Chapter 011
~The morning after the Marsh Christmas party, 9:00 a.m.…~
"Yaaaawnnn…" Stan stretched his mouth as far as it could go, "Man, that Christmas party was something else… I'm so tired that I might need to do some stretches in winged cat form…"
Staying true to what he had originally planned, the Branded youth transformed, arching his back like a full-blooded cat. His routine was abruptly interrupted when he heard a knocking on the door.
"Stan?" It was his father, Randy, "Can I come in?"
"Oh, yeah," The teen nodded.
"Doing some light exercise?"
"Yeah. Our Christmas party last night… All the guests… Man. You know, you shouldn't invite so many little kids to parties. God, they ruin the place."
"Well, what do you expect? At every Christmas party we have, there are always kids. Remember, you were like that once."
"Once," Stan had finished warming up, reverting to human form, "But that was so long ago. And I wasn't that immature when I was that age."
"Oh, quit your whining," The former Gallian prince patted his son's back.
"Anyway, I'm going to Kyle's house to check up on things. Is that all right?"
"Yup. Go right ahead. Just try not to make things harder for them. You know, their Hanukkah party is today. You are still going, yes?"
"Of course," The apostle poised himself on the edge of his bedroom window, "Well, I'll get going now."
"Look out for-"
"Laguz. Yeah, yeah, yeah."
Without another word, Stan bounced on his legs, jumped from the window, and let the wind carry him to Kyle's house right next door. A strong tailwind let his wings rest for most of the flight.
"Hey, what's up?" Gerald, who was shoveling snow outside, welcomed Stan into his family's abode.
"Very fine, thank you," The Branded teenager bowed, "May I come in?"
"Well, you have come all this way… I suppose. But I must warn you, you may be utterly surprised when you enter the living room."
"The living room?" Stan opened the door, "Ah, I see… He must be talking about the decor-"
Before the word "decoration" could pass his lips, Stan automatically knew what Kyle's adoptive father was talking about.
"*Man, you are so poor, Kyle…*" Ephraim teased his cousin.
"*Only in comparison to you guys!*" Kyle barked back.
"*Kyle, you're retarded. I have no damned idea why girls love you so much… Unless they have terrible tastes.*"
"*You want me to tear you to shreds, right here and now?*" The wolf prince threatened.
"*Now, now…*" Sheila attempted to quell the two quarrelling teenagers, "*Be nice to your cousin, Ephraim. And as for you, Kyle, you should be kind to your guests. Do you understand?*"
"*Yes, ma'am…*" both Ephraim and Kyle spoke in unison.
"Now I know why Gerald didn't want me to go in…" Stan, completely confused by all the mayhem, felt sweat beads drip down his neck.
"*Oh, look, it's Stan,*" Ephraim gestured toward the dark-haired boy.
"*You think I didn't know that? I'm half heron, so I can detect the presence of my allies. Dimwit.*"
"*If anyone's a dimwit, it's you.*"
"Aaaaaanyway," Kyle switched languages, "Sorry you had to hear all that, since you can't understand Hebrew or nothing."
"It's all right," The apostle forgave his friend, "I don't know if I want to know what you were saying."
"Oh, it's not that bad…" Kyle replied, "So, what's up?"
"I'm here to help with any last minute Hanukkah preparations and, well, just to be here!"
"That nice…" Ephraim cut in, "You… you a… *Say, Kyle, what's that word that means really good to have around in English?*"
"A pleasure?"
"Yeah. Yeah, that it. You a pleasure to have here, Stan."
"Why, thanks! But anyhow, what can I do to help?"
"Nothing, really," the wolf prince replied, "But you know-"
It was the doorbell that suddenly intervened with Kyle's sentence.
"Sheesh, those must be some more guests," Kyle chuckled, "Well, if you'll excuse me, guys…"
When the half-heron opened the door, there were two 8-year-old kids, along with their parents.
"Kyle!" The 8-year-old girl ran up to the prince of Hatari with her twin brother.
