Theo
One Summer Later
“We’re getting close. Do you want to put him away?” I asked Vivian.
Nurghle stopped again to stare at something.
Only the gods know what. His ears twitched forward and his eyes looked like mine did when I was feral—blackened voids.
Vivian put a lot of time into “leash training him like a dog”—I had never heard of a dog—but it wasn’t exactly a convenient way to travel.
He got distracted easily and was too stubborn to nudge forward most of the time.
But we made it work since we no longer wanted to leave him at the cabin unattended.
The agreed upon routine was to take the two-to-three day trip to Drifael every ten days to stay stockpiled with meat.
“I guess we should,” she sighed, bending over to pick Nurghle up.
The cat crouched low to the ground to lazily avoid his fate but quickly became a noodle in Vivian’s hands. She lifted, and his legs dangled limply under him.
I held his cushioned, ventilated box. She put him inside and carefully lowered the lid, buckling it closed. The last thing we needed was to show off our exotic pet while walking through town.
“Well, that should help our speed,” she laughed, picking up the pace of her strides. “Can we drop him off before we go shopping? I hate to have him in that thing too long.”
“I’ll handle the shopping today. You guys can settle.” I knew she enjoyed exploring town, but I was still on high alert. Admittedly, I always hoped she’d be happy to stay inside.
“Ugh that would be so nice,” she exhaled. “I feel like I’ve been walking forever.”
“Do you want to hitch a ride?” I offered. Sometimes she liked to mount my feral form’s back when we traveled. It halved the duration of the trip.
She laughed. “And have you approach the gates half-naked and in murder-mode? No thank you, baby. I’ll walk. Don’t want to scare the poor guards.”
I’d nearly forgotten it was taboo to fully shift into my feral Quadmos form. Vivian didn’t treat me differently when I assumed that shape. If anything, she became gentler. Treated me like a small, precious thing. Or she got very horny. Nothing in between.
Bright spots of light began to flicker through the trees. We’d arrived. The crystals embedded in the wall surrounding town were blinding on sunny days.
Two guards were stationed at the gate. One of them was a plant from G.P.O.
, who had taken the news of Gable’s raid very seriously.
Arne must’ve stationed at least ten hitmen here over the winter, plus a couple of administrative staff.
What had started as a pair of Arielnas ensuring no one fucked with Ida, had turned into a full team watching over the entire region.
Monitoring all who came in and out of Drifael.
Patrolling the woods. Checking in on us in our field periodically.
It was likely a strategic move. Or, it had something to do with the fact that Arne was “livid and gutted” in response to the news that we’d been raided, according to Mykie.
Either way, if he ever paid us a visit, I’d be thanking him wholeheartedly.
Something I never thought I’d do after our falling out.
“Welcome back,” the covert G.P.O. guard greeted, opening the gates for us before the other could initiate small talk. Anonymity was still our friend. Although the town was feeling suspiciously comfortable these days.
We made our way through the straw-covered streets towards the neighborhoods in the back of town, passing shops we now enjoyed being regulars at.
Winter was coming, which always made the town bustle.
I held Nurghle’s box close to my stomach as we weaved between the small crowd.
Nobody looked at us, which was a relief.
Any stranger who stared at Vivian for a second too long was reported and investigated as a possible threat.
Someone was stationed here just to identify potential members of E.A.R.T.H.
I was glad to have them as a non-violent first line of defense. Violence could come later, if needed.
“Wait, Theo,” Vivian grabbed my arm to stop my stride. I turned my head to follow her gaze, seeing the small traveling stand selling paintings. “Can we look really quick?”
“Of course,” I agreed with reservation. A traveling stand meant a stranger, and I didn’t like strangers much these days.
“It’s fine,” I reassured myself. This town attracted artists because of its rare dyes. Vivian needed new décor for our expanding cabin.
Our home had become quite special. I’d been working on expansions and renovations, slowly but surely.
We still needed a bigger bathroom and social area for our friends—Vivian was determined to host everyone again next summer.
She’d sent a note that said “be there or be square” to Mykie and Ragen.
I didn’t know what the shape had to do with their arrival.
