Matthew let out a sharp shrill cry and then pushed on Ivan's chest to try and get away. This time he couldn't stop his instincts but Ivan's hold was strong. His heart was now racing. Even his sore and tired wings began to flap, though only ended up making Matthew yelp in pain. They were still under the water; the drag from the beating of his wings only tore and strained his muscles.
Ivan immediately pulled that hand back and -with a fair amount of difficulty due to Matthew's strained beats of his wings- managed to set the boy down on the rock the boy had been sitting on earlier. Matthew had fought the whole way there; Kuma on the other hand was quickly climbing from rock to rock to get to him. He was no doubt enraged, but he would make Ivan pay for whatever he had done. Ivan then promptly let go of Matthew (who nearly fell off from his thrashing wings) and swam to the other side of the hot springs, giving the boy his space. Ivan didn't know what he'd done wrong, but obviously Matthew hadn't been comfortable with his actions.
Matthew's wings kept trying to take off even after Ivan had left him alone. It wasn't until Kuma stood in front of him and called his name that he started to calm down. It took many moments of Kuma speaking to him to have his wings give out and his heart calm itself.
However now the hippogriff's eyes were on Ivan, muscles tensing as he lowered his horns, giving a sharp hiss and many clicks of his beak. Ivan sunk down in the water until only his nose and eyes were above water because he felt uncomfortable having his neck exposed when the angry hippogriff's eyes were on him. He stayed where he was with his back up against the wall of the hot spring. He looked like he was expecting Kumajiro to attack him but knew he would not be able to escape in such close quarters so he was just sitting and calmly waiting for the inevitable.
Matthew reached out and grasped onto the hippogriff before he made his bound. "Don't! I-it's all right, it's a-all right..." He wheezed out; it felt like he was going to faint from exhaustion. Kuma only continued to glare at Ivan; he was getting really sick and tired of Ivan doing shit and not getting punished for it.
Ivan slowly hoisted himself out of the hot springs and went over to his bag; he dried off with the thinnest blanket before slipping on his clothes and coat. He glanced at Kumajiro for a moment before picking up his pack and boots and slowly going to the entrance that led to the outer chamber. "I am going to go sit by the entrance to the hot springs for a while. I suggest you get out, dry off, and get your clothes back on before coming into the outer chamber and resting for a while. You look as if you are about to pass out."
"I-Ivan!" He called for the prince, but it wasn't as loud as he had wanted it to be. He still had to explain himself for the third time today...
"It is all right. You do not need to explain anything Matthew. Just get some rest." The man calls back in response, putting his boots back on and toweling his hair off so it was no longer dripping wet. With that, Ivan walked into the outer chamber and set his pack down near the entrance, sitting down and leaning up against it.
)*(
After a few hours passed, Matthew had mostly dried off and rested for good part of the time. Once Kuma had dried himself off, he took off running to find something to hunt, giving a glare to Ivan as he passed.
Matthew was now slowly walking towards the entrance of the hot spring; his wings were still too sore, too heavy to lift so they dragged behind him slowly. Though by the time he had walked up to Ivan, he was shaking from the cold air since he was only wearing his pants. "I-I-Ivan...?"
Ivan looked up and frowned at Matthew softly. "Either go put clothes on or go stand on the other side of the room and speak to me from there." He scolds. "You are not suitably clothed to be standing where it is cold."
"Um... I-I a-actually need your help." He said quietly, he felt horrible for ruining a good moment between them.
"With...?"
"D-drying my wings. I-I hurt myself s-so I can't do it by myself anymore."
Ivan stands up and grabs his pack. "All right." He says, shooing Matthew back away from the cold part of the cave and walking away from the entrance, setting his pack down on the other side of the room.
Once back in the warmer part, Matthew sat down with his head hung. "You should know that I didn't mean to act like that... It-it was a defensive reflex, fight or flight kind of thing. I just got a little spooked, y-you know, like a sparrow?"
"Mhmm." Ivan nodded. He helped Matthew dry off his wings, being extra careful to be firm and not gentle when touching the wings.
When Ivan got to the bone and muscle of his wings, Matthew had to bite his lip to keep himself from crying out. They were swollen and very tender from the sudden labor he made them go though; they had been locked away for two months after all. Ivan took notice though, so without asking, he gentled his touch for those areas.
"Thank you for helping me with this." Matthew said softly after a while.
"You are welcome." Ivan replies, continuing to dry them off until all the water was gone.
"May I ask another favor?"
"What is it?"
"Could you brush them as well?" The boy blushed at this. He might as well be asking him to hold hands and give him a kiss. At least that was the equivalent to an avian.
"Do you have a brush?"
"Yes, one moment I'll get it." He stood up and made his way over to his bag, managing at least to keep his wings off the ground. He dug for a bit before he found it. "Here."
Ivan took the brush and waited for Matthew. "Gentle or firm?"
As Matthew sat back down he thought about it for a moment. "Gently I'm afraid. Otherwise you'll tear my feathers." He frowned as he looked over his shoulder.
Ivan gave a nod and started to brush Matthew's feathers, trying to be gentle but not overly so. Matthew's face was quickly flushed but he turned his face away so Ivan wouldn't see. Ivan tried to do it thoroughly and at the same time trying to finish brushing them as swiftly as possible for Matthew's sake.
