A Tall and Small Collection | S2

She's Back

Rey ran as fast as his legs could carry him. He couldn't believe what was happening. He had just seen Ashlynn again. They needed to move, sure, but they had a way to do it safely.

There was a twinge of guilt in the back of his mind for not updating Ashlynn on everything that had happened since she was gone, but then again it wasn't for him to tell. He couldn't think about that now. What he could think about was the exciting news he was about to share.

He climbed up one line and slid down the next, following the old lines he once relied on so heavily and the few lights that remained on in the halls. He balanced across the beams and then began the climb up the nail ladder in the wall joist. Hand over fist, Rey willed himself to not slow down until he reached the top. Their home was just ahead past the rafters beyond the balance beam.

~~~~~

Back at their home, Soren was taking time to mend some of their fraying lines. He hooked the thread onto one of the nails and had is laid out from one end of their home to the other. The line was old and it had been months since they had replaced it.

It was one of the reasons Rey had volunteered to go out borrowing for thread and meal supplies. Borrowings had gotten slim recently and it took all of them searching both inside and outside of the apartments just to survive anymore.

It took a lot of time for Soren to let his youngest brother go out on his own. It was a big step every time, even though Rey had proven to be a natural much like himself. Soren still harbored a fragment of apprehension each time his brothers went out borrowing without him.

Some of it was because of his nature of being an overprotective older brother. The other element was because of the accident that happened years ago where they were almost snapped by a mousetrap. Soren could still see it happening if he closed his eyes.

Dorian reaching for the food on the mousetrap. Soren pulling Dorian and Rey away in time to save them, but not save himself from tripping and getting caught beneath the metal bar. Him being left behind to a human, which – at the time – meant certain death.

Who would have known at the time that this encounter between human and Borrower would lead to one of the best friendships known. Soren rolled his aching shoulders and readjusted his stance on his leg. Ever since that time, his leg had been slightly sensitive to things like the change of weather and overuse over the course of several days – and he had been on his feet a lot.

He heard Dorian in the other room shuffling and working away on drying out some of their fresher supplies. Listening to the sounds of their homemade pots and pans clanging in the other room made Soren remember his early days with Ashlynn – his human friend. Ashlynn would be in the kitchen cooking or preparing things for his broken leg, Those early days, though terrifying, helped build trust between them – seemingly two very different people. It was quiet days when he was working on some menial task that he missed Ashlynn.

He looked back on their days together fondly. Soren tried to not talk about her on the occasions where Ashlynn could be mentioned since they went back to their original rule of not interacting with humans. Still, he did think of her from time to time; especially when he dreamed of her.

All of those dreams seemed so real and vivid, taken from memories and thoughts. Some nights he woke in a cold sweat or his heart elevated, pounding in his chest, from the imaginary encounter; each time being forcefully pulled from a pleasant slumber by something from the waking world. Soren hadn't mentioned these things to either of the bobbins, but he admitted to himself that he did miss their once human companion.

So much had changed in the years Ashlynn had been gone... especially with...

"Soren!" Rey's sudden shout coming from the front room followed by his rapidly pounding footsteps sent an unnerving chill up Soren's spine. Immediately, he seized his razor blade and ran to the door. He saw Rey sprinting forward as fast as he could, obviously out of breath.