Shadows & Secrets part 11
The adventure of Deryn and Cáit continues as the five friends slowly make their way north.
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D
Deryn woke to the cheerful song of birds and the displeased groans of the woman beside him. Cáit was definitely not a morning person and he couldn’t help chuckling at her attempts to shield herself from the soft morning sunlight. He certainly didn’t mind how it included pulling him even closer and burrowing her face into his furry belly.
His senses alert once more, he picked up the sounds of something sizzling and an aroma that made his mouth water. Opening his eyes, he peered over Cáit’s soft brown hair to see Maeve was working on breakfast. He scanned the clearing, but did not spot the other two members of their party. His movement was noticed and Maeve turned her attention to him.
“Lonán heard something rustling in the underbrush,” she informed him, “he suspected quail or rabbit. Your brother tagged along so I expect they’ll be trying to outdo each other.” He watched her shake her head ruefully. “Boys are the same regardless of species it seems.” Deryn chuckled again, knowing his brother likely was trying to prove himself a worthy mate and would indeed be set on outdoing Lonán.
“Are you cooking some of those meat strips I had before?” Deryn inquired, though his nose told him the answer.
“Meat strips?” Maeve cocked her head, “it’s called bacon and yes I am. We only have some for today though, since it doesn’t travel well.” Deryn sighed, slightly disappointed, but it was quickly replaced by curiosity. He knew his brother had never tried the crisp, flavorful meat before and was eager to see his reaction to it. His own had been rather embarrassing, but luckily no one else had been in Cáit’s bedroom.
Turning his attention to Cáit, he began gently nuzzling her in hopes of coaxing her awake gently. Maeve seemed to notice his attempts and laughed.
“Your gentle attempt is sweet, but sadly won’t work,” she said, “I’ve had to literally kick Cáit out of bed and dump a bucket of cold water on her to get her to leave dreamland.” Deryn knew that water would not make for a pleasant wake up, but feared Maeve was right that gentleness would be ineffective. Luckily, he had plenty of experience annoying his brother awake.
C
Cáit shifted in her bedroll, her hand trying to swat away the annoyance. Her sleep-muddled brain was sure ants were crawling all over her face and neck. A chuckle rumbled beside her and something rough swiped at her nose. She felt her hand connect with fur and something sharp poked her finger, the rough wetness following quickly after. The pain was brief, but enough of a jolt that her eyes snapped open and her brain began processing the world around her.
Green slitted eyes gazed intently at her and her brain slowly registered that she was staring at Deryn in his malk form. Her other senses began awakening as she smelled bacon and heard two male voices approaching. Her finger was a dull throb as she realized what he’d done.
“You bit me!” Cáit accused loudly, drawing the attention of the others. She heard Maeve laughing behind her and even Lonán was chuckling at her indignation.
“I did try to be gentle,” he assured her, “it’s not my fault you practically shoved your hand in my mouth.” She felt her cheeks heat with embarrassment, but remembered the ants. Glancing about the bedroll she saw no evidence of the tiny insects.
“I can vouch for his gentleness,” Maeve managed around her laughter, “he was all nuzzles, licks, and whiskers, but you, as usual, were impossible to wake.” They were his whiskers, she realized, not ants. She huffed and set about dragging herself up to handle her morning routine. Deryn quickly leaped out of her way and padded over to Maeve.
When she returned, fully dressed and mostly awake, she noticed there was actually scrambled egg beside the bacon and dark bread on everyone’s plates. Maeve’s proud smile was hard to ignore as she handed Cáit a plate.
“Pedr managed to discover a quail nest that had a clutch of eggs in it,” Maeve informed her. Cáit found that surprising, but had heard that some quails and pheasants tried for additional clutches if the weather remained mild. A glance at the subject of Maeve’s praise had her trying not to laugh. Pedr was practically beaming at his achievement while Lonán rolled his eyes beside him. Settling on a log beside Deryn, Cáit happily dug into her breakfast. A subtle nudge pulled her attention away and she heard Deryn whisper.
“Watch him.”
Cáit wasn’t sure why she was to watch Pedr, but she did. He had a strip of bacon in hand, his expression perplexed. She watched him take a tentative bite of the strip and his reaction was immediate. Green eyes widened almost comically large at the indecent moan that escaped his lips, his hand quickly clamping over his mouth, though not quickly enough. Pink coated his cheeks and Cáit worried he’d be angry at the audience.