)*(
"S-so are you going to avoid m-me now...?" Matthew finally asked once the ordeal was over.
"It is hard to avoid someone that one is travelling with Matthew." Ivan replies calmly, handing the brush back when he was done.
Matthew gave his wings a gentle flutter. "That's not what I meant."
"No, I am not going to avoid you. I was merely giving you space earlier because Kumajiro likely would have injured me had I done anything else." He says calmly. "He is not very pleased with me right now."
The young man was relived to hear that his fears did not come true this time. "Don't worry about Kuma, I... need to tell him a few things." Matthew said as he put away his brush. "And then he will not be so angry."
"All right." Ivan nods a bit.
"... Can I ask you something?"
"Yes, what is it?"
"What were you doing earlier? W-were you... were you-" He was too nervous to finish.
"Was I what?" Ivan asks, giving Matthew a slightly confused look.
"Going to... k-kiss me?"
Ivan blinked in surprise. "I am not sure." He says after a few minutes of silently thinking it over. "I do not know what I was going to do. I do not think I was thinking my actions through at the time."
Matthew pulled at his fingers in discomfort. "I-I see..."
"Why do you ask?" Ivan sits down and leans up against his pack. "Did you want me to…?"
The question had to run though his mind for a moment but the boy didn't know what to think. "B-b-but we are both m-male- a-and we are friends."
"Yes, I know. But that is not what I asked Matvey."
"I-I-I- No!" He curled up and hid himself in his wings. This was all too fast; he had just learned that Ivan thought him as a friend.
Ivan was about to say something when he heard a familiar noise. "Hm?" He looked over at the opening just as Orel flew in. Ivan smiled and held an arm out for the eagle to land on. "Orel, ah you have a message from Irunya." He took the message from the eagle, letting the bird move to stand on his shoulder while he opened the letter. Except Orel didn't stay there for long once he spotted Matthew. The eagle flew over and landed in front of Matthew, looking up at him and giving the boy a squawk to get his attention while Ivan read the letter.
Matthew peeked though his feathers and was a little surprised to see the eagle. The eagle quickly hopped in through the gap and poked around curiously, making clicks and whistles, seeming most interested in the wings themselves.
"I've always had these. I'm what others call a guardian." He smiled weakly down at the eagle. Orel chirped at him and hopped up onto his shoulder, nuzzling Matthew's cheek. "… I'm alright." He whispered to the bird and gently scratched his head. "Just- Confused." The eagle enjoyed the scratching for a moment or two before hopping off his shoulder and going over to sit on Ivan's shoulder and nuzzle him. Ivan had a troubled look on his face that grew more troubled the more he read.
Matthew slowly parted his wings to look at Ivan. Then he noticed the letter and Ivan's expression. "Is everything alright?"
"No." The man replied shortly, lips pursed as he continued to read.
"Who is it from?"
"My elder sister. She is the only one I send letters to. I sent her a message the day you met Francis and only now I'm getting the reply."
"What is going on? Is it really bad?"
Ivan finished reading the letter, scowling at it for a few moments before stuffing it in his pocket. "It is nothing you need to worry about today but we can not stay as long as we would like here. We may stay the night but we're leaving first thing tomorrow morning."
"Where are we going?" He shuffled closer to the prince.
"To where we were headed originally. We just can not waste time getting there." He paused and frowned. "Or more accurately, we can not spend more time in Solstice than absolutely necessary."
"Oh, but why?"
"You do not need to worry about that for today. I will explain tomorrow but for today just rest and relax."
"All right, I trust you." A second later, Kuma came running in with a small deer dangling from his beak by the neck. "And it looks like Kumajiro brought us our meat for the week."
"So he has." Ivan says, nodding in agreement. Orel perked up at the sight of food, giving a squawk flying over to land on Kumajiro's antlers. Ivan chuckled at the eagle perched on top of the hippogriff's antlers as the little bird eyed the food eagerly. He must not have eaten yet today.
Kuma snorted, he was not in the mood to split his kill with everyone but he knew that once he shared with Matthew, he shared with everyone.
After dinner was cooked and the rest of the meat was salted for later, courtesy of Matt, they got ready to sleep. Though seeing as how this day had played out, Matthew was quite grateful to be sleeping near the hot spring so he did not have to share a nest with Ivan. Not... that he didn't want to, he actually enjoyed having someone to sleep with.
So Matthew slept alone, but was uncomfortable the whole night because of his sore wings while Kuma ended up sleeping close in-between Ivan and Matthew.
)*(
The next morning, Ivan mentioned that Orel would stay with them until they'd reached the border.
The crumpled note was still in his pocket as they started walking. And for the most part, he was quiet and brooding as they travelled. Though the prince smiled a little when Orel flew down to land on his shoulder and nuzzle him.
Matthew was becoming very bothered by this letter as the day went on, but did not say anything. If Ivan wanted to talk about it he would, or at least that's what Matthew believed.
Kuma wasn't being particularly nice today though. He kept glaring at Ivan whenever the man would so much as turn around. Ivan in turn, would ignore Kuma for the most part, only glancing occasionally as a precaution in case the hippogriff decided he wanted to take a swipe at him suddenly.
