The White Wolf and the Black Nightingale

𝓒𝓱𝓪𝓹𝓽𝓮𝓻 04

The cart came to a halt as they reached the small farmhouse at the edge of town, Shaela and Damien hopping off the back to start unloading.

Davac got off the front side and loosened the horse from the cart, giving the mare and apple while leading her to the stable beside the house.

Yunna had come outside to greet her husband and adopted child, though much to her surprise there were also guests.

Her eyes widened as she saw Geralt, quickly making her way over to him with a grin on her face.

"Geralt! It's been way too long since last. My, look at how much you've grown these past years" the blonde female gave the white-haired Witcher a hug which he quickly returned.

"Yunna, how nice to see you again. Davac had told me how you both have been since you both left the Wolf School" Geralt grinned as he took a good look at the lady he knew from long ago.

Shaela passed by the two with Damien right behind him, greeting Yunna with a quick smile while completely ignoring Geralt. She dragged the blacksmith's son behind her, making a b-line to her room in the house.

Yunna watched her with a small frown, knowing that something was bothering the girl but opted to ask about it later. She needed to talk to her about something important anyway.

"Well, do make yourself at home, Geralt. Get yourself cleaned up, stay for dinner and get some rest" she spoke after a few seconds, leading the male into the house.

Geralt gave her a thankful smile, relieved to get some rest and a chance to clean after the last monster contract. Not to mention seeing some familiar faces he hadn't seen since he was much younger.

~~~

"Shaela! Dinner is ready!" Yunna called out to her daughter, chuckling at the sounds of rapid footsteps coming from the hallway followed by a thud.

Shaela walked into the kitchen, rubbing her head from where she had hit the wall while running towards the kitchen. Damien entered behind her, laughing at her clumsiness.

The dark-haired female stuck out her tongue towards her friend, moving to sit down at the table. She froze in her spot as she noticed Geralt sitting on the opposite side of the table, not having expected he would have stayed for dinner.

She quickly dug into the meal that was set in front of her, and an awkward silence filling the room. Yunna gave Davac a confused look on why Shaela would act this way, but the other just simply gave her a shrug.

"Shaela, sweety. There's something I need to talk to you about after dinner" she spoke softly, receiving a nod in response.

~~~

As dinner ended, Damien had left to get back home, and Yunna and Shaela had gone into the sitting room to talk. Davac and Geralt took it upon themselves to clean up in the kitchen.

Davac had told Geralt that he didn't have to, but the other Witcher was persistent as it was the least he could do in thanks to their hospitality.

"You mentioned that you found Shaela as a baby and took her in. What happened to her real family?" the white-haired male asked after a short while of silence.

"I guess they passed away during the dragon attack. There was nothing left but ruins, burned corpses and a few small monsters that made it their new home. It was a miracle that she was unharmed, hidden away in the basement of one of the burned down houses.

And there was the letter tucked in the blanket she was wrapped in. It was a request for whoever would have found her to take care of her. It was as if they knew they were going to die" Davac frowned as he put away the last of the cleaned dishes. He moved to sit at the table, Geralt following and sitting across from him.

"There was another letter as well, but it was meant for Shaela to be given to her when she was old enough. Now she's 25 and we just got around to bringing up the courage to talk to her about it. Neither I nor Yunna know what is in there..."

The older male let out a sigh, raking a hand through his hair. He softly shook his head, resting his arms on the table.

"There's something about her. I'm sure you've noticed it too," he let out a dry chuckle, "we've never been able to figure it out, why her biological parents had hidden her while all the other village children died. Why is she the only survivor?"

Just as Geralt was about to say something, the loud slamming of a door startled them both. Shaela stomped her way through the kitchen towards the backdoor, clear streaks of tears on her cheeks.

She slammed the door closed behind her just as Yunna entered the kitchen. She had a look of concern on her face, brows furrowed as she joined the two males at the table.

"She took the news fairly well, but whatever was in that letter for her made her so upset" she mumbled, running a hand down her face.

"Give her some time to herself. We can talk to her when she has calmed down" Davac comforted his wife, wrapping an arm around her shoulder.

"I'll go talk to her" Geralt spoke up, getting up from the table and heading towards the backdoor. He paused with his hand on the knob, turning to the other two as if to ask where he would be able to find the younger girl.

"She's most likely by the large oak tree beside the lake behind the stables. It's where she usually goes" Davac spoke, continuing to comfort his distressed wife. Geralt gave a nod in thanks before leaving the house, heading out towards the oak tree behind the stables.

Breathing in the cool night air, he slowly made his way towards the stables behind the farmhouse. He took this short moment of peace to let his thoughts wander on the events of the past few hours.

It had been a pleasant surprise to see Yunna and Davac again. The last time he had seen them was when he was still a young boy in the middle of his Witcher training. The two had always been around to help him out whenever Vesimir was out on a monster contract.

His thoughts wandered over to Shaela. It felt out of character for him to be so interested in her, but he couldn't help his curiosity on the mysterious aura around her. It was clear that a lot of things were troubling her, but she never let it show to others unless they would look real closely.

His train of thoughts was cut off by the sound of soft humming. It was a tune he had definitely heard many times before, but he couldn't pinpoint exactly where he had heard it before. He followed the sound to a large oak tree a little ways behind the stables, Shaela sitting on the riverbank of the small river that flowed from a waterfall.