"What happened?" Sparrow questioned urgently as he appeared next to Thorn. The white and blue walls flicker through his faded form as Thorn looked at his father. Thorn wasn't startled as his nearly transparent father spoke, it wasn't the first time he'd seen it so blurred from such a large distance.
He swallowed against the lump in his throat, "I don't exactly know, the tool wasn't anything I've seen before. Daylan mentioned it was from the other side."
"Can I see it, or can you draw a picture?" The father requested, "Maybe someone over there will know what to do with it."
"All right." Thorn grimaced.
Sparrow paused, "How are you, have you been checked out?"
Thorn's eyes burned as his pen scraped over the enriched paper, "It's my fault, I didn't call for orange. I thought- I thought we could do it alone."
"Your brother isn't dead Thorn, and his injury isn't your fault either. You won't always make the right decisions, but you can always learn from them." Sparrow sat next to his son, wishing he was there, "You learn from everything. Now you'll know to bring protection, but you also have to realize your way wasn't bad. Trusting your workers and citizens is a part of the job and you showed you trusted them by not immediately calling the guards. It's not your fault Thorn, it was just a bad first experience."
"I'm sorry." Thorn handed over the sketch, a torn piece of paper from the notebook.
"It's okay. I'll be back soon. Stay with your brother." Sparrow vanished into the air, returning to his body on the other side of the world.
"I'm sorry," Thorn repeated even though his father was already gone. He sat there for hours after his father left. Staring at the empty page of his little notebook. It was a gift from his brother, a set of ten notebooks with different colors and designs. It's taken him years to get down to this last one.
"...orn. Thorn," A young blue shook his shoulder, "Your brother is stable for now. It was a smooth operation, we'll have him rest for a few days, especially because we don't know much about what caused the injury. From what the operation team said, it seems a small piece of metal entered and broke apart inside of him." She pulled a vile out, tiny, mangled metal bits jingling around inside.
"I'll take that," Thorn stood from his seat and slid the notebook back into his pocket.
"Procedure dictates that I give it to Orange for-" She looked unsure, but Thorn cut her off.
"I know the procedure, but this is also an issue for a royal's life. I'll hold on to it for now." Thorn snapped. He'd feel bad later due to the help she'd provided but right now procedure was going to be loose until they go the answers they needed. Some contraption was used to rip a hole through his brother, and it wasn't held off by Cove's shields.
She seemed to shrink a little, "Of course." She handled the small vile over, "You can sit with your brother if you wish."
"Of course." Thorn left her, entering the room as the rest of the doctors filed out. He sat on the side of the bed, staring at his unconscious brother, "Stupid teaching moments, why couldn't you just tell me?" The bit of metal rattled against the vile as he set it down.
****
Cove and Thorn sat in the medical room; files piled up on each of their laps. Thorn held most of them, reading calmly in the chair next to him, though Cove could feel the heat from him. Cove rose further in the bed, sitting up against the pillows, his stitches tugged gently against his skin. He closed the file in his hands and flung it across the space between him and Thorn to knock the pile into disarray.
"Get me out of here." Thorn tilted his head as he read the sticky note aloud, "What's your problem, I'm doing stuff and you're acting like a child? You're not supposed to leave until the stitches come out."
"No." Cove groaned, grinning at his brother, satisfied that he could still pick on his little brother, "Leander and dad are arriving soon, we should be there. They're coming home early because of us we might as well meet them there and show them we're alive."
"I'll be there, you won't."
"Thorn." He grumbled, "I'm all right. We both know I'm only here because you said. The nurse said two days of rest, I think it's been two days. Think about it, Leander will be there, if anything happens to my stitches, I'd hope the top blue could handle it." He couldn't tell why he had to be there as the lies felt like they rolled off his tongue even though he didn't quite understand why it felt that way.
Thorn slid the files into a satchel bag, waving at his brother as he backed out of the hospital room. "Get changed then, I'm gonna be late cause of you."
Cove hopped out of bed, ignoring the stitches as pulled on his jeans and a random white and tan sweatshirt Thorn had taken from his room. His shoes slid on easily and he followed Thorn out of the room in under two minutes.
"Dear god, what is with you?"