When they stopped for lunch they were about halfway to the border from where they had been at the hot springs and Matthew took this time to quickly pull Kuma off to the side; he needed to have a chat with the bird. He was completely misunderstanding what was really going on and if he left it as is; Kuma might kill Ivan.
[All right, you need to stop. He didn't hurt me or anything.] Matthew began.
[He had you going into a panic, not once, but twice! Matthew, whatever his aura is giving off, you need to listen to your instincts. He is not safe to be around! We should leave him on his own. This male seems like he can handle himself!] Kumajiro certainly had his feathers ruffled.
[Kumajiro. Please just listen; I don't think I can say it more than once.] Well he couldn't stutter over embarrassment this time around at least, but if he did the wrong sign it would become weird. Nevertheless, the hippogriff was willing to listen. [I can't be sure on this. But I believe that I am attracted to Ivan- in some way.] Matthew fidgeted afterwards.
[… This is all because you are in mating season now isn't it?]
[Perhaps...? I don't know what is going on! First the touches were a little odd, but that's just because my back is-]
[You mean because he was touching your wings. Which, may I remind you, is a spot on any avian that is solely for mates to handle!]
[I touch your wings.]
[Don't defend him! You know very well that grooming is completely different than fondling. And I can't believe that you even offered to let him touch, not groom, but touch your feathers while we were in the hot spring!]
[You are not helping! I'm frightened and not of Ivan! I've been having dreams of him and the other day I thought he was going to kiss me!] The guardian was trying not to have a nervous breakdown in front of his partner; he needed his help on this and the bird was not being helpful in the slightest! He was just being discourteous and picking on him for things he couldn't very well explain. [And when I confronted him on the matter, he only asked me if I had wanted it to happen! I still don't know what I want! I am male, his friend, and I am trying to help him find a mate and yet-! Yet I enjoyed the night we shared a bed. I am drawn in by his plumage, his scars, and even his body for west winds sake! So stop being inconsiderate and help me!]
Kuma was silent as he took all of this in. He was thinking things over and over in his head to find out what was going on. But… he needed more information. So he replied rather bluntly with a simple answer. [Mate with him.]
Matthew just about fell over and forgot about having a "private" talk. "W-what!? H-have you lost your head!? I-I've never- He's male!"
[My point is that if this is just a matter of no females around, then after it is done you will move on. You are not bonded to him and you are not female.]
[And if it's not?]
[Well then we will know that you will not be having chicks and you prefer males to make a nest with.]
[You know you are really nothelping. I'm trying not to build a nest with Ivan!]
[Your display of feathers the other day said differently. As I recall it was: Look at me! I have strong wings. And as you know, the female birds say this every year when they're in heat.]
[Because strong wings means they can carry many eggs.] Matthew realized dreadfully; he hadn't intended that to be said, but… That was most certainly a "come hither dear".
[Exactly!] Kuma chirped a little too cheerfully.
[I… I don't know if this is a good idea.] He blushed deeply.
[You'll get experience for when you find a mate and not just guessing. What's the worst that could happen?] Kuma asked as he started to walk back to their little camp.
[How about to start, how do males mate with other males?]
[I don't know.] The hippogriff gave an unconcerned huff. [I am not in a human form and seeing what is going on now, I'll lay off a little so you may get a chance to mate.]
Matthew scowled at his partner. Thank you, that is very reassuring. I still don't know what I should do. I-I don't want to do something like that with Ivan. We have just become friends; I don't want to ruin it with my mating season confusion. His mood had gone from being confused to depressed rather quickly with the end of their conversation.
As Kumajiro came back, Ivan took the hippogriff's food from where it was near the flames and offered it to him silently. The man had made them all food while the two had been sorting things out, though was vaguely curious about what their little conversation had been about.
Orel hopped off of Ivan's shoulder and flew over to sit on Matthew's, greeting him with a nuzzle and obviously trying to cheer him up. "Thanks Orel. But I'll be okay." Matthew gave the bird a scratch on the head.
[Yes, after he mates.] The hippogriff ruffled his wing feathers.
"Kumajiro! Leave it be already, I'm done talking about it!" Blush was rushing to the boy's face again.
Ivan gave both of them an interested look for a moment or two. "Lunch is ready." He says, still offering Kumajiro his food once more, while Matthew's food was still being kept warm by the fire.
Kuma took the food and pranced away from the others. [Come Orel, they have courting to get to and I'll share my meat.] Orel flew after Kumajiro, pleased that the other was willing to share now.
Matthew watched he walk off with a flushed glare. I will get you one day, I promise you that. The boy then sat down with a small huff, not wanting to make eye contact.
After a moment Ivan picked up Matthew's food from the fireside and offered it to him.
"Thank you."
"Are you all right Matvey?" Ivan asks, looking at how the boy's hands were shaking.
"Yes, just fine."
"All right then." Ivan pulled out the letter from his sister to give himself something to do, reading it again even though he already knew what it said.
"So are you going to tell me more about the letter now?"
Ivan sighs. "Yes, it is not very pleasant though."
"For you or for me?"
"Me." The man says with a shrug. "I just think parts of it will upset you since you seem to be rather sensitive to things concerning matters of the family?"
The boy's eyes widened. "Did someone die?"
Ivan snorted. "Sadly, no."
Sadly? "Then what happened?" He wasn't sure what to think of Ivan's response just yet.