"*Hey there, Henrietta, Henri,*" Kyle hugged the two kids, "*Have you been good to your parents?*"
"*Yeah!*" Henrietta, the girl, nodded, "*Me good! I've been very good!*"
"*Me too!*" Henri, her twin brother, pulled on Kyle's wolf ear.
"*Hey, that hurts!*" Kyle giggled playfully.
"*Tee-hee… Sorry,*" Henri spoke in a high-pitched voice.
Those marks… Stan stared at the intricate birthmarks on the twins' arms, What fine birthmarks. I wonder about them, though…
"*Anyway, you want to play with Ike?*" asked Kyle.
"*Yeah!*"
"Henri! Henrietta!" Ike cried when he entered the living room, "Yay!"
"*All right, you three, now you have to run and be good little kids, okay?*" Kyle's facial expression portrayed the utmost kindness.
"*Don't worry, Kyle, we'll be good!*" all three kids agreed, running off to play in the vast backyard of the Broflovski home.
Wow… You're really good with kids, Kyle, Stan's eyes sparkled as he stared at his child-friendly lover, They really love you.
Yeah... But just because kids love me doesn't necessarily mean I love them back.
Oh, Kyle, you don't hate those poor kids, do you?
Well, I don't really care either way. What about you, Stan?
Huh?
Do you like kids?
Actually, I'm kind of scared of them. But when they're happy… When I see them act like the way they just did… My heart is warmed by memories from my childhood.
Interesting… Kyle scratched his chin, But I'm gonna warm your heart with even better things tonight…
K-Kyle! Stan covered the other boy's mouth with both of his hands, attracting the attention of some adults, You blockhead! You're obsessed with me, you know that?
Sorry about that…
Don't be. Say… I've been wondering… Those marks on their arms… They aren't Branded marks, are they?
They are… Henrietta and Henri are Branded. Their laguz mother is actually a white dragon Branded herself. They're just kids, so we said that those are birthmarks. Their parents are raising them to believe that they are pure beorc.
I see… The young apostle nodded along as Kyle spoke, It reminds me of how I was treated when I was a kid. My parents kept my heritage a secret for so long, not wanting me to know that I am Branded…
Let it worry you no more, Stanley-chan, Kyle patted his best friend on the back for encouragement, Parents of Branded children always do this for the sake of their children. It's what any good parent would do. Anyway, there's going to be a lot more people, so you better be ready!
Of course! Stan tittered.
~Later that night, during the Hanukkah party at the Broflovskis house…~
"*Come in, come in,*" Gerald welcomed first new guests inside the doors.
"*Thank you, Gerald,*" The man, with his three 6-year-old sons, grinned. The three triplet boys ran about with the other kids in the capacious house.
"*Oh, hello, Uncle Bob!*" Kyle waved a hand, "Stan, this is my Uncle Bob. He speaks a little English, but… It's even worse than Ephraim's. He can't understand it as well as Ephraim, either."
"I see," Stan's ears twitched, then tilted his upper body about 35˚, "Shalom! That's the Hebrew word for 'welcome', right, Kyle?"
"You… You are quite right, Stan. I don't know where you learned that, but you seem to know more about Judaism than either of us thought."
"Good to know," spoke the wolf prince.
"Who… Who you?" Bob asked.
"I'm Stan, Kyle's best friend."
"Nice, really nice," Bob's face revealed kindness. After chatting with Kyle for a bit, the 51-year-old man headed over in the direction of the food area, where he put a Jewish dish of some kind.
"So, Kyle…" Stan sat on the couch, licking his right hand as if it were a cat's paw, "Do a lot of your family members speak English?"
"The ones that live in Israel speak a little English, but most of them are not very good at the language. But the ones who live in the Unites States speak it very fluently."
"It's a shame I don't know any Hebrew… I could speak to some of your relatives if I did."
"Well, in any case-" was all Kyle managed to say before getting the door yet again. In response, he received 20 more guests.
"*Come on in, everyone!*" the wolf prince gestured for the people to come in.
