Firefly | Shelha Series 5 | ✔

Little Green Lights

One by one, creatures left the water. Sethral stopped grooming as Ryatzi began to climb the bank, then caught himself and sank back down in the water. Loki shook his head as Sethral started to get up. He pulled Ryatzi away downstream. When they returned, the Saberel had mud on his chest again.

Silversand shrieked as she stepped on a rock that turned out to be squishy. Several prods revealed it to be a plant-creature with a round body the same consistency as a Pitt-web. Its top was opaque, fading down to a translucent underside suckered firmly to the rocks. It had no visible mouth or organs. Silversand abandoned it to investigate instead a paw-sized, perfectly circular hole in the rock beside it. She whipped her paws back. Firebrand pulled out her sketchbook. A pair of adorably large eyes peered back at them from the burrow.

"Don't touch it," said the Leslander as Silversand extended her paw again. "It probably bored that hole. I've been seeing them all over."

A yelp up the bank came the moment before Phoenix dissolved in tears.

Taz hurried over. 'What happened?'

'He can't use the grooming request on me,' Dusk flicked back.

Taz went stock-still. 'Wait, he used a grooming request?' He dropped down beside them. "Shh, Phoenix, this isn't your fault. That's a good thing to do. It just won't work with you and Dusk."

Phoenix was completely inconsolable. He screeched when Taz tried to come closer, then buried his face and body against Dusk's side and sobbed. Dusk wrapped both tails around him and hugged him close.

"That's rough," murmured Loki.

"Did he try and ask?" said Sethral.

"Yeah. Did it automatically, I think, but it burned Dusk like it always does when they actually touch."

Something about the whole situation tripped a wire in Sethral, and suddenly the flood of grief was back. She ran into the forest. The strongest expletive she could think of escaped her, and she spun around and punched a tree. How was any of this fair? How was it fair to Phoenix, who had trusted Wing, and who Wing had abandoned with nothing but Dusk, who he couldn't even touch? How was it fair that Wing and Jay had been able to groom each other, when Dusk and Phoenix would never be able to?

Why did elementals have to exist? If they didn't, Phoenix would not be crying right now, Dusk would be able to properly look after him, and Jay would not have gone through moons of pain before he got his wings. Winter would not be able to chain them now to keep hurting him. Elemental powers did nothing but hurt.

The obvious advantages tried to force their way into her consciousness, but Sethral forced them out again. They didn't count in the face of this.

She wanted Wing to come home.

And the tears were back. They never seemed to let her go. Buckthorn's words kept circling back to haunt her: why had Wing tried to face down Bluejay? He should have known better. If he hadn't been so reckless, he might still be alive.

"Leave me alone," she sobbed.

Fletch sighed and lay down beneath the next tree. "I'm sorry. You shouldn't be alone out here."

"Go away. I can look after myself."

He put his head down and closed his eyes. Sethral knew he was right. She had anticipated at least having the fight to shout at him properly, but her own body was betraying her. She wanted a hug. She ran up to Fletch and flung her arms around him. His chin rested over her shoulder as he hugged her back. For once, nothing interrupted the moment. Sethral let it stretch until the immediate need was fulfilled, then just curled up against Fletch's chest. They stayed that way for most of the rest of the morning.