The Golden Gift

Chapter Four, Whence We Came

Hunter's Perspective

I jumped slightly when the door swung open and the human came in. I could feel my sweaty skin already. "Hunter! I have so many questions and so little time!!!" The human exclaimed and I cringed. Luz is so overbearing and loud, even with the best intentions. She sat down beside me and I freaked out more as Edric began to leave. I began to give that "please don't leave me alone with this person" plead with my eyes, and he seemed to catch on rather quickly. "Hey human, you know Mittens is about to come home from her little friend Willow's house right? She should be home any minute." Edric told the energetic and chaotic human. She jumped up from where she was sitting and made this terrible squealing noise I hated. I watched as she bolted out the door, poking her head in after a moment. "I still have questions- don't move a muscle." She said with narrowed eyes before running off. I immediately sighed in relief and shook my head. This is all such a mess.

"Hey, you can leave if she scares you too much. I didn't realize you were uhh, not on the best terms. She talked about it like you two are pen pals or something." He said awkwardly and slowly closed his door. I again looked around for my staff. "Where's my synthetic staff? I need it to get back to the castle." I stated and he stared at me confused. "I didn't see a staff when I found you, just you sorta... Collapsed in our backyard. I can always lend you mine though, if you need it." He offered and uncovered a bird cage to reveal a very colorful fox. A fox in a bird cage? At least it was small enough to fit, but it was such a strange sight. He noticed my staring and let the mischievous fox out of its cage. "Ruru only sleeps in there, I tried to get her to sleep in a cat bed but she wouldn't do it." He explained and I yelped when the baby fox tackled me. It sat on my chest and yipped victoriously, like it had won something. What a beautiful fox, and such a strange one at that. I suppose it's fitting for someone like him.

I laughed when the little fox licked my cheek. Edric smiled and pet the white fox as it continued to happily lap at my cheek like it was a treat. It tickled and made me smile. "You better get going if you want to leave before the human comes back." Edric mentioned and I gently removed the affectionate fox from my face. She whined and attempted to get out of my hands by wriggling. "Are you sure I can take her with me?" I asked and sat up, still holding the spunky little fox as she wriggled. I let her sit in my lap, which she seemed to like. "Yeah, you can take her. She can always find her way back home." He insisted and I got up, watching Edric unlock the window and open it up for me. I still felt unsure about whether or not I should really do this, but I don't have a better option. "Erm- Ruru, staff." I commanded her and she snorted sassily before turning into her staff. Her tail was coiled around the top where she was perched, which I took care to avoid grabbing as I mounted it.

"Thanks for the palisman.. Edric. I hope she'll come home alright." I said graciously and approached the window. The morning light hurt my eyes, but I could deal with it if that meant going back to the castle. "Now listen Ruru, no messing around. Hunter needs to get home." Edric spoke seriously and Ruru narrowed her eyes with a mischievous glint. Something tells me I won't be getting home today. I yelped when the staff suddenly tossed me off and I landed flat on my back. Edric rubbed his face tiredly and groaned. "I'm sorry my palisman is so terribly wild. She doesn't know when to stop sometimes." He apologized while trying to collect his thoughts. "I can always fly you to the castle myself, Ruru won't act up as much." He offered and helped me to my feet. I rubbed my sore back and glared at the nefarious little fox. "I wouldn't want to take up more of your time than I already have. But... Yeah, I'd appreciate it." I said in a roundabout way.

He mustered a smile and took out a bag from his closet, one that seemed to be prepared for traveling. He got onto Ruru and scorned her before letting me on. He hung the bag on the staff and looked back at the bed. curious, I also looked at the bed to see a version of me and Edric talking. It felt weird to see myself, I looked so awkward and embarrassing. I suppose this guy is an illusionist then huh? Wow, that's the stupidest track. At least he can cover for us while we go back to the castle. He lightly tapped his dark green staff, which seemed to signal take off. I wasn't used to being on the back so close to the edge, and scrambled to hold onto the closest secure object. That happened to be Edric. After the initial panic went away, I loosened my grip on his shirt and rested my head on his shoulder. This would be a long ride, so I might as well get used to the idea of being on this staff with him. "So why did you come all the way out here in the first place? A mission of sorts?" He asked as a sort of small talk and I sighed.

"It would take a long time to explain, but the short version is someone took my palisman when I wasn't looking and left. So I was looking for them." I told the boy and closed my eyes. Even though the early light hurt my tired head, I enjoyed the breeze flowing through my hair and making my skin cold. It felt really refreshing and soothing, which was a change of pace from what I had just gone through. I opened my eyes a bit and watched where we were flying. The trees were rustling and wavering from the wind, and the clouds were moving at a speedy pace. The sky was grayish blue, and the sun was covered by the large fluffy clouds that spanned across the sky. "Don't you ever wish clouds were really soft like they looked?" I asked absent-mindedly. I didn't expect an answer at all. "Yeah, sometimes. But the last time I went into a cloud, I got a bunch of third degree burns, so I'm sort of scared of them." The teen witch admitted and I held back a rude laugh.

"You actually went into a cloud? That's sorta stupid considering they're full of acid." I scoffed and he chuckled. "Believe me, I didn't make the connection until after my body was in a whole lot of pain.." He said and reached back, pulling my arms around his waist. "You were clinging to my shoulders all weird, it's better if you hold me like this." He explained even without seeing my confused and embarrassed expression. "See, that's a lot better. And warmer, I'm cold." He remarked and shivered. I took off my cape and gently wrapped it around him like a blanket, which I knew was useful because that's often what I used it for. I then got snug behind him again and he smiled warmly. "Thanks, that's really nice of you Hunter." He hummed and held the cape close to his body. I didn't know how to respond without feeling more flustered and embarrassed by my own actions, but I tried anyways. "Erm... yeah, no problem." I responded awkwardly and looked away. The huge skull of The Titan in the distance was eerie, always watching through shaded eyes. I stared at it nervously for a few minutes, as if it was watching me as well. The feeling calmed down once Edric distracted me.

"Have you ever seen a phoenix? I know they're endangered, I just thought maybe since you were in the castle you got to see rare things like that." He reasoned and I thought for a moment. I didn't really get special treatment like that, not like the officials or the coven heads. I was more like an errand boy for Emperor Belos that was slightly above the guards. Even Kikimora gets more respect than I do, but I guess she deserves it more. I don't deserve anything. "Er- Hunter? You're spacing out." Edric pointed out and I forced myself to stop thinking so deeply. "Ah- right, sorry. I've never seen a phoenix before either, but I've read about them because of the grand library in the castle. They are only going extinct because people keep crushing their eggs, due to the fires that they cause naturally." I stated from what I had read. Edric seemed impressed that I knew something like that, but he didn't look really impressed like I had actually done something. I don't know why it matters to me that much.

"You seem pretty spacey, what's on your mind?" He asked out of curiosity and boredom. There was nothing to do but talk after all. "It's nothing, I just get sidetracked very easily." I excused it and yawned. I felt so tired, but then again I'm always tired. I rested my face in the tender part of his neck and closed my eyes, not interested in trying to stay awake anymore. I couldn't even answer a simple question without my mind drifting. "Are you gonna nap? I'll hold onto your arms if you're going to do that." Edric asked and I sleepily nodded. I liked the warm feeling of his arm wrapping around my loose hands. I fell asleep quite easily because of the comforting warmth of my flying partner.