“You’re not there. You are not there. I cannot hear you. You. Are. Not. There!” Varus whispered as his skeletal face tried and failed to twitch. His quill scratched over the paper, his favorite noise, the noise of progress as he neared the end of another sentence in his novel, was suddenly drowned out by reality’s cruel embrace.
“Arooooo!” The noise of baying wolves springing a trap on unwary prey.
When their merciless racket shattered the tranquil noise of his quill again, he stabbed the paper and gripped the raven feather quill too tightly, snapping it in two. “That’s it!” He bellowed, enraged, and shot to his feet.
He spun on his boney heels and raced out the door, slamming it behind him hard enough that it shattered into pieces, the various bits of wooden planks clattering down loud enough that he knew what he’d done, and cursed himself. ‘Blasted wolves! They’ll pay for that!’ He thought, and heard the pair of screams rip through the thick trees.
‘At least I know what has the wolves so damn excited!’ He thought, and picked up his speed just a little, his wide, loose black cloak flapping and snapping in the wind as he shattered a path through bushes and trees as if they were naught but wet paper in his path.
The cracking and shattering of thick wooden trunks was loud enough to give the howling and the screaming pause, at least, and that perhaps was why Varus arrived in time. On the ground, huddling against the base of a great tree whose body shot up far above all the others, and whose canopy of branches deepened the space around it until even the brightness of broad daylight was a place of shadows and darkness, were two small ones.
They were bedraggled, both of them. Hair turned into unwashed mops of tangles and matted places; their ribs were visible in the gaps of their ragged, drab clothing. It was fair to say that they were filthy and hadn’t had so much as a bath, let alone a delicious meal, in quite some time. Before he could appraise the pair further, he heard the low growl of hungry wolves with their gnashing teeth and furious hunger.
Their fur was black, as were most of the wolves in this part of the forest, and they were led by one as tall as a man’s chest, their teeth as long as a finger, and their eyes gleamed with hunger.
“I won’t make much of a meal for you, I’m afraid.” Varus said and placing himself between the wolves and the little ones huddled beneath the shadow of the father of the forest, he added, “And neither will they.” His white bones glinted in the faint rays of light that pierced the foliage, and he leveled a finger at the leader of the pack, “So you’ve interrupted my work for nothing. Leave, and I will be merciful. This is my only offer.” Varus’s voice was rough and deep, and his bright red eyes glowed with mystic power.
The wolves began to spread out, angling for a way around the black clad lich.
[Hammer] Varus shouted, and the leader of the pack tumbled end over end across the forest floor as if he’d been given an uppercut by some invisible fighter of impossible strength, its body bounced and rolled until it thudded against a tree, knocking loose a cluster of leaves which made a ‘shhh’ noise as they rustled before drifting down like a blanket over the now ‘sleeping’ black wolf.
Whatever the wolves expected, this was not it, and for that, Varus didn’t blame them. ‘A skeleton is a fairly weak opponent, but an elder lich, even if it looks the same, hits…very differently.’ He would have smirked if he’d had his lips still.
[Hammer][Hammer][Hammer][Hammer][Ha-mmer] He cast his spell repeatedly, sending wolves tumbling away before they could properly process what he’d even done, the last one flying before the second in the lot had even finished their tumble against whatever tree became their napping spot.
The remainder of the pack turned on their heels and fled, their sleek black fur disappearing into the deep woods. “Bothersome creatures, every time I think I’ve cleared out trouble, another pack moves in and makes a racket.” Varus grumbled to himself and turned around to face the pair of children he’d just saved and get a better look at them.
They were shaking like leaves in a stiff autumn breeze, “Are you alright? What are you doing out here? Where are your parents? Where did you come from?” Varus stopped and cocked his head, his red eyes pulsed with interest as he saw something even more unexpected than two lost children in the middle of nowhere. “A fox girl? No…a kitsune? That is what you are called, is it not?” He asked when he saw the little fox tail and her upright ears, and the one to whom the kitsune clung… “And a nekoni…ah, that is it, isn’t it? A cat girl?” He asked, and their trembling redoubled.
‘You don’t see many of those at all, anywhere, the last I heard.’ Varus pondered and straightened up, placing his skeletal hands on his hips as he waited for answers to his slew of questions.
“Wh-What kind of evil things are you going to do with us, monster?!” The little nekoni girl exclaimed in a burst of courage, her ears going flat and her long blackish blue tail lashing about, she let go of her companion and tried to stand, pushing herself against the ground to rise on shaking legs that were ready to collapse at any moment.
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“I won’t let you sacrifice my little sister!” The nekoni girl tried to growl, baring tiny minor fangs, her hands spread out, baring tiny claws on her fingers, she tried to hiss, but instead it came out as a mere wheeze.
Varus watched as the girl’s strength finally gave way to exhaustion, and she fell in a heap at his feet. The kitsune dove over her, “Take me instead, just save her and you can do whatever dark rituals you want with me!” She cried, her tail bristled and she covered the nekoni girl like a protective shield before turning her gaze upward, tears streamed down her cheeks, and a heartrending wail began, her little body heaved as she tried to protect the unconscious girl.
Varus scratched his skull, it didn’t itch, it was more habit than anything else. ‘I came out here to drive off some noisy pests, and I end up with… noisy child pests? I suppose I can’t just leave them here.’ He thought, and his pause for thought must have seemed to the little kitsune as if he was still contemplating whether or not to use them both or accept her offer, because she hastily added…
“Willing sacrifices give more magic, right?! So, I’m a kitsune, I should be worth at least two or three nekoni! That’s a good deal, right?! Please! Please?!” She pled, and if Varus could have rolled his eyes, he would have.
