43rd of Searing, 113
The searing, in Nivenhain, was the best season of all. Most days, and even some nights, Arkash could spend an entire outing with just the body warmth he'd saved up at home, there was no need to constantly stop by a fire. Even so, he still enjoyed sleeping beside the crackling hearth, wrapped up on his wolf pelt. It was a kind of warmth that helped soften his muscles to a point where he didn't even notice that he was laid out on the floor, the kind of warmth worth gathering tinder for days just to maintain.
Even if the house had more holes in it than usual, due to Cojack being bed-ridden for the most part of three seasons, Arkash still found the temperature beside the fire to be wonderful. The entire house was pleasant, but right up beside the flames was perfect. He slept so very soundly, in the warm wrap of the furs that he himself had treated in the glade prior.
The heat carried him through dreams of calm waters, open, warm pavements, and bright forests. It almost felt as though nothing could wake him until the door's lock clicked in the world beyond the veil of his dreams.
Arkash's yellow eyes fluttered open, and he found himself laying face first in the soft grey pelt of the wolf that had tried to eat him some two months prior. Lazily, he lifted his head and looked to the door, where Liu was stood, fully dressed in her usual work attire. "Mom..." he called out, and she looked to him with a startle.
"Arkash...!" She spoke in a harsh whisper.
The lizard lifted his upper body fully, then rubbed against his sleepy hands with a balled fist. "...What are you doing?" he groaned, then yawned with a broad stretch of his wide mouth.
The wolf drew closer to him and ran her paw over his smooth head as she normally did to comfort him. "It's alright, baby. Mommy's just fetching some water. Go back to sleep, okay?" Fetching some water? That made sense. The pale was full a lot of the time that Arkash checked it, it must have been because Liu was filling it in the nights. How kind.
Arkash smiled while her hand ran over his dry, coarse scales, and he laid back down. "Thanks, mom..." He hummed as his eyes shut again. With that, she stood back up and carefully proceeded to the door before she stepped out into the night. Arkash couldn't fall back asleep, however. Something pulled on the back of his mind; something wasn't right.
So, he rolled onto his back and stretched his whole body by raising his arms overhead, then carefully sat up. Perhaps he was just thirsty? So, he crawled out of his throws and moved to the pale in the corner of the room with a few groggy footfalls, then collected the cup that rested on the floor beside it and drew from the nearly-filled pale. While he drank the well water, he pondered. Wasn't it dangerous to go out at that hour? Was fetching water really worth it-? Arkash paused in his thoughts and finished his water in the cup before he looked back at the pale. They only had one, so what was Liu drawing water with? Had she lied to him or had she forgotten to bring the well with her on her outing? No, the pale was mostly full.
Why did she lie to him? What was she doing that he couldn't know about? With a thrumming heart in his chest, Arkash quickly dressed, then rushed out the door. The air was cool, but not so cool that Arkash worried about freezing. Wrapped up warm, he took to the streets and began to run. Where was he going? He didn't know. He had to find Liu but had no idea where she'd gone. His heart was beating out of his chest while he searched, and his mind ran at a hundred miles per hour.
Why was she up so late? She had work in the morning, didn't she? She'd only recently started work at the produce market, and it took a lot of convincing to get them to bring her on given her shedding. If she turned up late, she'd be fired for sure.
Arkash's first instinct was to go to the well. Maybe some part of him wanted to believe that she hadn't lied to him? But when he turned up there, having followed the route they normally took to draw water, Arkash's fears were confirmed. She'd lied to him. Why? Frightened, yellow eyes scanned the darkened streets. He wasn't supposed to be out at night; time and time again, Cojack and Liu had told him of the things that the humans did under the cover of the stars; drugs, theft, murder. It wasn't safe out, he didn't feel safe. So, he turned tail and began to run back home.
His scales pulled tightly across his form, as they'd been drying out more and more since he stopped waxing them. One spot on his back was particularly tight, right between his shoulders. It felt as though stretching would break the scales there, and even draw blood. So, the lizard made a mental note not to open his arms too far while he ran.
Eventually, he made it back home. Careful yellow eyes peered through the gap in the door, where he saw Liu, staring back at him with perked ears. She looked frightened, unsure. Arkash furrowed his brow and opened the door with a suspicious glare painted across his face. "Arkash!" She called with a harsh whisper; she didn't want to wake Cojack.
"Where did you go?" he spoke directly with an angry furrow to his brow.
"What? I told you, I was going to draw some water-"
"The pale's full, mom. You didn't even take it with you." Arkash wasn't letting up. Nothing about this felt right.
"That's why I'm back, I got distracted when I woke you up and forgot to bring it with me. -And it isn't full, it's half-empty!" She laughed a scoff and squinted at the lizard. "What is up with you? You're so tense."
