachful, but walked back inside, pulling the blanket over herself again. Although the rain had stopped, it was still freezing.

Ania shivered, trying to hide it before Malus noticed. It was likely that he would order her inside and give her masses of blankets. Unfortunately, Malus did notice her shiver.

"Let's get inside," he told her, "You don't want to catch anything, especially if the Guard comes back."

Ania sighed, nodding for once. She'd have to accept his over-protective nature if she didn't want to fight him every few minutes - she'd accepted that was because he didn't want anything to happen to her or Alykana. With Alykana, she understood why he cared for her - they were like brother and sister. She did not, however, understand why Malus was like that with her.

Malus took her by the arm and pulled her inside, catching the start of the new rain. They were soaked in seconds, even though they were halfway towards the door of the cottage. They sprinted in, laughing at each other. Both of their hair was plastered to their scalps, and their wet wings creating trails of water down their backs.

To try to try them faster, they spread them out, displacing some of the water as they shook them. Unfortunately, the extra water had to go somewhere, which ended up being all over Eoius and Alykana. They weren't as soaked as Ania and Malus, but their shirts were soggy and their faces drenched with droplets of water.

This set Ania and Malus laughing again, seeing the angry expression in Alykana's eyes. She wiped her eyes and flicked her hands downwards to get rid of the excess water, before glaring again at them. Eoius just looked surprised - he still wasn't used to the fact that they had wings; it was rare that they kept them out on the ground.

With their wings extended, there was not a lot of room to move around in, so Ania and Malus sat against the wall, their wings overlapping each other slightly in the centre. Alykana gave them each a towel, and they used them to try to towel off some of the surplus water.

Feathers had always been hard to dry, so they were still slightly damp. The rain continued outside, which was a shame; it would have been nice to lie outside, letting the sun dry her wings. She'd never managed to do that before - her garden was only surrounded by low fences, and it would have been too much of a risk to assume that her neighbours wouldn't see over the fence. She'd wanted to appear as normal as possible, although she was anything but.

They stayed there, sitting against the wall, for hours, talking again. They kept their wings out the entire time, and Ania could see Eoius casting uneasy glances their way every so often, as if to check that the wings still existed. He would look at them, look back towards Alykana, look at his feet and then start the process again.

It was a funny sight.

It was dinner time when they finally retracted them, wanting to move around to help Alykana prepare it. They stretched their backs - having their wings out for a few hours did hurt once they were moved, even if they weren't used to fly with.

They helped her prepare it and sat down on the same wall, but kept their wings in. They sat peacefully eating, making odd remarks every so often. It was so normal that Ania finally felt like this was a place that she belonged in. A place that she felt normal. A place that she could pretend that she wasn't on the run, where she could pretend that life was as it used to be.

But it was better. She had people who cared now. Before, where she lived, she was all by herself. She talked to people, but they didn't really know her at all. Here, she knew that these people would follow her if she left. Alykana had even said that Malus had been searching for her.

If I left, do you think that he would let me go?

She knew the answer already, nor would she be able to let him leave without her.

They finished their dinner quickly - it was only simple soup - and put the plates in the centre. Alykana moved them towards the door - she would wash them in the river later.

Alykana and Eoius only stayed after for a little while, before they forced themselves to retire for bed. Ania and Malus stayed against the wall which they had spent much of the day leaning again, just chatting.

Soon, Ania found herself getting tired, but could not muster the effort to move. She leant on Malus's shoulder, curling up in order to get more comfortable. Malus laughed at her efforts.

"So you're going to sleep on my shoulder?" he teased, poking her arm.

She mumbled something unintelligible under her breath and moved closer to his arm. He sighed, pulling a blanket over her and settling down for what promised to be an uncomfortable night.

But Ania knew he didn't care.