Ivan sighs and glares down at the papers in his hands in irritation. "I have been more or less disowned and cut off from any and all noble rights in Solstice by my father. I am not to return to Solstice or the castle until I am betrothed. And even then it is still questionable whether or not I will regain my title as heir to the throne of Solstice." He huffs and tosses the papers down in the snow. "My elder sister is quite distressed over this and will most likely remain worried over it until I return with a wife. Meanwhile my cousin has been officially named heir and is already abusing his new privileges quite happily."
Matthew stood up quickly, stuffing the last of his meal in his mouth. "Well then what are we waiting for! Let's get going and get you a bride!"
"Matvey sit back down. We do not need to rush." Ivan says calmly. "My main concern is leaving Solstice before anyone notices I am still here. We will be in Vernal by tonight so there is no need to rush. We will not be reaching the next castle today."
"But- Then we need to practice and make sure you get this one." He sat back down.
"I guess." He says with a shrug. "Even if I don't there are still other castles to try."
"There are still very many to try, this is Vernal after all, the largest of the seasonal kingdoms. Don't give up hope, I believe you'll find her." Matthew smiled.
Ivan chuckled. "I will not give up hope Matvey. If anything, this just makes me more determined to succeed so I can enjoy the look on my father's and my cousin's faces when I return home with a bride."
"That's the spirit!" The guardian couldn't help but jump towards him and give Ivan a great big hug making Ivan laugh softly in surprise as he landed on his back, not expecting to be jumped on.
"Careful Matvey." The man says with a smile. "It is not wise to jump around like that near the campfire, right?"
"It's fine, my wings aren't out and we fell away."
"Yes, you are right."
Well looks like it doesn't matter if I need to nest with Ivan.
It was going to be fun these next couple of weeks trying to block his mating instincts and help Ivan practice courting.
)*(
That night as they reached the border of Vernal, Ivan bade Orel farewell, telling the bird to fly home to Irunya and to stay with her until he came home. The eagle nuzzled them all in farewell before heading off for home as Ivan and the others continued past the border for a time before stopping for the night and setting up camp. Both men were grateful not to worry about one freezing in the middle of the night.
After traveling for two days, they were walking though a vast field. It was filled with many flowers of every size and Matthew was enjoying the different sight. There were so many colors; it was beautiful. Ivan had been smiling at the flowers as they walked through the field, looking quite pleased to be amongst them.
When they stopped for a break Matthew smiled and pointed. "Look Kuma, there are some sunflowers here." Kuma quickly trotted up to the tall flowers and looked them over with wide, happy eyes. It had been some time since they had seen a flower patch of this size.
Ivan had just set down his pack when Matthew pointed out the sunflowers. "Hm?" He turned to look and gave a little gasp of surprise. "Sunflowers!" He exclaims in Solstice, his eyes wide and practically sparkling with unexpected happiness. He walked over to the sunflowers, reaching out and touching them gently. The smile that appeared seemed to light up his whole face. He looked like a child who had just been given the thing that they had wanted the very most in the entire world.
Matthew was left a little shocked, having never seen Ivan like this before. "You... Really like the sunflowers eh?"
"Mhmm!" Ivan's head bobbed up and down happily as he carefully wrapped his arms around some of the sunflowers in a hug, not wanting to pull them out of the ground on accident. He really wished he could take some with him but pulling them out of the ground and carrying them around would make them wither and die and he didn't want that.
Matthew couldn't help but laugh. "Aww, look at you being all-" Then he gasped. "Kuma no!" But it was too late; the hippogriff had just chomped down onto the head of one of the sunflowers, then proceeding to tug on the plant as he tried to pull the head off the stem.
Ivan promptly let go of the sunflowers and all of the happiness of his face vanished in an instant when he laid eyes on Kumajiro harming the sunflower. "No!" He protests, his voice an octave higher than normal. "Stop it! You'll kill it!" He was frowning as he shouted at Kumajiro in Solstice, a hurt, distressed, and slightly angry look on his face. His hands were baled up into fists at his side, gripping at the material of his coat to give his hands something to do, and he was trembling almost imperceptibly with the self-restraint needed to keep himself from going over and lashing out at the hippogriff. "Stop it!"
"I'm so sorry Ivan. There's not much we can do about that flower now." Matthew tried to comfort the tall man as he stood next to him, placing a hand on the other's arm but Ivan flinched away from the touch, something that looked like fear flickering in his eyes for a millisecond before it was gone. Meanwhile Kuma just tilted his head in confusion and chewed the flower head like a cow, slow and lazy.
Ivan scowls at Kumajiro. "Don't eat anymore of those!" He orders in Vernal, a sharp edge to his words as his voice returned to its normal octave. Matthew gave the man some space and went to find another flower for Kuma to eat but he doubted that the hippogriff would stop eating his favorite food aside from fish just because Ivan said so. The hippogriff after all did say he'd lay off some, which might have been very little.
Ivan continued to scowl at Kumajiro unhappily before he forced himself to turn and walk away. He went back over to his pack and sat down, pulling out a small flask and drinking about half of the vodka in it before putting the top back on and returning the flask to his pack.