"Wow, did they all come at once?" The apostle scratched his head.
"Yeah…" Kyle scratched his right wolf ear, pulling on it, "A fair amount of them are too poor to afford their own transportation, so we paid it for them."
"Aw, that's kind of you! Using your richness to help those in need… Kyle, I don't know what to say!"
"Thanks for the praise!" Kyle grinned as his younger lover reciprocated the smile.
*"~Hey…~" An old lady with cat ears squinted at Stan as she came in. She spoke an odd language, "~Why is a non-Jewish person here, Kyle?~"
"~Oh, he's my best friend from school,~" Hatari's prince patted Stan on the shoulder.
"P…Pardon me," the old cat woman tripped on her words, "I… I am Leila. My English… it bad. It real bad."
"~Oh, if it's that you're worried about, don't,~" Stan reverted to the ancient tongue, "~I can actually speak the ancient language.~"
"~Oh, how wonderful!~" Leila clasped her hands together, "~Well, it makes sense, since you're… um…~
"~It's okay,~" Stan ran his right hand's fingertips through his own hair, "~I may look like a laguz, but I'm Branded. You don't have to worry about my feelings.~"
"~Oh, that's okay! It's a shame so many laguz hate the Branded on the continent of Tellius. On Earth, their relations have been improving. There are a lot of laguz married into the Broflovski family, for instance, as have I. We truly believe that laguz and beorc can live together, without any bias or prejudice.~"
"~That's great!~"
"~You're really Branded? May I see your brand?~"
"~Here,~" Stan bluntly stated, exposing his bare dorsal right hand.
"~O-oh…~" Leila made her own tail erect, "~Benevolent Ashera… it's the voice of the goddesses, Apostle Stanley!~"
"~The apostle? The apostle is here?~" Several laguz and Branded overheard the old laguz's voice.
"~It is an honor to have the embodiment of goodness here in this very house,~" A dragon laguz bowed, as did 15 other laguz, "~Kyle, it is so fortunate that you have made friends with one of the most sacred people of this earth.~"
"~Th-Thank you…~" Stan felt awkward at having 15 highly religious laguz kneel at his feet.
"~Well, I'm sure Apostle Stanley has far better things to do than talk to us,~" one of the raven tribe said and got up. With that, the others followed, carrying out the rest of the party.
Stan… I'm very sorry about earlier, Kyle apologized a few hours later.
What, about all those laguz and Branded bowing to me?
Yeah. You see, those who come from Tellius truly respect the goddesses. To them, your voice is theirs.
It's okay! Even though I've been the apostle for almost two years, I'm not very used to being treated like a god… Don't worry yourself, Kyle.
"*Whee! Catch me if you can!*" Henrietta ran around the large house, with Henri, Ike, and several other kids following her.
"Kids…" Stan stared at the kids dreamily, "They're so spirited. It almost makes me jealous. Whatever childhood I might have had, I don't remember it… At least these kids are lucky enough to have such bright childhood memories. The energy is so warm and pure…"
"Stan…" Kyle spoke, almost blankly, as he could also sense the jocund vigor, "Say… We've still got about thirty minutes before we light the menorah."
"Menorah?" The spell that the apostle was in instantly became broken, "What is that?"
"Well, it's not out yet, since we can only take it out to light it up. Here, let me show you."
Kyle led the other boy out of the livelihood of the house, guiding him into his parents' room. In it, there was no one.
"Why are we in here?" Stan sounded worried, "We might get in trouble."
"No, we won't," assured Kyle, "My mom said I could show it to you, so long as it doesn't leave this room."
"Where is it, then?"
"Hold on a second…" Kyle held up a hand, indicating Stan to stay where he was. After about half a minute of rummaging through a closet, he said, "Oh, here it is! They said it was in this closet, but not specifically where…"
"Wow, it's gorgeous…" The 17-year-old prince could only stare upon the menorah's coruscating jewels, "If I may, what do you do with it?"
