Chapter 21: New beginnings
When the snows began to melt, Erin was beyond himself with panic. Lord Snow-a-lot was losing the fight with the sun. Lady Jayne didn't look all that much better, either. As with all things, he knew that Lysander might have a way to stop this disaster.
"Ly, they are dying," granted, these words did more than make Lysander jump. They made him look around frantically for the threat. When the wanderer didn't see anything, he looked back at Erin.
"Who is dying, Rin?" Lysander asked. Erin took a hold of his hand, and then all but dragged him outside.
"See? Lord Snow-a-lot is losing his potbelly," Erin said, nearly close to tears. Lysander sighed then.
"Rin, didn't you have snow back in Brier Village?" Lysander knew the answer to that. It was Erin, who taught him how to make snowmen. Yet, he needed the boy to come to the realization by himself.
"Yeah, but we are not in Brier Village. We are in the frontier! Everything has magic in here. Ly, can't you save them?" Erin turned his watery blue eyes at Lysander. For the longest time, an entire two months, Lord Snow-a-lot and Lady Jayne had guarded the little hut. Erin didn't want to see them melt.
"Oh, Rin. Don't cry, princeling," Lysander said, as he wrapped his arms around the sniffing blonde. "Look, this is all a part of the cycle of life, ok? People get born, and then they die. No one can cheat death."
"But, Ajax is hundreds of years old," Erin protested. Surely, if the dragon has found a way, their two snowmen should be able to do so as well?
"He is a dragon. Besides, he, too, can die one day. With how warm it is today, I bet that Lord Snow-a-lot will melt before noon. Come on, let us go back inside, where it is warm," Lysander disliked the chill of the crisp spring morning. Maybe, he would sunbathe later, when the sun was high in the sky. But not now.
"I will be by their side, in their final moments," Erin said. Lysander took one look at the clothes Erin was wearing, and tsked his tongue.
"Not in these clothes, you won't. Come on. Let us wash, and then put on the clothes grandpa and grandma Thinker gifted us," Lysander tugged Erin back inside the house. It was good that their hair didn't look in need of washing, for Lysander didn't fancy going out with wet hair.
After a quick bath, the two had breakfast with the last of the sauerkraut, in the form of stew, and then went out. Erin, to sit down on the snow, and stare at the snowmen with sad eyes, and Lysander, to collect fallen branches for the fire.
Lysander didn't know what he was going to do now, that the cabbage was done with. His traps failed to catch anything, in the past three days. They at least had water, but he knew that he needed to go and hunt soon.
The question was, if he should take Erin with him. He wanted to catch something big, so he won't have to hunt in quite some time. Something he could salt. Like maybe an elk. His falchion would do short work of the elk's hide, but Erin might think it adorable, and then...
They would have to just go sightseeing. Which was not in Lysander's plans. Yet, leaving Erin behind by himself, was also not an option. The barrier would protect him, but if someone saw through it, Erin would most likely let them in the hut. Just like he had let grandpa and grandma Thinker.
More than once, Lysander had tried to teach the blonde, that stranger, meant danger. The blonde always argued with him, that if that was the truth, then Lysander had been a danger to him, from the start. Which, the two had agreed, was silly.
Even so, Erin was a tough nut to crack. He seems to understand that they will have trouble getting adopted. Him, less so, than Lysander. Yet, the blonde boy still thought that people were good. Something Lysander has long since been disillusioned of.
When Lysander had enough wood for the day, he turned to stare at Erin, who was sniffing, as he watched the snowmen melt. With a heavy sigh, Lysander went to him.
"I think they would like for you to go inside, in the warm hut," Lysander said, as Erin turned to him. "I need to go foraging. You have to stock the fire, Rin."
"Why don't you want for me to come with you?" Erin asked. Lysander sighed.
"I am going to hunt an elk," he said, at which Erin's eyes widened.
"No! Grandpa Thinker uses elk to pull his sled. What if he gets mad?" Erin asked. Lysander poked the blonde's nose.
"I am certain that he won't get mad," he said. "But you have to listen to me. I will leave you in the hut, and I better find you in the hut. You are to not go out, no matter who passes through. Not even if it is Belle."
"But Belle is a friend," Erin protested.
"There are shape-shifters in the forest. Ok, let us have a secret password. Something only the two of us can know," Lysander suggested, at which Erin nodded.
"The story of Lord Snow-a-lot!" Erin yelled. Lysander waved his hands, to shush him.
"Don't make this much noise, Rin. What if you attract something? Ok, so, we agree. The story of Lord Snow-a-lot. When I come back, I will tell it to you again, ok?" Lysander asked. Erin nodded. "Good, now you need to go back inside the hut."
"Ly, promise me you won't go for a baby elk," Erin reached out, and took a hold of Lysander's hand. "Babies are nice, and they don't taste good."
"Oh, Rin," Lysander would try to get just about any meat source. But now that Erin was looking up at him like a kicked puppy, he knew, that young animals were out of the question. "I promise."