Matthew frowned. He could clearly see that Ivan was upset and the man had seemed so happy a moment ago. Then he got an idea, but first he asked Kuma to leave the sunflowers alone -or at least to find some out of Ivan's sight- before he sat down near the prince. "Ivan?" He hoped he wasn't approaching him too soon.
"Yes?" Ivan asks, looking towards Matthew. He still had a small frown on his face, though he didn't seem like he was still angry; it more like he was unhappy and just sulking instead.
"Would you like to hold a baby sunflower?" The guardian asked gently.
Ivan tilted his head in confusion. "Baby sunflower?"
Matthew nodded with a smile. "Hold out your hands."
The man held out his hands, a curious yet slightly puzzled look on his face.
The guardian brought Ivan's hands together in a cup like shape before placing a single tiny sunflower seed in the center watching as Ivan's expression became even more puzzled now.
"A seed?"
"Yes. Did you not know that all life begins this way?" He smiled sweetly as his hands were brought to rest against Ivan's larger ones. Ivan arched an eyebrow in disbelief at Matthew's words, though listened curiously.
"It is true. The soil is the womb that cradles the seed, as a mother carries the seed given from the father. Soil nurtures and protects the sprout until it is strong enough to come above the surface. With us and all others, it is the same as a mother birthing her child." Matthew then leaned forward, bringing his mouth within just an inch of the others hands, surprising Ivan quite a bit by the action. He gave a breath, slow and warm, and with that, a soft green glow came from his hands, his breath, and the seed resting on Ivan's palm. The seed started to twitch and wiggle before it cracked a little, a miniature green sprout pushing its way out and slowly growing tiny little leaves as roots gently danced across Ivan's skin in spirals.
Ivan's eyes widened in shock at the spectacle happening right in his hands, and soon a look of awe and wonder appeared on his face as he watched the sprout grow in his hands. The man glanced at Matthew for a brief second before returning his gaze to the sprout and the guardian took a moment to pause and inhale. "The sky can be like a father or mother to a sprout, keeping them warm, giving them water…" He breathed out again and the sprout grew to about the length of Ivan's finger.
Ivan continued to watch silently with wide-eyed wonder, too in awe of the sprout growing in his hands to say anything. Matthew smiled when he glanced up for a second to see the look on Ivan's face. He then continued to breathe life into the plant until it was about two feet tall; its roots gently wrapped around Ivan's hands and fingers, a bud resting at the top of it
"Matvey is amazing." Ivan murmurs in Solstice, too overwhelmed with astonishment at the thing growing in his hands to speak a language that Matthew would understand.
Matthew lifted his head up and with a little tilt of the head he asked simply. "Pardon?"
Ivan blinked in surprise for a moment, glancing at Matthew. "I said Matvey is amazing." He says in Vernal with a soft, sweet smile, holding Matthew's gaze for a moment before his eyes returned to watching the plant grow in his hands.
The guardian giggled before leaning up and breathing right up against the flower bud. It slowly swelled and pushed itself open. At first it was one yellow petal at a time, then a few more, and then the last of it burst open.
Ivan's eyes had widened as the petals began to emerge, gasping softly as it burst open all the way, his eyes lighting up in awe and happiness at the sight of the little sunflower grown in his hands. "Matvey is very amazing." He murmurs with a smile.
"Thanks, but anyone with plant magic can do this. It is a simple trick." He blushed a little from the constant praises.
"Mn." Ivan looked like he disagreed with Matthew's words but didn't say anything more about it. He then held his hands up to his face to look at the roots wrapped around his hands in a mixture of wonder and curiosity. "What now? Are we going to plant it?"
Matthew laughed softly. "Of course. It would be silly not to. Come, let's find a good spot and I'll dig up a hole."
Ivan nods and after a moment, he stood up without using his hands. "Yes, let's!" He says with a smile, holding the flower in his hands carefully and smiling at it as he waited for Matthew to pick a spot.
Matthew followed the action and looked around to find a nice spot, Ivan would most likely want to place it with other sunflowers. There was a space near the sunflowers that Ivan was looking at before so the boy got on his knees and started digging a hole there. "All right, place it here."
Ivan kneeled down and placed his hands in the hole before giving a confused sound. "Ah, how do I put it down without hurting the roots…?" He questions, unsure how to put it down when it was wrapped all around his hands.
"I'll take care of that." The guardian's hands were placed on Ivan's and with another green glow coming from his hands; the roots wiggled and untangled themselves.
"It tickles." Ivan says with an amused smile. When the roots had untangled themselves, he set it down gently in the hole, and then pulled his hands out of the hole. Matthew then started to move the dirt over the roots. "I know."
Ivan helped push the dirt into the hole as well, patting it down when it was fully covered and smiling happily at the sunflower he had just helped plant.
"Want to plant another?" Matthew asked with a smile.
Ivan's gaze jumped to Matthew quickly, an excited and eager look on his face. "Yes!" He chirps, beaming happily.
"All right, all right. Come on, I can maybe grow another three or five before I can't do it anymore."
"Hm?" Ivan tilted his head. "Why wouldn't you be able to- ah, wait. Magic takes energy."
"Yes and I tend to have less of it with my wings hidden." The boy replied as he dusted the dirt from his hands and stood.
"Does it take a lot of energy to keep them hidden for a long time?" Ivan asks curiously.