Arkash was sure she was lying now. He'd ran along the path to the well, she wasn't there. Furious, he told her so. "You weren't along the road there. I know because I went there myself." She had to give. Arkash thought he was measuring his advance well, but in doing so, he'd only given her an out. He'd told her where he was.
"I went to the well in Nadine Square," she declared. "The one on Jefferson isn't safe at this time of night; those streets are dangerous, Ark. Is that where you went?"
Arkash relented as the press was turned on him. Suddenly, he was the one in trouble. Her story made sense, all except one detail. he'd woke to the sound of her opening the door, and the pale wasn't with her when he saw her. She was ready to leave before he 'distracted her'. He knew he wasn't going to get anything out of her by attacking, however. A cornered animal always fought their way out, as Liu had taught him. So, he surrendered and nodded meekly. "Sorry, mom... I just-" You weren't suspicious. "-was worried. I'm sorry I lost my temper."
Liu smiled a little, and closed the gap with the lizard, only to draw him into the warmth of the house and shut the door behind him. "It's alright, baby. You're probably just tired," she let it go way too easy. No, nothing about this smelled right. She was guilty, he knew it. That was why she didn't reprimand him for leaving the house at night. She'd also done something wrong. "Besides, you're not hurt, right? Just promise you won't do it again and get some sleep."
Arkash nodded, then rubbed his eyes for effect. Sure, he was a bit tired, but not that much. Thinking about it did make him yawn, however. "Okay mom," he spoke again with his mouth wide open, then hugged her tightly. "I love you," he spoke the truth. Sure, he was upset that she was being dishonest with him, but that didn't mean he hated her. "Sleep well when you do, okay?"
"I love you too, Ark," spoke the wolf in return, and wrapped her arms around her smaller frame. The lizard winced a bit, and his back scales were very tender but didn't speak against her hold. "And you worry about your own sleep; I'll be fine. Understand?"
Arkash nodded, then proceeded to his fur throws. Liu then walked a pace or two to the corner of the room and collected the half-full pale of water, and drew a full cup from it, which she placed beside the lizard's fur throws. Arkash turned over to look at her, then smiled. "Goodnight, mom," he hummed.
"Goodnight, Ark," she spoke in turn with her own warm gaze, then returned to the door, and let herself out. Arkash's smile dropped when she was out of sight, and he turned back to face the fires that he relished. Whatever she was doing, she wasn't about to do it again. She probably wouldn't do it again for a few days considering Arkash had been so hard on the offensive. But, while he laid there, he formulated a plan and began to conspire before sleep eventually swept him off to another warm, rolling dream.
The searing, in Nivenhain, was the best season of all. Most days, and even some nights, Arkash could spend an entire outing with just the body warmth he'd saved up at home, there was no need to constantly stop by a fire. Even so, he still enjoyed sleeping beside the crackling hearth, wrapped up on his wolf pelt. It was a kind of warmth that helped soften his muscles to a point where he didn't even notice that he was laid out on the floor, the kind of warmth worth gathering tinder for days just to maintain.
Even if the house had more holes in it than usual, due to Cojack being bed-ridden for the most part of three seasons, Arkash still found the temperature beside the fire to be wonderful. The entire house was pleasant, but right up beside the flames was perfect. He slept so very soundly, in the warm wrap of the furs that he himself had treated in the glade prior.
The heat carried him through dreams of calm waters, open, warm pavements, and bright forests. It almost felt as though nothing could wake him until the door's lock clicked in the world beyond the veil of his dreams.
Arkash's yellow eyes fluttered open, and he found himself laying face first in the soft grey pelt of the wolf that had tried to eat him some two months prior. Lazily, he lifted his head and looked to the door, where Liu was stood, fully dressed in her usual work attire. "Mom..." he called out, and she looked to him with a startle.
"Arkash...!" She spoke in a harsh whisper.
The lizard lifted his upper body fully, then rubbed against his sleepy hands with a balled fist. "...What are you doing?" he groaned, then yawned with a broad stretch of his wide mouth.
The wolf drew closer to him and ran her paw over his smooth head as she normally did to comfort him. "It's alright, baby. Mommy's just fetching some water. Go back to sleep, okay?" Fetching some water? That made sense. The pale was full a lot of the time that Arkash checked it, it must have been because Liu was filling it in the nights. How kind.
Arkash smiled while her hand ran over his dry, coarse scales, and he laid back down. "Thanks, mom..." He hummed as his eyes shut again. With that, she stood back up and carefully proceeded to the door before she stepped out into the night. Arkash couldn't fall back asleep, however. Something pulled on the back of his mind; something wasn't right.
So, he rolled onto his back and stretched his whole body by raising his arms overhead, then carefully sat up. Perhaps he was just thirsty? So, he crawled out of his throws and moved to the pale in the corner of the room with a few groggy footfalls, then collected the cup that rested on the floor beside it and drew from the nearly-filled pale. While he drank the well water, he pondered. Wasn't it dangerous to go out at that hour? Was fetching water really worth it-? Arkash paused in his thoughts and finished his water in the cup before he looked back at the pale. They only had one, so what was Liu drawing water with? Had she lied to him or had she forgotten to bring the well with her on her outing? No, the pale was mostly full.
