12. Old weapons, new warrior.
Three days had passed quietly since Keran left healer's home. Weather was sunny and, for this time of the year, warm. The trees were strewn with small new leaves and snowdrops bloomed in Illana's small garden. Tiani even stopped snarling and growling at Illana, when the dormouse presented the weaselmaid with a beautiful bouquet of her namesake flowers. At least, for some time. Terys' wounded paw practically healed and Illana removed the bandage from it. The otter even resumed practicing with his weapons – the process which both females found fascinating. The old warrior, in turn, found their attention irritating, but this time kept his feelings within, hoping that watching repetitive exercises will tire them soon enough. Everything was almost peaceful… as peaceful, as things can be when the shadow of death looms over the house. For Aulbek, the battle was not over yet. The young weasel survived the bloodloss somehow, and the skill of healers prevented his wounds from inflaming – but he was still unconscious. No beast was able to help him anymore – all that could be done was praying and hoping, that mustelid's natural stamina will be sufficient to survive. But, as Illana said to Terys when they dined on the third day, chances for this were becoming slimmer and slimmer as time passed:
"We cannot even feed him broth, really – no matter how cautious we are, in this condition he could choke on it. I'm so sorry, but…"
"Why you're so damn eager to blame herself all the time?" hissed Tiani, before Terys even opened his mouth. "Listening to you is more sickening than eating rotten fish! And, so just you know, I did eat rotten fish before – that's still better than starving to death."
The dormouse just looked aside, avoiding Tiani's eyes.
"Argh!" the weaselmaid almost spat. "If he will die, and that seems awfully likely, then the greatest share blame is on those who cut him up, and the rest is on me, so stop apologizing all the time, already!"
"Please," Terys rapped the handle of his large wooden spoon against the table. "We all appreciate your honesty, Miss Tiani, but can you be… less abrasive for a moment?"
The weaselmaid only snorted in response, grabbed a small apple from the platter and bit in it furiously. She obviously wasn't that much afraid of the famous verminslayer anymore. For that matter, Terys now wouldn't have resembled a great warrior at all, if not for his prominent scars. His manners definitely more suited a strict and old-fashioned but kindly uncle that a slayer of hundreds. But Tiani still remembered clearly, how scary this well-mannered otter can be – and heeded his words without too much grumbling.
"Well," sighed Illana, still gazing at the wall, as if there was something incredibly interesting on it. "At least the squirrel boy should be all right. If I remember correctly where his house is, he's likely reached it in a day. Don't know how well can straighten things out with his mother, however…"
Suddenly, Terys turned his head to the window:
"You will be able to ask him about it yourself in a moment."
Before either of the females could ask anything, somebeast knocked at the door. Illana rushed to greet an unexpected guest – a bit too hastily, so that her chair almost fell on the floor. The otter rose unhurriedly, unlike the dormouse, and followed her to the door.
But something was clearly wrong there – Terys figured that out when after the creak of opened door, he hadn't heard any greetings. In a few fast steps he crossed the antechamber and appeared behind Illana's back.
Something indeed was wrong. Even Terys for a slightest of moments almost wondered if the squirrel before him really was Keran. It was not because Keran finally removed his bandages, and the lack of left ear made his head looking terribly asymmetrical. It was not because of the unstrung bow over his shoulder and the curved sword, a bit too large for him, at the hip. It was not even because of the heavy brass-studded leather swordbelt on his waist, also a bit too large for the young squirrel – the swordbelt which Terys remembered all too well from the times he fought together with Tyan. It was because of squirrel's attitude, of almost imperceptible change in his expression. Instead of a timid kid, before the door stood a scarred warrior, filled with implacable resolve. Then Keran lowered his eyes, obviously embarrassed, and this image faded, like an illusion.
"Er… Hello. Miss Illana, I'm sorry, if I scared you."
"Oh, never mind," the dormouse waved her paws. "I was just surprised, upon seeing you like this. But, where, in the name of all seasons, you got these things?"
"Weapons of your father," pondered aloud Terys, before Keran managed to formulate his answer. "So, the messenger reached Kenna after all. And how your family reunion had unfolded?"
Squirrel's paws curled into fists, as he lowered his eyes further, avoiding old warrior's gaze. And Terys only shook his head:
"I had warned you."
"Terys, please," promptly said Tiani, almost interrupting the otter. "Keran, come in, don't stay here like a stranger. You are just in time for dinner. How is your head? Everything is healed already?"
She grabbed squirrel's paw and almost forcefully led him inside, rapidly talking all the time, so that neither of malebeasts was able to edge in a single word. Upon seeing them entering the kitchen, Tiani froze for a second then whistled in surprise.
"Hellgates! Nearly failed to recognize you. Where you got all these things?"
Keran bit his lip, then answered:
"They are parting gifts from my mother."
"Parting gifts?" it wasn't quite an answer which Terys expected.
"Yes," Keran turned to face him, this time looking straight into otter's face. "I decided to leave my home and become a wandering warrior, so I need weapons."
Illana gasped, Tiani just stared at the squirrel dumbly, but Terys seemed unfazed, even though he had premonition so terrible, that his heart was ready to burst from his chest.
"That is not a wise decision. Warrior's lot in life is hard, dangerous, and, no matter what you may hear in the legends, thankless. Besides, you lack training."
"Yes," Keran only nodded. "But there is the beast who can train me."
Terys already knew what he will say next.
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