Matthew gave a nod. "It can cut more than half of my energy over the course of the day. It becomes dangerous if any longer than that.
"Why don't you take them out for a while then?"
"Huh?"
"Since we are taking a break right now and I already know about them, you do not need to keep them hidden right now." Ivan says with a smile. "Why not give yourself a break and not have them hidden for a while?"
Matthew thought about it for a moment. It would be nice to have them stretched and out in the open air. "All right then. I think I will take you up on that offer."
The boy felt a little out of place as he took off his light jacket and then called forth his wings. His shirt had slits in them though so he didn't have to be bare-chested. It wasn't that he hadn't been naked in front of Ivan before; it was just that he did not wish to encourage his instincts to flaunt his feathers.
Ivan smiled as Matthew took his wings out, blinking in surprise as he noticed the slits in Matthew's shirt. "Ah!" He exclaims softly. "The coat doesn't have slits in it. No wonder you couldn't sleep with it on."
"Well yes. Having slits in my jacket would make it look obvious that I have wings of some sort. It keeps people from asking questions."
Ivan nods in understanding. "Sunflowers now, right?"
Matthew began to laugh again and could only nod in response.
)*(
After they had planted sunflowers, Ivan smiled happily at their work. "It is a pity that they do not grow well in Solstice. They are so pretty."
"Maybe I could find you a Garden gem. They're rare but you never know what you may find."
"A garden gem?" Ivan repeats, tilting his head curiously.
"Mmhm, you can place them in a room and they well make their own heat and sunlight for plants to grow. The castle back in my village has one. It was wonderful but normally only the kings and high nobles have them. Average people would rather sell it for plenty of money than have a garden gem in their home."
Ivan's expression brightened. "It would let sunflowers survive in Solstice?" He asks excitedly.
The guardian nodded with a bright smile. "At least in one room, unless you got a lot of them."
Ivan grinned happily, looking excited at the idea that he could have sunflowers at home in the palace. "Where do you find them?" He asks eagerly.
"That I don't know." Matthew frowned. "I'm sorry."
The man's smiled dropped a little but he still smiled. "Maybe we will get lucky?" He suggests hopefully.
"Perhaps, but if I ever find one after you return home with your bride, I'll bring it over. A wedding gift for you if you will." He patted the prince's arm.
"Thank you Matvey." Ivan smiled happily. "Will you be able to find the palace though? You do not speak the language of Solstice and only the nobles and scholars know how to speak the language of Vernal and Autumnal."
"I'll get a map and directions from Arthur, it may take me a while but I'll get there." He stretched and flapped his wings, stirring up dirt.
Ivan chuckles softly. "If you ask Kirkland, you won't need a map. He knows the way."
"Oh I don't doubt it, but would he be willing to come?" He grinned.
Ivan laughed. "Definitely not."
Matthew made a sharp whistle and waited for Kuma to come back around. The bird was probably beak deep in sunflowers somewhere. It was not a moment later when the hippogriff came running down the field though. "Ah there you are- Kuma you could have at least cleaned your beak. Do you want to spend hours scrubbing it with a straw brush?"
Kuma snorted and wiped his beak on the nook of his wing. Something purple then quickly caught Matthew's eye. "Kuma, what is that flower stuck in your feathers?" Matthew plucked the flower that looked like a water lily from his feathers. "Take me to were you found this!" The boy was thrilled at the find though Ivan just tilted his head curiously at the flower, wondering why Matthew seemed so excited by it.
"This is a very rare flower and if done right, it becomes a very powerful medicine. It increases healing and can cure many deadly illnesses with a single mouthful!" Matthew explained quickly before running after Kuma.
"Oh." Ivan blinked in surprise, glancing around before following after them with interest.
Matthew him stopped though. "Um, what about our stuff?"
"I'll stay here then." Ivan says with a nod, walking back to their things.
"Thank you! I promise I won't be too long!"
"Yes, yes." Ivan says nodding and returning to sit with the bags.
)*(
Matthew returned ten minutes later with a huge armful of purple flowers and a great big smile on his face. "I return!"
Ivan chuckled. "I see that Matvey. You have a lot of those flowers, right?"
"It was almost all I could find, I only left enough for the bees." The guardian says as he sets the flowers down on his jacket before running over to his bag to pull out his mortar and pestle, some vials with herbs and liquids, and then one empty medium sized vial. "I'm sorry about this, but do you think we can stay here for the night? This might take a while and I do not wish to rush."
"Yes, we can stay Matvey. It is no problem. It is nice here."
"Thank you again."
Ivan smiled. "It is no problem Matvey." Ivan sat down near Matthew and watched him work curiously.
)*(
Matthew spent many hours grinding the flowers into paste; adding a dash of this and a drop of that. Meanwhile, Kuma was running around the field like some wild stallion that had caught wind of a mare in heat, tearing up flowers and grass as he went. The guardian was trying his best to ignore Ivan and Kuma and just focus on the task at hand.
When the time came, Ivan made them food and brought Matthew's to him so he would not have to stop working.
The sun was long gone before Matthew had finally filled the vial with a dark purple slime. "Here! I think I did a pretty good job." The jar was about the size of Matthew's hand, not very big, but more than enough to help at least five to ten people. With it done, the boy was finally able eat in peace, even if the food was now cold.
