“Mother, Mother! Can I go see Mr. Kein again?”
“Yes, dear, but don’t be away for too long, alright? Your Father has something special for you to see later!”
“Alright, I won’t...”
Mr. Kein had been the local wax carver within the Owarr kingdom, his humble, rustic shop planted between a tailor and a glass blower. The central strip had always been bustling with life, the narrow cobblestone streets having many owls for As to dodge as he ran through. Grand chandeliers lined in a long row projecting from the ceiling, glass crystals turning the candle light into rainbows that shone across the arches they were affixed to. A large ornate stone fountain rested in the middle of the square, turning the space occupied around it into a bubble—a popular place for owlets to stop and tittle-tattle with one another, making up games on occasion. As wasn’t one to idle there often.
Coming to the large green wooden door, As extended his reach up to the bronze doorknob, clumsily tugging it open and slipping inside.
As remembered this clearly.
“There’s only one young owl I know who opens my shop like that!”
“Me!”
“Flip the sign!”
The ‘Closed’ sign turned to ‘Open For Business.’
“You’re my best business partner, you know that?” The Mountain Scops owl looked at As with cheerful eyes. His front feathers were greyed due to his older age, his spectacles sitting atop his beak. “Did your mother need anything?”
“I don’t think so?” As comically pondered, tilting his head upward.
“I’ll tell you what... Your mother’s Hatch Day is coming up, and I’ll give you a...” Mr. Kein turned so that his back faced As, quickly turning back around, “...nice rosemary candle to give to her. She’ll love it!”
“But, sir, Mother didn’t give me any money.”
“That’s perfectly alright, son. It’s free.”
“Wow! Thanks Mr. Kein!”
Another separate memory hit As’ like a wave, one of when he was younger still.
“Ready! Aim! FIRE!” A commanding general ordered.
As watched, as many tens of arrows flew through the air, hitting their targets across a large hall head-on, causing the owlet to gasp while flinching, hiding his face into his father’s coat beside him.
“Nothing to be afraid of, son. This is important work we’re doing.” The Chief of Owarr Defense smiled down at their son, giving out a slight chuckle.
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“They do this for fun?” As was slightly teary-eyed.
“No, son, we do not do this for fun.” He gave a serious look with a sigh, “We need to be ready... for anything. Even if it means...” He didn’t dare finish the sentence in front of his 6-year-old son. He could see As was upset. “I’m sorry, As. I... thought you should know. Maybe you should go back to your Mother. You know the way home, right? Do you remember?” As nodded.
The words reverberated in As’ mind, thinking of his Father’s voice. Do you remember?
His eyes were wide open, his head turned to the side, and his body frozen. Frozen from sadness, frozen from fear.
Frozen from the poison.
As stared at nothing. His eyes watered. No body was peacefully beside him. No lulling sounds of breathing; the only air flowing was the breeze carrying itself outside. Blue dawn encompassed the area, shedding some light which the now extinguished fire could not. The ambiance was desolate. The owl often embraced silence in his everyday life, using it to his advantage.
The silence was deafening. Something could have been done, like before.
As had failed.
Again.
The wait was agonizing. With every thirty minutes providing more freedom from his encapsulation, it was thirty more minutes helplessly lost to time, time he could be putting to indescribable use. Stiffly, his joints began working. It was as if had been emaciated for so long. Time could not be wasted. He exerted himself.
He willed himself to move.
* * *
“Can you believe he chose us to do this?” Gaffe complained towards his partner. “Out of every damn weasel there, and he chooses-”
“Shut up!” Scus’ yell was filled with exhausted anger. “All you do is- is fuckin’ complain! I can see why he chose you, but not me! I don’t need ta put up with this! We’re dyin’ out here, and you wan’na fuck around for hours?!”
“So you final’y let it out, eh?” Gaffe kept his words to a dull waver on purpose, in order to make Scus more mad. “Got anything else ya wan’na say?”
“Yeah, I do! You’re the one who should’a been sent out in the first place! Not Evic! You!”
Scus laughed loudly.
“That’s funny to you, isn’t it? Dying is funny to you. That’s a real shame.”
“Least if I’m dead I wouldn’t need ta list’n ta you.”
Scus stopped. “What did you say?”
“Are you so dumb I need to repeat it to ya?” Gaffe got into Scus’ face, “Kill me! I don’t wan’na listen to your noise!”
Scus pushed Gaffe to the ground, covering him in snow, “I’ll turn this spot red just for you, and you can lay in it! I can do this shit all by myself!”
Gaffe held their paws out in front of them, “Don’t! L- LOOK!” Gaffe’s head was now looking straight up from his perspective, out towards the treeline.
Scus gave a well-wound punch to his eye with an arching motion.
“STOOOP! OW!” Gaffe quickly shot his arm out, pointing to the distant dark figure. “You bastard! LOOK!”
Shooting their glance straight out, Scus’ face flush with hatred, he, too, saw the figure.
They were dragging something.