Cove shrugged as they made their way out of the building to the walkways below. His heart racing in his chest. The satchel bounced between them as headed north of the blue center. The take-off zone and landing zone were built just outside the wall, beyond the orange barracks. The long strip of cement in the grass is a new sight for most, a step taken in response to knowing about the other side of the world. There wasn't a lot to do at the strip, no seating, just waiting in the empty space, of course, both boys were anxious enough that they didn't mind the peace.
It didn't take long for them to hear the distant rattle of the metal and see the moss green of the plane coming in. Watching as it slowed on the runway, tires rubbing against the smooth hard stone sending the entire thing shaking. The mere thought of being inside the thing sent his stomach turning, mixed with his heart racing he swallowed thickly, gaining another glare from his brother. The small plane circled around, getting them closer to the gate. When the stairs dropped crunching against the ground, only semi-slowed by a stretching cord, Sparrow was the first off.
"My boys, glad you're both here. Cove sorry I didn't see you when Thorn called me. I couldn't stay longer but I did get some answers that will help us," Sparrow wrapped his arms around both Cove and Thorn, dragging them into a heavy hug. Cove stared into the plane over his father's shoulders, his heart still beating chaotically.
They lightly did the same, as Cove spoke, "No need, I'm fine. I would love to hear about all that you've found. The next steps in our interaction with the other side."
"Yes well, it did come from the other side, so we have more information on it now, including some of the weapons like it. The wolves over there reported it as a human weapon, one that seems to be used quite often in hunting the supernatural, although they mentioned humans hunt humans with it as well."
Cove and Thorn shared confused looks but moved on, fighting was not new to them, but the hunting of the same species as yourself without being at war was an odd sentiment. War was the only time that violence was acceptable and once it was over, it was over, no matter whose side you were on. Then again Cove was just injured by one of his own with a weapon that was somehow smuggled across seas when they were supposed to be the only ones with a plane, a plane that had been strapped down until their king's mission. Very little made sense of the situation.
"But otherwise, boys, we're all fine." Sparrow pulled them aside as the orange class began vacating the plane, and loading luggage onto the cart, "Thorn, I would like you to come with me, you can brief me on what's left to do and then you can help me finish. Cove, accompany Leander, would you? We'll all meet up tomorrow to talk."
Cove nodded as his father dragged Thorn away. He made his way up the plane steps after realizing that Leander hadn't left the plane yet. He could also help unload any extra luggage they brought back. Once he got into the plane, it was easy to spot the tall blonde that Cove had known since he was little the last one or two that were in the plane. In Leander's arms, Cove spotted the dark hair of a smaller boy that Cove had never seen before, both were asleep against the hard wall. His heart slowed at the sight of the scrunched face as the dark-haired boy curled in the quilt blanket. Cove approached softly, laying his hand on Leander's should and giving a small shake since apparently, no one else decided to wake up the two.
The blonde was quite easy to wake, but so was the boy as he startled the blanket falling away to show a blue hoodie that drooped on the boy as he skittered to his feet. Leander held the boy close, trying to calm him as he slipped about the shaky floor. Cove backed off as Leander waved him away, a tightening in his chest as the boy tried to flinch from Leander as well. He'd have to talk to his father about better warnings as Cove continued to scan the boy, his small- human ears.
"Ari, it's okay. That's just Cove, he's Sparrow's- The king's- son." Leander spoke softly to the waking boy that struggled against him, "Are you okay to get up?"
The boy pushed himself off Leander, slightly careening toward Cove. Cove watched as he struggled to right himself, nodding his head and forcing himself to lean back against his seat. Cove knew it was a lie as he was still shaky where he stood. The human didn't once look away from Cove with those dark watery eyes as he shrugged some distance between himself and the elves. Cove watched his chest rise and fall at a slower pace, body tense as Leander stood easily, pulling their blanket up and tossing it around Ari's shoulders again. He went and grabbed his own luggage, tossing one of the two bags to Cove.
"You'll be joining us right Cove?" Leander questioned, returning to Ari's side. Cove nodded, still vastly confused by the dark-headed boy that stood next to him, "Right. Ari, this is Cove- as I mentioned before he's Sparrow's son. Cove this is Ari, we met him while we were with the wolves, and I asked your father if he could come back with us."
"Is he a wolf?" Cove questioned tilting his head at the human-looking boy. Is this what wolves look like? Leander snapped in his face, forcing Cove to adjust the pack as he looked away, "Sorry." Cove decided to turn, heading back out of the plane as he awaited an answer, knowing he'd go back to staring at the boy if he didn't focus elsewhere.