Ivan looked at the slime curiously. "So many flowers needed for so little medicine." He comments.
"Yes, but it will be great in an emergency."
Ivan nodded in understanding. "After you are done eating, would you like to practice dancing? We have not done that in a few days."
"Ah, I would love to dance." Matthew grinned as he continued to eat.
The man smiled. "Would you like to try dancing with your wings out?" He asks, tilting his head curiously.
"Wouldn't that make dancing difficult?" The boy's wings twitched as he thought about it.
Ivan shrugged. "I do not know. We have not tried it before."
"But my back."
"We do not have to try it if you do not want to Matvey. I just suggested it because it is more comfortable for you to have them out."
"All right, but I'll hide them if it's uncomfortable to dance with."
"Sounds like a plan."
Matthew put his things away before going over to Ivan. He placed his hand on Ivan's shoulder and held up the other to begin. Ivan took Matthew's hand in his and placed his other near where Matthew's shoulder blade was, pressing firmly like always to avoid being too gentle on his sensitive back. "Is that all right?"
The boy flushed deeply; at least Ivan didn't grab the base of his wing. "S-so far...i-it isn't too bad."
"Ready to start then?" Ivan asks with a small smile, watching as Matthew gave a curt nod in reply and got ready to be led. Ivan then started off with the basics, slowly adding more as they went. "Let me know if you'd like me to stop." Ivan says after a moment or two.
"I will."
The man smiles and adds a bit more, speeding up slightly. He avoided the under the arm twirls though, mostly because he didn't think he could do those without the large wings getting in the way.
"No under spins?" Matthew asked in confusion after a while.
"I am not sure how to do them with your wings." Ivan admits with a small sheepish smile. "I am tall, but I do not think I am tall enough to do that without your wings bumping into my arm and I did not want to cause you any discomfort by doing so."
"Let's try, I may be able to make this work." Matthew giggled a little with a smile.
Ivan chuckled and nodded. "All right then." Several steps later, he made the move for one of the under arm spins and watched as Matthew let his wings trail along gracefully like cloth. They went though the spin without the wings so much as touching Ivan.
"That worked well." Ivan says, pleased.
Matthew smiled with pride. "I have very good control of my wings."
Ivan smiled a bit more. "Yes, you do. They are very pretty also."
"O-oh, thank you. But you don't have to say such things." The boy blushed deeply.
"Mm, but I want to." Ivan chuckled softly at Matthew's blush. "They are also very…" He does another spin with Matthew. "Strong."
The blush increased and the boy almost tripped. Did Ivan even know what that meant in the language of winged creatures? "You- think so?"
"Yes." Ivan says with a smile. "When I spooked you at the hot springs and I was trying to set you on the rock, I had a hard time doing it because your wings were pushing back as I was trying to move. I do not think I have ever had such difficulty moving someone as light as you are as I was having at the hot springs when your wings were are very strong."
"Oh, that." Matthew hung his head a little; he didn't really want to remember that.
"Head up Matvey." Ivan chides gently with a smile. "But anyway, they are very strong wings." He did another spin with the boy. "I like them."
The guardian didn't really know what to say about Ivan liking his wings, but he complied with lifting his head up. "Well, I'm glad?"
"They suit you very well I think." Ivan compliments more.
"They are the same color of my hair, it makes sense why they suit me."
The man nods with a smile. "Yes. The light stripe in it is also very pretty." He went quiet for a moment or two before asking curiously. "This is probably a silly question, but can you fly with them?"
"I have yet to meet a creature with wings that couldn't."
"I said it was probably a silly question, didn't I?"
Matthew smiled. "It's all right. It is not the first time that someone has asked."
Ivan smiled back. "Maybe a better question would be can you fly well or are you still learning?"
"Of course I can!" The guardian pouted and looked away.
The man chuckled softly. "I apologize. That was not meant to offend you. I was just curious, I do not know if you are born with your wings or when you get them or however it works for you is all."
"That I can not tell you, it is only shared with our own kind or mates. It is meant to protect the nestlings."
"It is all right Matvey, I understand. Family is important to you, right?" He continued to dance with Matthew while they spoke.
"Yes, very important." He said softly with a little smile.
Ivan dances with him quietly for a while before speaking. "Does Matvey want a family of his own?"
"Oh yes!" Matthew says a little too quickly, blushing from his own eagerness. "I mean- I would like to have a family of my own someday."
Ivan chuckles softly at Matthew's quick response. "It sounds like Matvey would like a family of his own much sooner than "someday", right?"
"It wouldn't bother me if it happened sooner than later. But it's still someday."
"If Matvey wants a family so much, then why did he offer to help me instead of staying at home and finding a mate?"
"Well. There are no other guardians at home and I never really had the chance to travel so..."
"I see." He nods in understanding before tilting his head suddenly. "Does it need to be with another guardian? I do not know what your kind thinks of it, but I have seen many species intermingle with one another before."
"No. With humans it is acceptable from my knowledge. But it is more preferable with our own kind as it does not require as much explaining."
"That makes sense."
"Why the sudden interest?" Matthew asked, genuinely curious.
"Just curious." Ivan responds with a smile. "I do not believe any of your kind reside in Solstice. Or if they do, they are well hidden because I have never seen or heard of them before I met you."