“Well,” Maeve crooned, “if a simple strip of bacon can draw that sound out of you I can’t wait to have a proper kitchen again.”
“I would not require anything nature has not gifted me with to draw such sounds from you, Mo’lasair,” Pedr practically purred back, causing Maeve’s cheeks to match his own. Cáit shook her head, focusing once more on her meal.
Back upon her horse and nestled comfortably in Deryn’s arms, Cáit pondered their future. Excitement and worry roiled in her, making her feel overwhelmed. She felt Deryn shift, pulling her closer, and she suspected he was picking up on her anxiety with his heightened Fae senses.
D
Deryn’s mind raced as he scented Cáit’s unease. He wanted to comfort her, but with so much unknown ahead of them and potential threats looming, he couldn’t find the words to do so honestly. Fae could not lie, and while he knew he could bend words to often mean the opposite, he would not do that to her. Instead, he decided to distract her from her worry.
“Did you know a Cat Sith is not born able to shift immediately?” He knew she likely did not, but waited for her to shake her head before continuing. “It can vary a bit, but most begin to shift when they are old enough to crawl. It takes a few years to actually get the hang of controlling it though which can lead to some rather awkward moments.” As he hoped, Cáit’s scent shifted to amusement and curiosity. Pushing embarrassment aside, he shared some of his misadventures with shifting as they made their way north.
He was only three or four at the time and quite convinced he was invincible. Prowling in his malk form, he stalked a large black bird sitting on a wall. The bird was twice his size, but he was sure he would succeed. The bird however was quite unimpressed by his kittenish attempt at hunting and languidly flew onto the roof when he had pounced. Undaunted, he had followed onto the roof, but his prey had merely flown off, its caws sounding suspiciously like laughter. His hold on his malk form slipped as frustration and disappointment flared in him and he’d ended up pounding his little fists on the tiles and wailing at the top of his lungs. His brother had come to his rescue, though had not been pleased about it.
“Why not?” Cáit asked him and he chuckled.
“Because,” he explained, “like with most children, I did not have the ability to retain clothing when I shifted.” Cáit laughed and he couldn’t help grinning.
“So you ended up throwing a tantrum… on a roof… completely naked?” She could barely get her question out she was laughing so hard.
“Over not being able to catch a crow, yes,” he agreed, remembering the glower Pedr had given him and how he had been kept at arm’s length the entire rescue.
“Luckily Cáit stayed off rooftops,” Lonán quipped, pulling up alongside, “I’ve had to do a tree rescue a time or twenty though.” Deryn smiled, wishing he could see how red Cáit got. Her scent had him guessing as red as Maeve’s hair.
His smile felt stuck on his face as Cáit and Lonán shared their own stories of various misadventures, each trying to embarrass the other more. He had a feeling both were relieved when Pedr stopped ahead and announced that they were stopping for lunch.
C
Cáit slid down and into Deryn’s arms. She was sure her face was now permanently red from all the embarrassing stories Lonán had shared. She had honestly been surprised Lonán had jumped into the conversation and rather shocked at how easily he had bantered with Deryn. Granted she could have done without him sharing some of her most mortifying childhood moments, but seeing the amusement and delight in Deryn’s eyes as he helped her down made it worth it.
“You may not have been able to shift,” Deryn murmured softly in her ear, “but you were a Cat Sith kitten through and through.” Cáit felt her cheeks warm from the compliment and her lips tilt up at the corners. It felt like sharing such stories had brought them closer, but she didn’t want to assume anything.
Maeve’s indignant squawk caught Cáit’s attention just in time to see the irked redhead shove Pedr so hard he toppled backwards on his rear, a plume of dust obscuring his features. He started laughing, but the dust turned it into a sneezing fit.
“Serves you right,” Maeve snarked at him. Cáit shook her head as she approached her friend.
“I’m almost afraid to ask what he did or said this time,” she admitted.
“Honestly I think he was trying to get me mad,” Maeve replied, “he can be charming, even sweet, but he also seems determined to rile me up constantly.”
“That is both surprising and not,” Deryn commented softly. Cáit noticed he was eyeing his brother, making sure Pedr wasn’t listening. “He’s being his genuine self with you,” he told Maeve, “something I’ve never seen him do with any other female before.”