“What about this one?” she asked, pointing to a painting of green trees with white florals. The flora was blurred, giving me the impression of looking through water droplets on glass.
“It matches those pots you painted.” I didn’t have an eye for art, but they were both… green.
“How much?” she asked the Pyran.
“Thirty silver and twelve bronze.”
“No change needed,” I said as I handed over thirty-five silver.
“I wonder if Ida can make me a dress this color,” Vivian mused, staring dreamily at her new painting as we walked. “Or do you think the olive would clash with my hair?”
I made a show of craning my neck to look between her and the painting. “I think it works.” Any color would work. She was always stunning.
“I’ll ask then,” she smiled. “Oh! That reminds me! Theo, we need to start paying Ida for my clothes now that she has a business. I don’t want to keep taking advantage of her kindness when she’s so busy with orders all the time.”
“Good luck with that, darling,” I snorted. Ida would never let Vivian pay for her services. They were too much like family, and the gifts were—as it was explained to me—her love language.
We approached the familiar duplex and veered right for Erith and Mitus’s door. Ida’s half was more shop than home these days. She preferred to make use of their space for friends.
I did the secret knock Vivian had taught everyone to signal it was just us, staring at the leafy wreath they’d hung around the peephole.
“Perfect timing, Ida just got here,” Erith said as he opened the door into their home.
I was so used to seeing Mitus in the metal-and-wood pub.
Picturing that traumatic moment from his childhood that was seared into my memory.
It was amazing to step into their comfortable, homey apartment and see him reclined on the couch with Ida, engaging in lively conversation.
He looked happy. I’d never seen him smile like this back in Virylan.
“Took you long enough!” Ida called to us, glancing over the back of the couch in our direction. “Mitus, my crutches are just—” She stretched forward to grab them from where they leaned against the coffee table.
“Got ‘em,” he said handing them to her.
They walked over together and we exchanged hugs.
Being friendly with Mitus was slowly starting to feel less strained.
I was clearly more uncomfortable than he was by now.
He’d really taken to G.P.O., and dedication to the cause had rerouted much of his anger.
He didn’t talk to me about it, but Erith hinted as much.
The two Arielnas had grown close. If the twin beds pushed together—visible through the cracked bedroom door—wasn’t enough of a hint, Erith smacking Mitus on the ass when Ida’s back turned was. Mitus’s ears lay flat in irritation, which made Erith grin mischievously.
“Sorry to make you guys wait. We left before the stars rose, but Nurghle wanted to take his time today,” Vivian apologized, opening the box in my arms and pulling our cat out. Once on the ground, he scurried for the “litter box” of sand in the corner.
“He’s getting less scraps from me if he keeps cutting into our time together,” Ida teased. “I finished that jacket for him. Let’s make sure it fits now so I can adjust it if needed before you leave.”
Once Ida had successfully clothed all the people in our group, she had become fascinated by the idea of dressing the little beast. Once Vivian had mentioned pet clothing was a thing on Earth, Ida immediately added Nurgle’s measurements to the small notebook that housed all our measurements. We were a well-dressed group.
“The material is waterproof, and it has a hood like we discussed,” Ida explained as Vivian followed her back to the couch where the miniature jacket waited.
“I should get our supplies before the shops close,” I said to the Arielnas next to me.
“Want company?” Mitus asked.
The question was so unexpected, I hoped I didn’t look as surprised as I felt. “Sure.”
“Cool. I have a few things to grab, too.”
I was expecting a hard conversation topic to arise the second we were alone. But that moment never came. Our errands felt incredibly… normal.
“Ugghhhh, I shouldn’t have stayed up so late,” Vivian groaned as we slowly walked with Nurghle up the mountain. “Can we stay in a grove tonight? I am grrrrroooooooggy.”
“Of course,” I replied. It was getting dark anyways.
A late, side-tracked departure mixed with allowing Nurghle to sniff all that interested him had put us behind our usual schedule. It was no longer necessary to move as quickly as possible through the forest; we’d made nice with everything living on the mountain.
“Did you want to stop in the next one?” I asked.
“Please!”
The groves had become our travel sanctuaries. The beasts were all perfectly happy to let us rest in their home for the night in exchange for food. They kept a healthy distance from Nurghle when they stopped by for payment, then disappeared for the rest of the evening once they were fed.
