The Princess of the Moon

Chapter 26

Zën slowly started to descend after we finished training, both of us sweaty and tired. Zën never said another word while he descended, and I couldn't help but wonder what was going on in his mind because I had decided to somehow break the bond between us.

Kala was seated next to Carter when Zën landed on the ground. She looked between us with intelligent green eyes, and I could see the fear and worry in her eyes as if she heard what had happened between us.

Zën gently landed and laid down so that I could get off his back. He looked at me when I got off of his back and then looked at Kala, slowly blinking. He said something to her, and my Familiar looked at him before he looked at me.

She raised an eyebrow and slowly blinked before she looked at me. "Are you sure?" she asked. "What do you mean? What is going on?" She looked at him when she asked that, and worry flashed through her eyes.

Zën stood and ruffled his feathers. He looked at me before he looked at Kala again, and he looked guilty and hurt.

Kala rolled her eyes and scowled before she narrowed her eyes. "I told you to be nice, Bird Brain," she seethed while she bared her teeth and laid her ears flatter against her head. "Why did you do that? Why did you imply that?"

I looked at Carter and raised an eyebrow in question while I walked away from Zën and moved to their side before I twisted to look at Zën again.

Carter looked between us before he set his jaw and narrowed his eyes, and that setting of his jaw became a scowl. He folded his arms across his chest while he watched them arguing about something that had to deal with me, and I could only understand half of the conversation.

Finally, Carter cleared his throat, interrupting the two from arguing for a bit, and they looked at him. "So, you put up a block to stop you from hearing him even like this?" Carter asked and gestured to his ears while he turned his attention to me.

They looked at each other before they looked at me, both of them wanting to hear what I had to say.

I set my jaw and slowly nodded, not meeting their gaze. "I did," I confirmed before I cleared my throat and shifted on my feet. "I can't hear what he has to say. I don't know how I did it, but I can't hear him." I paused and cleared my throat again. "At all."

Kala held back an eye roll and scowled before she looked at Zën through narrowed eyes. "Nice going, Bird Brain," she said darkly. "That is such an amazing piece of information that has been bestowed on us, especially since you two are supposed to be working together."

Zën narrowed his eyes and scowled. He flicked his tail to the side, and I had a feeling that he said something that caused her to roll her eyes and scowl.

"Well, no crap, Bird Brain," she said sarcastically. "You are going to have to fix this." She looked at me. "What was the conversation about?" she asked, flicking her ear when Zën said something, but she ignored him. "Did you get hurt emotionally because of him, or..?"

I hesitated before I slowly nodded. "A bit," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. "I think I got tired of everything, and..." I shrugged and grimaced. "I don't know how I stopped hearing him, but I did it."

Zën bit back what sounded like a small whine and took a step toward me, and I stayed put, but Kala moved until she was between the two of us. He narrowed his eyes and scowled but backed up just a bit.

"I think it might be best for you to leave, Zën," she said softly. "At least for the rest of the night. We will talk to her, and you can come back in the morning. Ok?"

Zën looked between us and looked desperate. He looked at Carter again and said something, and Carter smiled apologetically while he slowly nodded.

"I know," he said softly before he cleared his throat and stood taller. "I was trying to make sure that you bonded together, but unfortunately, that did not work as well as I thought. Please, forgive me, Zën. I would suggest that you leave for the rest of the evening, ok?"

Zën bit back a small sigh before he slowly nodded, defeated. He looked at me again, and pain and sadness filled his eyes before he turned away from us and walked away until he was far enough away so that he could open his wings without hitting anyone.

And with a single look back toward me, Zën looked to the sky, opened his wings, and flew, taking my heart and pain with him.

***

Carter sighed and moved a hand through his hair before he shook his head and cleared his throat. "Come, Syn," he said before he cleared his throat again and touched my elbow. "Let's go inside, yes?"

I hesitated before I slowly nodded. "Ok," I said while I looked at him, my voice barely above a whisper. "Let's go." I started to walk toward the house, and Carter and Kala followed me, staying silent.

I pressed my lips into a thin line while I folded my arms across my chest, my heart aching, and I couldn't help but feel as if a part of me was missing, knowing full well that it was because I had blocked the bond and didn't want to bring it back.

Carter grabbed my shoulder and squeezed it reassuringly. He looked at me with pain in his eyes, and I could tell that he was worried about both me and Zën. "I thought you had accepted his apology," he said softly, his voice barely above a whisper, and I bit back a small sigh before I slowly nodded.

"I did," I said softly before I cleared my throat and shrugged with a small grimace on my face. "I did accept his apology."

"Then..?" He raised an eyebrow in question before he walked me toward the cabin with Kala on my side. "Then what is it? What happened?"

I shrugged and grimaced again before I shook my head. "I don't know," I said, my voice barely above a whisper before I cleared my throat and rubbed my arm with my other hand. "We were working well together, but then for some reason, I slowly didn't start to hear him until it felt as if there was a block between us."

"Did he freak out?" he asked while he raised an eyebrow in question, and I shrugged but didn't respond because I had no idea if he freaked out or not. "How did he act?"

"I don't know," I said, my voice barely above a whisper before I cleared my throat and shook my head. "All I know is that I stopped hearing him, and he would look at me and then look forward and then look at me again. He didn't try to stop what we were doing and kept working as if everything was fine."

Carter frowned before he slowly nodded. "But it isn't fine, is it?" he asked while he raised an eyebrow in question, and I shrugged and grimaced before I shook my head.

"No," I said softly before I cleared my throat and shifted a little away from him, and he let go of my shoulder. "It wasn't fine. However, for some reason, I wasn't worried."

"Was Zën?" he asked while he raised an eyebrow in question, and I hesitated before I slowly nodded.

"A little," I admitted before I cleared my throat and shrugged. "I think he got more worried when we were slowly starting to descend, and he could talk to you and Kala, but he couldn't talk to me."

He slowly nodded and pressed his lips into a thin line. "Why don't you drink some tea before you get some sleep?" he asked while he raised an eyebrow in question. "We can see if we can't get the bond working again, ok?"

Kala bit back a small scoff and rolled her eyes. "I don't think a nice cup of tea will work for that," she said softly. "I think something different needs to happen before she can hear him again."

Carter shrugged and grimaced. "You don't know that," he said softly before he cleared his throat and grew serious. "A cup of tea might be able to help you, right?" He looked at me again and raised an eyebrow.

I shrugged and grimaced, not knowing how to answer his question. "I don't know, Carter," I said, my voice barely above a whisper before I cleared my throat again. "I don't know if it will help or not, but we can at least try."

Carter breathed a small sigh of relief while he slowly nodded, and I had a feeling that he was pleased I would try. "And that's all I wanted to hear you say, Syn," he said softly before he cleared his throat and patted my arm. "And that's all I wanted to hear."

And with that, we walked the rest of the way into the cabin in silence, each one of us lost in our thoughts and feelings, praying that whatever was going to happen wouldn't affect us to bad in the future, especially since both Zën and I had to work together and that meant we had to communicate everything with each other for better or for worse, no matter what happened.