eswareinmal | Log: 6th of Rebirth's Decline

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Log: 6th of Rebirth's Decline

Where: Around town
When: RD6, evening
What: A horse ride
Who: Eliot and OPEN

Eliot grinned as the breeze blew his hair away from his face. He'd missed this, being on horseback, feeling the ground fly past him. He slowed down as he left the courtyard. Children's voices echoed as he road into the town. He smiled as remembered the small town he had grown up in. This might be a very different dimension, but the similarities were unmistakable.

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Eliot smiled at the boy in his lap. "What happened to your mother?" he asked quietly. "Did she just not come here with you?"

Faolan quieted. "Mutti is dead," he said softly, arms wrapping around the man again. "The bad men killed her."

"Ah, pup," Eliot breathed, wrapping his arms tighter around the child. He hummed quietly under his breath, hoping it would help sooth the grieving boy.

Faolan clung. "Hawk killed the bad men," he said.

Eliot smiled and brushed Faolan's hair out of his face again. "Good."

He began to rock the child slightly from side to side. No wonder the kid said he'd had lots of fathers. His heart broke for the child in his arms.

Faolan cuddled, enjoying the rocking. "Bad men had Faolan too, but I escaped," he said. "Then found Hawk. Now Hawk is daddy. Takes care of Faolan. Protects."

Eliot had to fight tears at the little boy's words. He was too young for something like that. He resumed humming. If Hawk hadn't already killed those men, he would.

Faolan smiled up at Eliot. He was a good daddy. Faolan was already feeling better. He snuggled in for a nice, long cuddle, then shifted to press the man down on the ground.

He grinned. "I win."

Eliot laughed as he landed backward on the ground. "Are you that little werepup Faolan or are you Wiley Coyote?"

Faolan's eyes widened. "Am Faolan!" he cried, distressed. Eliot had laughed. Wasn't that good? Not having a TV made him very confused by the reference.

"Hey, hey, pup! It's ok. I was just teasing. You've never seen Looney Tunes, have you?"

Faolan nuzzled against him, reassuring himself. "What are those?"

"It's a cartoon show that we used to watch a lot when I was.your age," he explained with a smile. "It was mostly about these animals that constantly tried to hunt each other. Or just drive each other crazy. Wiley Coyote was always trying to catch the Roadrunner for dinner, but he had to be really sneaky because that thing was fast."

"Faolan is sneaky! Faolan can hunt! Can catch squirrels!"

With a bound, he was off after a squirrel to show off.

Eliot grinned as he watched the child show off his skills. Faolan's innocence, scarred by grief and suffering though it was, was refreshing. He resisted the urge to follow the boy, knowing he would only spoil the hunt.

Faolan came scrambling back after a few short minutes, carrying a squirming squirrel by the tail. He presented it to Eliot with a proud smile.

Eliot grinned and ruffled Faolan's hair. "Good job," he said, taking the squirrel.

He pulled out a knife and began to skin and clean the animal.

Faolan watched avidly, comparing it to how Hawk did it. "Faolan is good at catching squirrels!"

"So I see," Eliot said with a smile. "How do you prefer eating them?"

It was, after all, Faolan's catch. The boy should get a say in that.

"Mostly catch alive and let go again." It's been a while since Faolan has eaten a squirrel.

Eliot smiled. Don't kill anything you weren't going to eat. Just like his own daddy had taught him. "Good kid. Does fried squirrel sound good to you, then?"

"Yes!" Faolan dropped down next to Eliot. "What should Faolan do to help?"

Eliot frowned slightly. "Do you know where the kitchen in the castle is? Or a closer one we can use?"

"We have kitchen at home!" Faolan bounded to his feet again, reaching out to tug Eliot up.

Eliot stood and followed Faolan, squirrel in one hand and the boy's hand in the other.

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greatsquirrelhunter - 2012-06-26 00:00 (UTC) - Expand

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