“This one is Brian’s grove,” Vivian reported cheerfully as we approached a group of densely packed trees. They glowed soft teal in the starset twilight. “He prefers the pink meat strips.”
“Brian” the grove beast was identifiable through his antlers that forked further up than most. His skull had the shape of a smile. I thought that was a little eerie, but Vivian loved it. She had a soft spot for the bigger horrors this world had to offer. I was a lucky male to have made that list.
My beautiful goddess of pink skin and red hair was bathed in blue light as she stepped under the interwoven tree branches.
Her features tinted purple. She looked like the blackberry water we kept in a pitcher on the counter.
I was reminded of the first time I tasted her under the oval leaves and sparkling crystals of one of these very groves.
“Brian!” she called out, cupping her hands around her mouth.
The beast appeared silently—as if materializing through thin air—before greeting us with haunting, hollow noises.
Nurghle didn’t like the forest creatures, but had grown to accept their presence from a distance. He sauntered to a nearby tree and began to claw its bark, his back bowed in a stretch.
“Alright, here you go,” I said, tossing the meat.
The beast snapped chunks out of the air one after the other, and each piece was swallowed whole by darkness. Once full, Brian’s skull pivoted on top of its black mist as if disconnected from its body. The beast faded into the distance.
“Home at last!” Vivian let out a relieved sigh, leaning against a tree trunk and stretching out her arms.
“Home?” I followed, resting an elbow above her head and leaning over her. I liked how she looked caged under me.
“Well, close enough,” she chuckled, biting her lip and looking away from my stare. “Technically, that book said my home was Cyciciah. And we are in Cyciciah.”
“As far as I’m concerned the entire world is yours, darling,” I smiled, resting a hand on her waist and petting a knuckle across her violet-blushed cheek.
Only my wild Little Goddess could take somewhere deadly like Cyciciah and turn it into a cozy home. She thrived amongst the macabre. Her brand of light and dark was perfect for a world like Trebianna, full of magic and monstrosities. She welcomed both into her home and loved them equally.
“Stop that!” she laughed, pushing on my chest.
“Stop what?”
“Looking at me like that! I’m too tired to do anything.”
“I don’t expect anything.”
“No, I know,” she huffed. “But when you stare at me like you want to eat me it makes me want to do something!”
“Like I want to eat you?” I chuckled. “Darling, my thoughts are clean. I think you want to be eaten.”
“Oh sure, blame it on me!” She ducked under my arm and walked towards our bags. “You have no business being that damn attractive and you know it,” she grumbled under her breath.
I did love a little chase, but she was too easy to catch this time.
I followed, turning her to face me and lifting her into my arms. Two hands held tight just below her full hips, her feet dangling against my thighs.
My upper hands held her choppy layers of hair out of her face as she looked down at me.
Her head was silhouetted in a crown of ethereal blue and silvery white.
She grinned that beautiful, joyous grin and I wondered what I did to deserve this adoring gaze from such a divine being.
“You’ll have to be patient with me,” I said softly. “I’ve been travelling for days, and I need to hold my mate now that I have her all to myself again.”
Her eyes crinkled with joy. “You like that word.” Her fingers traced across my jaw.
“The idea that I might have another half out there never seemed possible to me,” I explained. “Someone who brings life to my death. Who turns my bad into good.”
She hummed, looking up at the tangling branches sparkling above her head.
The faint patter of rain began in the distance, accompanied by a low roll of thunder.
“Don’t you think it’s beautiful how these groves are so infamous and deadly, but also full of protective crystals and thriving plants?
I think that duality makes them one of my favorite parts of this world. ”
My chest ached with adoration for my female. How could I find the words to tell her how much she meant to me? I could ramble about her beauty. Remind her I was hers for all eternity. Tell her I’d keep her safe. Shelter her. Take care of everything and everyone she loved.
My chest rumbled affectionately.
“Sounds like thunder," she remarked, smiling down at me. I realized she wasn’t talking about the approaching storm.
Her lips pressed against mine, her palms cupping either side of my face.
“I love you too, Theo.”