Why did she lie to him? What was she doing that he couldn't know about? With a thrumming heart in his chest, Arkash quickly dressed, then rushed out the door. The air was cool, but not so cool that Arkash worried about freezing. Wrapped up warm, he took to the streets and began to run. Where was he going? He didn't know. He had to find Liu but had no idea where she'd gone. His heart was beating out of his chest while he searched, and his mind ran at a hundred miles per hour.
Why was she up so late? She had work in the morning, didn't she? She'd only recently started work at the produce market, and it took a lot of convincing to get them to bring her on given her shedding. If she turned up late, she'd be fired for sure.
Arkash's first instinct was to go to the well. Maybe some part of him wanted to believe that she hadn't lied to him? But when he turned up there, having followed the route they normally took to draw water, Arkash's fears were confirmed. She'd lied to him. Why? Frightened, yellow eyes scanned the darkened streets. He wasn't supposed to be out at night; time and time again, Cojack and Liu had told him of the things that the humans did under the cover of the stars; drugs, theft, murder. It wasn't safe out, he didn't feel safe. So, he turned tail and began to run back home.
His scales pulled tightly across his form, as they'd been drying out more and more since he stopped waxing them. One spot on his back was particularly tight, right between his shoulders. It felt as though stretching would break the scales there, and even draw blood. So, the lizard made a mental note not to open his arms too far while he ran.
Eventually, he made it back home. Careful yellow eyes peered through the gap in the door, where he saw Liu, staring back at him with perked ears. She looked frightened, unsure. Arkash furrowed his brow and opened the door with a suspicious glare painted across his face. "Arkash!" She called with a harsh whisper; she didn't want to wake Cojack.
"Where did you go?" he spoke directly with an angry furrow to his brow.
"What? I told you, I was going to draw some water-"
"The pale's full, mom. You didn't even take it with you." Arkash wasn't letting up. Nothing about this felt right.
"That's why I'm back, I got distracted when I woke you up and forgot to bring it with me. -And it isn't full, it's half-empty!" She laughed a scoff and squinted at the lizard. "What is up with you? You're so tense."
Arkash was sure she was lying now. He'd ran along the path to the well, she wasn't there. Furious, he told her so. "You weren't along the road there. I know because I went there myself." She had to give. Arkash thought he was measuring his advance well, but in doing so, he'd only given her an out. He'd told her where he was.
"I went to the well in Nadine Square," she declared. "The one on Jefferson isn't safe at this time of night; those streets are dangerous, Ark. Is that where you went?"
Arkash relented as the press was turned on him. Suddenly, he was the one in trouble. Her story made sense, all except one detail. he'd woke to the sound of her opening the door, and the pale wasn't with her when he saw her. She was ready to leave before he 'distracted her'. He knew he wasn't going to get anything out of her by attacking, however. A cornered animal always fought their way out, as Liu had taught him. So, he surrendered and nodded meekly. "Sorry, mom... I just-" You weren't suspicious. "-was worried. I'm sorry I lost my temper."
Liu smiled a little, and closed the gap with the lizard, only to draw him into the warmth of the house and shut the door behind him. "It's alright, baby. You're probably just tired," she let it go way too easy. No, nothing about this smelled right. She was guilty, he knew it. That was why she didn't reprimand him for leaving the house at night. She'd also done something wrong. "Besides, you're not hurt, right? Just promise you won't do it again and get some sleep."
Arkash nodded, then rubbed his eyes for effect. Sure, he was a bit tired, but not that much. Thinking about it did make him yawn, however. "Okay mom," he spoke again with his mouth wide open, then hugged her tightly. "I love you," he spoke the truth. Sure, he was upset that she was being dishonest with him, but that didn't mean he hated her. "Sleep well when you do, okay?"
"I love you too, Ark," spoke the wolf in return, and wrapped her arms around her smaller frame. The lizard winced a bit, and his back scales were very tender but didn't speak against her hold. "And you worry about your own sleep; I'll be fine. Understand?"
Arkash nodded, then proceeded to his fur throws. Liu then walked a pace or two to the corner of the room and collected the half-full pale of water, and drew a full cup from it, which she placed beside the lizard's fur throws. Arkash turned over to look at her, then smiled. "Goodnight, mom," he hummed.
"Goodnight, Ark," she spoke in turn with her own warm gaze, then returned to the door, and let herself out. Arkash's smile dropped when she was out of sight, and he turned back to face the fires that he relished. Whatever she was doing, she wasn't about to do it again. She probably wouldn't do it again for a few days considering Arkash had been so hard on the offensive. But, while he laid there, he formulated a plan and began to conspire before sleep eventually swept him off to another warm, rolling dream.
