Bridge of Worlds ( On Hold)

Chapter 17

Kiran

I quietly opened my door and padded to the room right next to mine. I knocked on Burnemarr's door.
I promptly heard the rustle of him disentangling himself from his covers. Either he had already been awake, or he was a light sleeper. I was betting on the latter.

He opened the door and peered out with slightly sleep-clouded eyes.

"Kiran?" he questioned.

"Ooshoo," I replied, somewhat awkwardly.

He stared at me, bemused. "Well hello. But what are you doing here at this time of night?"

It was a couple of hours since we had retired to our rooms for sleep. I could feel through the bond that Silver was sound asleep, lulled by the long, satisfying day we had spent together. But sleep had failed to come to me.

A mending rib made finding a comfortable position for sleep difficult. The incident this morning had my thoughts going round and round. And though I would not trade my place with Silver for anything, I often felt stifled on Attaliesia. I was a wild creature and not meant to be caged.

I had loved running at nighttime on Llyador, and if I could convince Burnemarr, I thought at least a walk would soothe.

"Burnemarr. I'm sorry for waking you up. But I was hoping to go on a walk."

Burnemarr rubbed grit out of his eyes and grumbled.

"At this hour? Didn't you do enough walking earlier today?"

But he headed back into the room and promptly changed into appropriate clothing for a walk. Gurr snarled at me from the doorway the whole time.

Humans need sleep, you know. Haven't you asked enough of my Matchmate?

Forgive me, I told Gurr sincerely. But you know he would hate it if I ventured out alone.

Truly, I would have preferred to go alone. But I could not do everything alone anymore. Burnemarr was my guard and my friend and I had accepted that. Sadly, it meant I dragged two other creatures everywhere I went. Gurr was not pleased.

Just then, Burnemarr emerged from the room.

"All right, my friend," he said with a tired smile. "Let's take that walk."

We took it slow, for although I had night vision, it took a while for Burnemarr's eyes to adjust. The silence as we walked was comforting. Everywhere on Attaliesia, people talked; on Llyador, I had never spoken except with Shanook. Sometimes all the chatter was overwhelming.

The stars were bright tonight. They, at least, were a constant in life.

"Do you know how we say friendship on Llyador?" I asked Burnemarr rhetorically. Of course he didn't. I was the only creature who could possibly tell him.

He paced alongside me, managing his bulk with quiet grace. It was nice to have him beside me for once and not behind, shadowing my every movement. It turned us into the equals we were.

Llyador had no classes. Every sentient creature was equal. Sometimes the differences between these two worlds gave me a headache.

"No," Burnemarr murmured, encouraging me to expand on my subject.

"Nachittahra'oli," I said. "Starshine."

My gaze stayed up on the stars. They were the same... and yet different.

"Stars are a constant. They are always there, even when you cannot see them. They shine greatest in the darkest times. They bring light to your life. So, also, do friends."