Inheritance

Part 2. Chapter 11: Living in Shadows

Being a nocturnal creature, Them could barely keep his eyes open during the day. Somehow, the constant, noisy and rhythmic churning of the caravan wheels made him feel sleepy and relaxed. He leaned his head on Pete's shoulder and fell asleep.

Pete looked across the narrow space separating himself and Taylor and the old warrior-maiden, Pollyanna, and wished that Them had never met Taylor on the dream plains.

She was bad news for him. It was Pete's duty to keep bad news out of Them's life.

The girl was staring at Them with dreamy eyes and then she asked Pete, "how did you two end up going to the Crater?"

Them made a series of bad decisions and—Pete chimed, but was interrupted by the caravan coming to a screeching halt.

The Astral Elf driving the caravan, Syria, called back to the criminals she had conscripted, "we're going to take a break. Get out and stretch your legs. Once we resume, we'll be at the Crater in about another hour."

Them snored and snorted in his sleep and woke himself up with his eyes fluttering rapidly. He turned to Pete and asked, "what's happening?"

We're stretching our legs. Pete replied as the wisp floated up through the roof of the caravan.

Them yawned and smacked his lips tiredly as he watched his friend go. "Show off..."

Everyone in the caravan clambered out of the tight, suffocating space and drank in the waning light of the sun and the cool, fresh air.

Them stretched his arms high in the air and kept them there when he felt how nice the breeze was on his skin.

He realized with his pulse calming, that he was close to home, yet again. "I only just got away, too..." He murmured to himself. "I have to admit I missed the weather, though!"

It was warm south-east of Maribel, but not so warm it was suffocating Them. He always enjoyed warm weather immensely and, along with the sweet breeze, he felt entirely calm and at peace.

With a deep breath and a blooming smile, he took a moment to look around at his surroundings.

There was lots of flat, green land near Trella, and there had been fewer bumps in the road as the caravan drew closer to its destination.

Them let the rustling of leaves and the whistling of grass fill his ears. He enjoyed the plum sunset which wrapped everyone in the caravan in the calming and gorgeous color.

How does it feel to be so close to home? Pete asked.

Them looked at the sky and blinked tiredly. He had forgotten just how much he loved everything in Trella, except for the waifs themselves. He loved the warm weather, he loved the flat lands and how quiet everything was, and he loved the shaggy forest where he used to live.

"It feels wistful." Them answered quietly.

He had left waif territory for years now and had been traveling all about Yharos. For the past year, he had been residing in the Gamayunian kingdom. He often visited Trella without permission from the waifs despite being banished years ago. If they noticed him, they would throw him out. He would otherwise just be stealthy and be careful to go unnoticed by them.

Them smiled a forlorn smile. "You know something, Pete? I never imagined I would be banished like my parents were from Trella... I always hated them for being banished and leaving me in a place full of people who hated me..."

Even though he was never treated well in the village of Trauscus, he always had a need to come home and visit it. It was incomparable, because that was where he was born. It was home.

Them looked at Pete who had floated up to and sat on his shoulder. He said to his little friend, "you're lucky, Pete. Wisps aren't cursed with any parents or any set home. It must be nice to be born to wander!"

Pete smacked Them on the head. Don't be stupid! You know the reason I wanted to bond with you was because life is so lonely for wisps! You mortals are lucky. You have a chance to bond with someone in the first moment you are born, but we wisps... Aren't so lucky.

Them scratched his cheek with a little sheepish grin. "I suppose so... But, to be fair, since you wisps have no parents to speak of, at least you don't end up like them. There's something wonderful about the idea of living life without constantly thinking that you might be..."

Them's voice choked a little. He couldn't continue.

Mirroring the things your parents did? Pete finished for him.

Them nodded silently and then stretched one of his waif legs out in front of him. "Are you ever going to tell me why you picked me to bond to anyway, Pete?"

Pete shook his head. Nope. You can keep asking, though.

Them chuckled at that and then looked over at Taylor who was partially obscured by the crowd of the other criminals a few yards away.

Looking at her always cheered him up.

She was talking to her oafish warrior-maiden friend. He felt an odd little pang of jealousy as the fairy girl stood on her tippy-toes and wrapped her arms around the old woman's neck.

In a moment, however, Pollyanna shoved the girl away and the fairy giggled. She noticed Them was staring at them and pranced over to him cheerfully.

"Is that jealousy I see on your face?" Taylor asked as her long, golden braid was carried up from the powerful wind. She squeaked a little in horror and examined her braid—picking out twigs, pollen, and other unwanted things from it.

Them chuckled a little and yanked her down to his eye level by grabbing her wrists. She did that fake squeal of hers and acted like she was offended by his directness like she tended to do.

He put a thumb in the dimple of her chin, and she waited for him to try for that third kiss with her eyes closed.

Them grinned ear-to-ear and took the opportunity to affectionately tuck some of her golden tendrils behind her obnoxious butterfly ears. He found her to be intoxicatingly beautiful. He inched closer and closer to her face, and she puckered her lips more and more as he got closer and closer.

He was so close he could feel her breath on his face, and all he could think of was how he genuinely wanted to earn that kiss from her as his face scrunched up in a yearning smile.

But he ended up shoving her away the same way Pollyanna had before she could shove him away first as he knew she planned to do.

She tripped over a pebble and landed on her rump. She crossed her arms and yelled angrily, "none of you are any fun today!"