"I did not entirely expect you to know. We tend to keep to ourselves. Even I do not know where others reside."
Ivan nods and they continue to dance for a bit before he frowned softly in confusion. "Ah, shouldn't you know where your parents are though?"
"I-" Matthew stopped dancing for a moment and looked at his feet. "I do not remember much of my birth parents. And my adoptive parent... She- died two seasons ago from an illness."
"Oh… I apologize for asking Matvey." He says softly.
"No, no. It's fine." He made a movement to show that he wanted to continue.
Ivan started up the dance again, dancing with him quietly for a few minutes. "Was your adoptive parent a guardian...?" He asks tentatively. He did not want to make Matthew sad with questions about her but he was also curious.
"No, she was human." He smiled softly.
Ivan smiled back before seeming to recall something Matthew had mentioned quite a while back. "Was she the one you were an apprentice to also?"
"No, she was just a simple farmer. I didn't really take becoming a healer seriously until after she had passed."
"What was she like?" He didn't mean to pry but he couldn't help but want to know more for some reason.
"She was a kind and gentle soul." Matthew smiled and then giggled. "And so very patient."
Ivan smiles. "Matvey is the same. You had a good role model, yes?"
"I do believe I did. I wish she could have been around to see her grandchildren and been a role model from them too though."
"You will be a good role model for your children when you have them Matvey." He says with a smile. Ivan was quiet for a moment in thought. "Hm, I have had more bad role models than good. Whether or not I will make a good role model is very questionable." He muses aloud.
"I think you would be. You are gentle when needed and kind to those you care about. You can be very strict at times, but that is good when raising children." Matthew says confidently, truly believing what he said.
"Mm, you have not seen me truly angry though." Ivan says with a wry smile. "I can get quite…. volatile." And that was putting it lightly.
"Would you ever use that against someone you care about?"
"Not intentionally." He glanced away with a soft frown.
"Ivan..." Matthew says softly before moving in closer to rest his head on Ivan's chest as they danced. "I don't believe that you would ever hurt the ones you love out of anger."
Ivan was quiet for a few long moments, slowing their dancing a little but not stopping. "You are wrong in that belief Matvey. I have hurt ones I care about before." He says quietly. "Not intentionally. I am just not always fully aware of who I am lashing out at when I am really mad." A small unhappy frown appeared on his face. "I was mad at someone else entirely and someone I care about got in the way. They tried to stop me before I got myself in trouble and I ended up lashing out at them instead of at the person I was mad at and I hurt them a lot."
Matthew listened quietly until Ivan was finished. He then spoke in a tender and gentle way like he was soothing a child. "Then... maybe it is something that you have to work on? Everyone has bad habit that they have to work out for the better of their loved ones."
"…I do not know how to "work on" something like that Matvey..." Ivan frowned softly.
"Well, I don't know either until I see you angry. To start, you would need someone to help calm you and after that it's just thinking."
"I do not want Matvey to need to see me angry like that." The man mumbles after a moment or three. "It is not pleasant nor would it be very safe for Matvey to be around me when I am that angry."
"I'll be fine, I can get away if I need to." He smiled and fluttered his wings.
Ivan frowned, not looking quite so sure of that. "Still…"
"Don't worry. I won't make you, I just want you to know that I am willing to help."
"Yes, I appreciate it. Though I do not think you would be able to make me that mad in the first place." He smiles very slightly.
Matthew laughed a little and lifted his head off Ivan's chest. "Oh? And why do you think that?"
"Matvey is too kind to say the things needed to be said to make me that mad." He says with a smile. "And there are only a few people that are able to make me that mad anyway."
"Ah, well that is good."
Ivan nods a little. "Yes. Unfortunately the ones that can like doing it often."
"They need to lay off and let you be yourself, not piss you off every moment they get."
Ivan snorts. "The King of Solstice will do as he pleases whether I like it or not Matvey."
"Ah, but when you are king, what does that make him then?"
"Dead."
"W-wait, what?" Matthew jumped back slightly. "I-is he dying?"
"I wish." Ivan grumbles with a scowl. "No, he is not. If I do regain my title as heir, the only way I am becoming King is if he dies. There is no way he will let me rule while he is still breathing."
"O-oh." Matthew was somewhat grateful to hear that. He honestly thought Ivan was going to kill his father for a moment.
Ivan stopped their dance there. "I believe that is enough practice for tonight. It is late."
"I'm fine with that. Goodnight Ivan." Matthew let go and went to get his blanket out.
Ivan let go as well. "Goodnight Matvey." He went to his pack and got his out as well before laying down near his pack, which had been set by the sunflowers.
Before curling up into his blanket Matthew looked at Kuma. [Not a word.] He says simply. He then happily fluttered his wings outside the blanket. Ah, it had been too long since he'd gotten to sleep like this.
Ivan did not go to sleep for a while, quietly thinking about many things as he stared at the sunflowers before eventually allowing himself to fall asleep.
I apologize for the wait. Life has been trying to prevent us from posting. There will be a double update this week but sadly the next chapter won't be posted until tomorrow, September 2. We will however be giving you the normal update today. I'm still in the process of editing Through the Moon but that update will be posted today. It will be probably updated an hour after the other two stories so be patient with me a little while longer concerning that story. Again, I apologize and thank you all for being so patient with us.
-GQ