“So I’m special,” Maeve said, her expression softening, “interesting.” Cáit turned her focus towards lunch preparation and soon everyone was enjoying a meal of bread, cheese, and various sliced meats. She noticed Pedr had managed to get back into Maeve’s good graces by the time everyone was ready to resume their journey.
“Those two are going to give me whiplash,” Cáit told Deryn once they were back atop their horse.
“Fae are prone to intense courtship,” he replied, “and Cat Sith are especially known for their contradictory nature.”
“You don’t seem all that contradictory,” she mused.
“Ah, but I’ve not exactly been trained like I should have,” he reminded her, “I have watched humans instead of working on navigating the plots of court. Pedr has been extensively trained. He can charm, seduce, and manipulate without even a skilled Fae realizing until he has what he wants.”
“Not exactly a glowing recommendation for me to trust my best friend with him,” she told him.
“If he were being nothing but charming to her I’d agree, but he’s purposefully being a…”
“Jerk!”
Cáit watched as once again, Pedr was thrown off his horse by an upset Maeve.
“I’d feel sorry for him if I didn’t suspect he fully deserved that,” Lonán commented, once again riding beside her.
“And yet he not only persists, but is allowed to,” Deryn added, causing Cáit to wonder at that. She knew Maeve was not one to put up with unwanted behavior and had put her foot down with persistent boys before so the fact she was allowing this was unusual.
“This manor better have thick walls,” Lonán stated, “not only to muffle Maeve’s screaming, but I suspect she’d throw him through a few too.” Cáit smiled as she felt Deryn’s laughter rumble along her back.
“The walls are thick and solid,” Deryn assured him, “the doors might not survive long though. From what stories I’ve heard of my father’s courtship, every door in the manor ended up replaced twice.” Cáit’s eyes widened at that.
“Your mother sounds like an interesting female,” Cáit said cautiously, “you haven’t mentioned her before.”
“She died shortly after I was born,” he replied, “most Cat Sith females only birth one kitten, but I was her second. It was a rough labor and she was greatly weakened from it. Father did not handle it well and I think he’s so harsh with me because he blames me for her death.”
D
Deryn’s mood turned morose at the thought of his mother. He felt Cáit lace her fingers with his, her silent support easing the heavy weight in his chest. A firm hand landed on his left shoulder and gave a gentle squeeze. He turned to Lonán, giving a wan smile and nod to his friend. It had always been difficult to talk about his mother, and he realized then that his friends understood that. Both Lonán and Cáit had lost their mothers, though they had been older when it happened, and had offered him support without hesitation.
His mood had been noticed by his brother as well and he watched as Pedr waited in his malk form for his horse to catch up. Deryn kept a firm hold of the reins as the horse cautiously trotted by.
“Is all well back here, little brother?” He knew Pedr had picked up on the spike of sadness. He wondered which Pedr was asking though, the one that had comforted him whenever their father had yelled and blamed him unfairly or the one that would lecture him over letting such weak emotions control him.
“All is well back here,” Lonán replied instead, “though the same can’t be said about up there seeing as you’re here instead.” Deryn fought a smile at Lonán’s skillful deflection. He was also deeply touched that Lonán had stepped in. With Fae not being able to lie, it would have taken some careful wording to convince his brother all was indeed well.
“I am where I wish to be,” Pedr assured Lonán, “you need not worry about my wellbeing.”
“And should I worry about my sister’s wellbeing?” Lonán challenged. Deryn stayed alert, ready to defend his friend should his brother take offense.
“You need not worry about Maeve’s wellbeing, but as her brother I expect you will anyway.” Pedr caught his gaze once more before nodding and heading back to Maeve’s side. Deryn pondered what that meant and decided the only way he’d know for sure is by asking his brother about it later.
As the sky steadily turned amber, Deryn dismounted and led the horse off the road. Cáit stayed mounted, her slight frame draped sleepily over the horse’s neck. Pedr had spied a sheltered clearing further from the road than the last one and Lonán had agreed it would make a good place to rest.
After helping a drowsy Cáit dismount, Deryn headed over to Lonán, curious as to how he might assist with the various tasks required. He didn’t need to even voice his query.
“Pedr is already off hunting,” Lonán informed him, “our water skins are running low so they will need to be refilled. I no longer can hear the stream though I know it’s close.” Deryn listened closely and noticed he could faintly hear it.
“I can hear it and will have less trouble finding my way back here,” he said. Lonán nodded and handed him the skins.