The red glow in his eye sockets flared briefly, “I am not evil. I am not interested in sacrifices, but I will demand one thing from you in exchange for my help.”
“Anything!” The little kitsune yowled, and Varus crouched down to pick both of the two up.
“Peace and quiet.” He answered.
The kitsune’s silence as she and her sister were hefted over his shoulders was both an answer, and a statement of their desperation. Varus could feel the flame of life inside of them both, they were weak, and exhausted, hungry, and thirsty, but the danger of dying, if no wolves or other creatures were involved? ‘They still had time to find some other help. I suppose I can keep them for a little while, a few meals and some rest in safety should be enough, then I can get them safe passage on the road and that will be that. Then I can get back to working on my manuscript!’ The thought put a spring in the step of the elder lich, rocking the two small ones back and forth on his shoulders, but the kitsune girl said nothing, content to let whatever would happen, happen.
She stiffened when she saw the shattered door, and a twinge of guilt overtook him. Despite his casual air, he knew very well that it must have looked like he’d broken in and taken his home from the previous occupant.
The young one didn’t move as she was set down upon the old couch against the wall. She held herself stiff as a statue and watched with wide, staring eyes to be sure nothing amiss happened to her companion in the brief moment of their separation.
Almost to fill the silence, Varus said, “Her life energy is returning to harmony. Once it has reached its natural rhythm again, she will wake. Remain quiet until then, and I will feed you both.”
“Do you have…food? Like…real food?” The kitsune asked as visions of a horrible black cauldron filled with body parts being stirred by a cackling evil elder lich. She shuddered involuntarily.
“Yes.” Varus answered and straightened up, he placed his hands on his hips and cocked his head before asking, “Why? What were you thinking just then, your face went very gray?”
“Nothing!” She squeaked out as her tail bristled and she went stiff again.
“Oh, well just mind the girl quietly and let me be.” Varus said and walked away to seat himself at his desk again. He picked up a fresh quill, dabbed it in ink, and set the tip just a hair beyond the hole he would have to patch later.
‘And with a mighty blow he-’ The words formed in Varus’s skull, the flow of story perfect beyond words in his mind, so much so that he forgot the world around him as he was transported into the fiction that had engulfed his days for months…
‘Grow-w-w-w-w-w-w-wl-l-l’ He froze. The noise took him out of the moment, the scratching of his quill ceased.
He resumed. ‘And with a mighty-’
‘Grow-w-w-w-w-w-w-wl-l-l’
‘Grow-w-w-w-w-w-w-wl-l-l’
He went stiff. That rumbling noise was now redoubled.
Though he needed no air, the habit of his life as a living man returned, and he took a deep breath to calm himself, the red orbs that made up his eyes winked out into the darkness of his skull as if closing off his vision for a moment, he felt his nonexistent lungs expand and then contract as tranquility, peace, and ease reclaimed its place in his mind.
He placed his quill again upon the paper, ‘And with a mi-’
‘Grow-w-w-w-w-w-w-wl-l-l-l-l-l-l-l-l’
‘Grow-w-w-w-w-w-w-wl-l-l-l-l-l-l-l-l’
‘Grow-w-w-w-w-w-w-wl-l-l-l-l-l-l-l-l’
His quill pierced the paper…again.
His fingers snapped his quill…again.
And he shot to his feet…again.
He spun around, ready to yell, ‘Be quiet you insufferable-’ The words took shape in his mind, his skinless jaw opened to shout, but he saw the stirring form of the little nekoni, and the way the little kitsune’s face twitched. She was clutching her stirring companion fiercely, but her eyes were full of tears, and her hunger was now more obvious than ever.
“Right… Hunger pains.” Varus said empathetically and coughed needlessly into his hand. “I haven’t had to eat in so long, I’ve forgotten what those are like. I suppose, if you’re going to be here a bit, and if you’re going to keep your promise not to interrupt me, you’ll need something to eat. Wait here, I will retrieve something.”
“Wait… we’re going to eat, not be…eaten?” The little nekoni girl asked as she pushed herself up to a seated position and rubbed her eyes with one hand while the other clutched her shrunken belly.
“Yes. It won’t be much, but it will be something filling.” Varus answered and began to walk away.
“Um… thank you, but… can we ask you your name, Mister Elder Lich?” The kitsune asked as the bristling of her tail began to settle itself again.
“Varus. And… you are?” He asked.
“Hannah.” The little nekoni girl answered, trying her best to look unafraid of the lich, and given that she was inching closer to her sister, doing a bad job of it.
“Tuesday.” The little kitsune replied, and put her arm around her sister’s back to cling firmly to her shoulder and hold her still and upright, as if afraid she’d break and run or just plain collapse again.
“Curious names…” Varus muttered.
“You’re one to talk.” Tuesday muttered under her breath.
“What?” Varus asked, and the tiny whiskers on her face and the tail behind her twitched in tandem.
“Ah she said she’s thankful for whatever food you give us!” Hannah hastened to say.
“Oh, alright then, well wait there and I’ll be back shortly. The sooner you eat, the sooner you can be on your way, and I can get back to work.” Varus said, and disappeared out the front door, leaving them alone for the moment. ‘Maybe they’ll just leave now? But even if they don’t, what’s a few extra meals, even if it’s for a day or two more?’ He asked himself and began planning out the next chapter of his story in his head.
‘It will all go according to plan. Till it doesn’t.’ He laughed out loud at the twist. ‘Silly main characters, you never see it coming.’ He pondered as he went into the root cellar to draw out something for his very temporary guests to eat.