"Come sit here, and I'll tell you," Kyle got down as Stan followed, "This symbolizes the Jewish miracle that happened so long ago. A lamp with oil that could only last one night has lasted for eight."
"Incredible…" The curious apostle's ears stood high, "How is that possible?"
"Well, that's what I'm saying," Kyle put the menorah back where he found it, "Anyway, we still have ten minutes before we have to start gathering to light it. You want to hang out on the roof until then?"
"Sure! I wouldn't mind!" Stan agreed wholeheartedly.
"That's good. Come, let's go."
With that, the two boys left the room, ready to walk outside to the wintry air.
"Where are you going, Kyle?" Sheila asked just as the two were ready to exit the house.
"Stan and I are going to sit on the roof for a while," Kyle answered, "Don't worry, we're going to be back in time to light the menorah."
"I hope so," the middle-aged woman's voice carried a hint of impatience. Whispering in mind-speech, she told Kyle, Make sure that you don't do anything… like that when people are watching. It is a sacred night, after all.
"We'll be careful," Kyle agreed when he and Stan finally left. The two then soared to the clean, wonderfully decorated roof.
"Wow…" Stan's eyes scanned the night sky, scintillating with striking stars, "This is a wonderful night indeed."
"This happens every Hanukkah, strangely enough…" Kyle noted, "What a coincidence, huh?"
"Yeah…" Stan concurred, shivering, "Brr… It is extremely cold out here…"
"Oh, don't worry about that…" The prince of wolves enfolded his arms around the chilled body of his beloved, "I'll keep you warm."
"But Kyle! Didn't you hear what your mother said?"
"She only said not to do this if people were watching. And there is no one around as of now."
"Kyle! It's almost time! Shouldn't we get inside?"
"We'll go when my mom calls," Kyle turned the Branded boy's head around to face his own, "Don't worry."
"O-Okay…" Stan ignored the blizzard that was threatening to harm him, for he felt Kyle's body heat and breath warm him instantly. Their heartbeats clashing boost his spirits even further, especially when he felt the wolven prince's lips about to take his own.
Kyle, it's time! Kyle heard his mother call out by mind, Come here right now! We're about to start lighting the menorah!
"Dammit…" Kyle turned away, making way for the ground, "There's always something going on that interrupts us…"
"A shame, isn't it?" Stan sighed, "Whatever. We'll have plenty of time to do this during our vacation."
"True that!" Kyle guffawed, "Well, let's get going, before they start without us."
"There you are!" Sheila's voice sounded like a scolding, For a second there, I thought that you were going to do it right on the roof with him, Kyle.
"M-Mom!" Kyle leaned over, whispering in his mother's ear, "What if some of the laguz can hear?"
Even though the dragons can sense emotions like the herons, only heron laguz can actually read minds. And there are no herons here.
"Okay, then…" Kyle simply nodded.
"But enough of that. The menorah's already standing there, ready to be lit. Kyle, will you do the honors?"
"I'd be glad to," The wolf prince coincided with his mother's wishes, taking the lighter she gave him, and using it to light the tall candle in the middle of the menorah. Then, taking that candle, he light the other seven candles as the whole room chanted a Jewish prayer that Stan could not comprehend.
Wow… This is somewhat strange, but enchanting… Stan thought as he heard the room chant.
This is the prayer we do during the time the menorah lights, Kyle told him.
The Jewish religion is simply amazing… The 17-year-old tried to pray along with the rest of them, hoping that he wasn't doing anything wrong. When the ritual was finished, everyone dispersed. The party ended a little less than an hour later.
"That was some party, wasn't it?" Stan sat on the couch, cuddling with Kyle on it.
"Did you have fun?"
"You bet I did! I know so much more about Judaism than I did before."
"Good. Well, look forward to our trip to New York in the morning."
"I will… Kyle?" Stan poked his boyfriend on the cheek, but the wolf prince was already asleep, "Hey, if you sleep here-"
The apostle gave up when he knew there was no way he could awaken the other boy.
"Oh, screw it," Stan fell asleep with a smile on his face, I'll just have to sleep here with you.