Chapter 21: New beginnings
When the snows began to melt, Erin was beyond himself with panic. Lord Snow-a-lot was losing the fight with the sun. Lady Jayne didn't look all that much better, either. As with all things, he knew that Lysander might have a way to stop this disaster.
"Ly, they are dying," granted, these words did more than make Lysander jump. They made him look around frantically for the threat. When the wanderer didn't see anything, he looked back at Erin.
"Who is dying, Rin?" Lysander asked. Erin took a hold of his hand, and then all but dragged him outside.
"See? Lord Snow-a-lot is losing his potbelly," Erin said, nearly close to tears. Lysander sighed then.
"Rin, didn't you have snow back in Brier Village?" Lysander knew the answer to that. It was Erin, who taught him how to make snowmen. Yet, he needed the boy to come to the realization by himself.
"Yeah, but we are not in Brier Village. We are in the frontier! Everything has magic in here. Ly, can't you save them?" Erin turned his watery blue eyes at Lysander. For the longest time, an entire two months, Lord Snow-a-lot and Lady Jayne had guarded the little hut. Erin didn't want to see them melt.
"Oh, Rin. Don't cry, princeling," Lysander said, as he wrapped his arms around the sniffing blonde. "Look, this is all a part of the cycle of life, ok? People get born, and then they die. No one can cheat death."
"But, Ajax is hundreds of years old," Erin protested. Surely, if the dragon has found a way, their two snowmen should be able to do so as well?
"He is a dragon. Besides, he, too, can die one day. With how warm it is today, I bet that Lord Snow-a-lot will melt before noon. Come on, let us go back inside, where it is warm," Lysander disliked the chill of the crisp spring morning. Maybe, he would sunbathe later, when the sun was high in the sky. But not now.
"I will be by their side, in their final moments," Erin said. Lysander took one look at the clothes Erin was wearing, and tsked his tongue.
"Not in these clothes, you won't. Come on. Let us wash, and then put on the clothes grandpa and grandma Thinker gifted us," Lysander tugged Erin back inside the house. It was good that their hair didn't look in need of washing, for Lysander didn't fancy going out with wet hair.
After a quick bath, the two had breakfast with the last of the sauerkraut, in the form of stew, and then went out. Erin, to sit down on the snow, and stare at the snowmen with sad eyes, and Lysander, to collect fallen branches for the fire.
Lysander didn't know what he was going to do now, that the cabbage was done with. His traps failed to catch anything, in the past three days. They at least had water, but he knew that he needed to go and hunt soon.
The question was, if he should take Erin with him. He wanted to catch something big, so he won't have to hunt in quite some time. Something he could salt. Like maybe an elk. His falchion would do short work of the elk's hide, but Erin might think it adorable, and then...
They would have to just go sightseeing. Which was not in Lysander's plans. Yet, leaving Erin behind by himself, was also not an option. The barrier would protect him, but if someone saw through it, Erin would most likely let them in the hut. Just like he had let grandpa and grandma Thinker.
More than once, Lysander had tried to teach the blonde, that stranger, meant danger. The blonde always argued with him, that if that was the truth, then Lysander had been a danger to him, from the start. Which, the two had agreed, was silly.
Even so, Erin was a tough nut to crack. He seems to understand that they will have trouble getting adopted. Him, less so, than Lysander. Yet, the blonde boy still thought that people were good. Something Lysander has long since been disillusioned of.
When Lysander had enough wood for the day, he turned to stare at Erin, who was sniffing, as he watched the snowmen melt. With a heavy sigh, Lysander went to him.
"I think they would like for you to go inside, in the warm hut," Lysander said, as Erin turned to him. "I need to go foraging. You have to stock the fire, Rin."
"Why don't you want for me to come with you?" Erin asked. Lysander sighed.
"I am going to hunt an elk," he said, at which Erin's eyes widened.
"No! Grandpa Thinker uses elk to pull his sled. What if he gets mad?" Erin asked. Lysander poked the blonde's nose.
"I am certain that he won't get mad," he said. "But you have to listen to me. I will leave you in the hut, and I better find you in the hut. You are to not go out, no matter who passes through. Not even if it is Belle."
"But Belle is a friend," Erin protested.
"There are shape-shifters in the forest. Ok, let us have a secret password. Something only the two of us can know," Lysander suggested, at which Erin nodded.
"The story of Lord Snow-a-lot!" Erin yelled. Lysander waved his hands, to shush him.
"Don't make this much noise, Rin. What if you attract something? Ok, so, we agree. The story of Lord Snow-a-lot. When I come back, I will tell it to you again, ok?" Lysander asked. Erin nodded. "Good, now you need to go back inside the hut."
"Ly, promise me you won't go for a baby elk," Erin reached out, and took a hold of Lysander's hand. "Babies are nice, and they don't taste good."
"Oh, Rin," Lysander would try to get just about any meat source. But now that Erin was looking up at him like a kicked puppy, he knew, that young animals were out of the question. "I promise."