“I’ll help the girls then,” Lonán agreed, “stay safe.”
With the water skins slung over his shoulders, Deryn headed towards the hidden stream, his keen night vision aiding him in the shadowy forest. He had no trouble finding the stream and quickly filled each water skin with fresh water. As he finished filling the last one, he felt his brother approach.
“I have not been a good brother to you if you now prefer to turn to others for support.”
“You have been a good son instead,” Deryn admitted and was surprised when he caught Pedr wince.
“I had to choose one or the other,” Pedr said, sitting beside him, “I chose poorly.” Deryn barely could keep his mouth from dropping open in surprise. His brother did not seem to notice the reaction, his gaze focusing instead on the trees beyond the stream. “I loathed the court as much as you did, but I let his opinion of you color my own. You deserved better of me, little brother.” Pedr’s green eyes met his and he was shocked at the pain he saw in them.
Deryn couldn’t help the sudden urge to hug his brother even though he knew his brother would not appreciate the contact. His arms twitched as he fought the urge and he closed his eyes briefly to help restrain himself. Strong arms wrapped around him and pulled him against the firm chest of his brother. He froze, the deep purr of his brother rumbling through him. He couldn’t remember the last time his brother had initiated such an embrace, but quickly returned the gesture, his own purr rumbling to life. Deryn soaked in the rare warmth of affection and had no idea how long they sat beside the stream. He felt his brother pull back slightly to look into his eyes.
“It was wrong of me to deny you such contact,” Pedr murmured, “I realize that now.” Deryn found his throat too choked up with emotion to reply so he merely tucked his head against his older brother's collarbone and purred harder. “I will be better, little brother,” he heard Pedr promise, “I promise I will be a supportive big brother to you from now until my final breath.” His breath caught at the words, a true Fae promise. He felt Pedr’s hand clasp his chin gently and guide his head so they sat with foreheads touching. “We should probably return to the others before they worry.”
“Did you manage to catch anything?” Deryn noticed even that simple query sounded thick and heavy with emotion, but he couldn’t help it.
“I’m a mighty hunter,” Pedr assured him, his lips quirking up into smirk as he indicated to his right, “I’ll not disappoint Mo’lasair by failing such a simple task.” Deryn saw two large pheasants already plucked and gutted beside his brother and knew Maeve would be pleased with the catch.
C
Cáit looked up from her chopping as she heard rustling. She noticed both Fae brothers returned together though they had left on different tasks.
“They’ve had a talk,” Maeve whispered beside her. “I think I know what it was about too.” Cáit raised an eyebrow, encouraging her best friend to elaborate. “One of the spats I had with Pedr earlier today was about how poorly he’s treated his little brother.”
“The one where you sent him flying off your horse again?” Cáit asked. Maeve nodded. “Did he say why?”
“Evidently their father is a real piece of manure,” Maeve replied softly, malice lacing her voice, “blames Deryn for his mate’s death and finds fault in everything the boy does and doesn’t do. As part of his court training, Pedr was forced to agree with those views and even… administer punishment.”
“He was forced to punish his own brother?” Cáit whispered, shocked.
“Often publicly too.” Cáit forced herself to put the knife down as her body trembled with fury. She had never met the male Deryn and Pedr called father, the same male that possibly murdered her grandfather and would want her dead if he knew she existed, but she hated him. Hate almost felt too weak a word for the feeling coiling inside her. She barely felt Maeve’s arm as it wrapped around her.
Cáit suspected Maeve warned the boys off with a look, for she stood with Maeve hugging her for a while as the rage slowly ebbed from her. When they finally separated, Pedr acted like he had not seen, and likely smelled, any issue which Cáit was grateful for.
“Your mighty hunter has returned Mo’lasair,” he informed the redhead beside her, “I even cleaned and prepared them for you.” Cáit smiled at the soft blush that dusted her friend’s cheeks as she accepted the two pheasants. She felt Deryn slip beside her, his arms encircling her waist as she finished her chopping.
“I hope it had nothing to do with me,” he murmured softly into her ear.
“Not anything I would blame you for,” she assured him as she turned to return the embrace, “nor your brother.” She saw him raise an eyebrow, but she silenced whatever further questions he may have asked with a kiss. It did not take him long to deepen the contact, his head tilting slightly, and she felt a tingle shoot down to her toes.
Continue Reading: Part 12
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