"No. I'm human." The boy spoke. Cove looked back once at hearing the soft cracking voice, watching as Leander followed the boy closely as he watched the steps. He was still shaking rather noticeably.
Cove led them back to Leander's house, mostly in silence as it seemed Leander murmured answers and little facts to Ari as they walked through the hall of buildings. Cove didn't think the tall infrastructure, and buildings attached to buildings were all that odd. It was built like a fortress in a way, no matter how far into town an enemy got a battle would only be destructive in the amount of blood it spills, rarely did one have enough power to break through the walls of shops and homes. Cove like to think of more in that keeping the town compact allowed them to be closer as a people and waste less of nature's land. He'd never thought that the architecture would be odd, making him wish even more that he could have gone to the other side as well. The few times he looked back, he got to see the wonderous sight of fascination in the shining eyes of the boy, a fascination Cove shared when seeing parts of the world. The longer they went on the slower the steps behind him sounded.
Leander stepped forward to unlock the door, ushering Ari in as soon as it opened and allowing Cove to follow, "You can take a seat on the cushions. We can drop the luggage here." Leander slid his own pack down against the wall before returning to sit with Ari, "So this my house, and I have a room for you upstairs, so you'll be staying with me and Randy whom you'll meet later. Are you tired or can you talk for a little bit Ari?"
Cove looked at the boy again, watching as he curled against the soft cushions before Ari spoke again, "I can talk I guess."
"Perfect, Cove you can take a seat too. I'm glad he was here tonight because I think you and Cove could work together. I won't be here all the time and I don't want you bored, so I thought you could inform Cove about your books and he can further answer any of your questions and show you around." He turned to the Cove, "Is that all right with you? We'll talk more about what with your father and stuff so it's not to get too much in your way."
"Um yeah." Cove didn't look away from Ari, "I'll be happy to help. Is there any specific thing you came here for? What are these books about?" He directed at the boy, hoping to hear him talk again.
Ari looked at Leander who took over, "The books are about us and the wolves, vampires, and quite a few different species that may live among us, just like the wolves do." Cove nodded along confused as to what that meant for them, but for now, he'd have to deal with the little information he got. He wished Ari answered though as watched the boy tighten in his place, he wondered just how uncomfortable he was in this home and why.
"Right. Also, Ari's in physical therapy right now. His muscles will need to be stretched and he'll need help to move while he gets used to his body again. Otherwise, while you're resting, you can go over the books that will be brought over here. Ari's read a lot of them so far, so maybe you could give him some of ours so we can compare the information. We need to know the differences if anything is off, where there are supposed to be overlaps between species, and most importantly the truth of if others exist." Leander suggested, Cove caught the glance Leander made between him and Ari and smiled grimly.
He wanted to know so much that his mouth couldn't run with his brain at the moment but he'll make a further attempt, "Sorry, does that mean you've known we exist before we knew you existed?"
"Not exactly." Ari pulled the blanket tighter. "I've read a lot but I didn't know about werewolves for the longest and when I did, I didn't know why you wouldn't be real then."
"Then why did we not know about his until last year?" Cove only understood half of what he was talking about.
Ari shrugged, "I di-didn't..." Ari's chest rose as he stuttered a response, coughing as he gave up on the words.
Leander stood and stepped between the two as his front door opened again, the voice of his destined reminding him of something he'd forgotten, "Cove you should calm down a little bit, you can get to it later, but know Ari doesn't have all the answers either. I know you love exploration and that's why I wanted you to help Ari, but for now. How about we rest, you can talk more about it later when Ari's feeling up to it." Randolph walked into the room as Leander continued, "You should go home for today, I need to talk to mine, and you should talk more with your father and brother."
Cove nodded, sparing one last look at the boy who shrunk from his gaze before slipping past Randolph with a nod of his head and a goodbye. He'll be allowed to ask these questions, but maybe he should calm down. It's obvious Ari was uncomfortable and despite the needles driving into his heart Cove's curiosity was pushing him to push Ari. If they were going to work together, he'd have to get Ari to feel more comfortable. If he's having a rough time, a human who shouldn't know about any of them would of course be having trouble. He rubbed at his chest. But why did he think that humans wouldn't know anything about them?
Complete: 12-17-22 Edited: 3-14-23 Published: 12-19-22 Republished:3-14-23